RMERF counts, September 30 and September summaries

Sunday, September 30 Mount Lorette [Day 9] 0650-1935 (Bill Wilson, assisted by Lori Anderson). The starting temperature was -2C, the high was 1C at 1500-1700 and it was 0C at the end of observation. Ground winds were NNW-NNE all day, 2-5 km/h to 1000 and 2-15 gusting 20 km/h thereafter, while ridge winds were SW, light to 0800 then moderate to strong for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was 100% stratus to 1200 and 100% altostratus and stratus throughout the afternoon. The eastern ridges were 60-80% obscured to 0900 that gradually reduced to 0% at 1300 and was subsequently clear; the west was 90% obscured to 1200, reduced to 10% at 1600 and 1700, but then increased to 60% at the end of the day. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground on arrival, but there was no precipitation during the day. There was a moderate raptor movement with 45 birds of 6 species seen between 1007 and 1705 of which 41 migrated before 1600. The count was 4 Bald Eagles (1a, 3j), 10 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a, 2j, 7u), 9 Northern Goshawks (1a, 8u), 1 unidentified Accipiter, 2 light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks (1a, 1u), 4 Rough-legged Hawks (3 light, 1u) and 15 Golden Eagles (6a, 6j, 3u). All but one of the Golden Eagles migrated on the eastern route, and the rest moved on a broad front encompassing the whole valley. Other birds of note were 405 Canada Geese flying south in 10 flocks, 15 migrating Common Loons, 1 Wilson’s Snipe, 21 American Pipits, 3 Lapland Longspurs, 30 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches and 3 Yellow-rumped Warblers. There were 10 visitors today.

12.75 hours (100.7) BAEA 4 (12), SSHA 10 (32), NOGO 9 (14), UA 1 (2), RTHA 2 (11), RLHA 4 (7), GOEA 15 (273) TOTAL 45 (380)

September summary (variance from 1993-2017 valid counts (20) in parenthesis) DAYS 10 (-7%), HOURS 100.7 (-15.7%), TUVU 0, OSPR 3 (+42.9%), BAEA 12 (-35.7%), NOHA 6 (+25%), SSHA 32 (-43.4), COHA 4 (-64.4%), NOGO 14 (+80.6%), BWHA 1 (-54.5%), SWHA 0, RTHA 11 (-38.7%), FEHA 0, RLHA 7 (+278.4%), GOEA 273 (-24.9%), AMKE 0, MERL 1 (-64.9%), GYRF 0, PEFA 0, PRFA 3 (+445.5%), UA 2 (-37.5%), UB 3 (+185.7%), UE 7 (+1300%), UF 1 (+400%), UU 0 TOTAL 380 (-24.1%)

Sunday, September 30 Vicki Ridge. NO OBSERVATION. The temperature was -4C to -3C, winds were light E-ENE, and cloud cover was 100% low stratus that completely covered the ridge all day. There was 9 cm of fresh snow on the ground early in the morning and another 2 cm fell during the day. A general survey on the plains west of the ridge in the afternoon counted 27 raptors of 9 species that were either hunting or perched in the miserable weather. The count was 2 Bald Eagles, 3 Northern Harriers, 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 10 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Rough-legged Hawk, 1 Golden Eagle, 3 American Kestrels 2 Merlins and the first Gyrfalcon of the winter, an adult male grey morph bird.

September summary (last year’s count in parenthesis) DAYS 7 (11), HOURS 64 (90.8), TUVU 0 (0), OSPR 5 (7), BAEA 17 (11), NOHA 11 (9), SSHA 264 (368), COHA 34 (48), NOGO 13 (33), BWHA 13 (14), SWHA 2 (1), RTHA 51 (70), FEHA 2 (4), RLHA 10 (1), GOEA 181 (112), AMKE 8 (16), MERL 12 (11), GYRF 0 (1), PEFA 5 (7), PRFA 2 (0), UA 0 (1), UB 1 (2), UE 1 (0), UF 1 (0), UU 1 (0) TOTAL 634 (716)

Sunday, September 30 Steeples. NO OBSERVATION. The mountains were hidden by low stratus cloud all day.

September summary DAYS 10, HOURS 39, TUVU 1, OSPR 0, BAEA 16, NOHA 4, SSHA 23, COHA 2, NOGO 0, BWHA 3, SWHA 0, RTHA 36, FEHA 0, RLHA 0, GOEA 14, AMKE 1, MERL 0, GYRF 0, PEFA 1, PRFA 0, UA 0, UB 0, UE 0, UF 0, UU 0 TOTAL 101