Vicki Ridge and Steeples, October 6

Sunday, October 06 Vicki Ridge [Day 15] 0830-1915 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson observing from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of Vicki Ridge, and 1155-1500 Denise Cocciolone-Amatto, Raymond Toal, Keith McClarey and Leanne Poneche on the ridgetop). The temperature at 0830 was 4C, the high at 1600 was 11C and it was 8C at 1915. Winds were strong WSW-W all day 40-50 gusting 60-75 km/h and it was cloudless until 1700 when cirrostratus and altostratus started to develop that quickly became 80% altostratus, lenticular and altocumulus for the last two hours of the day. Observing conditions were challenging for most of the day with all raptors moving high in a pure blue sky, and the observers on the ridgetop added 13 birds (1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1a Cooper’s Hawk, 1 dark Rough-legged Hawk and 10 Golden Eagles (4a, 2sa, 4j) between 1159 and 1432 that were not seen from the valley bottom. The total count of 114 birds of 6 species between 0858 and 1851 was 8 Bald Eagles (5a, 1sa2, 1sa1, 1j), 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a, 3u), 3 Cooper’s Hawks (2a, 1u), 4 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks, 12 Rough-legged Hawks (10 light, 2 dark), 7 of which moved between 1727 and 1812, 1 unidentified light morph Buteo, 80 Golden Eagles (42a, 5sa, 25j, 8u), 1 unidentified eagle and 1 unidentified raptor (a mid-sized light bird that simply disappeared into the blue sky!). Movement was fairly steady all day with a high hourly count of 16 between 1100 and 1200. Only three other bird species were recorded: 34 American Crows, 21 Common Ravens and 38 American Robins, and two Mourning Cloak butterflies were also seen.

10.75 hours (142.4) BAEA 8 (66), SSHA 4 (340), COHA 3 (53), RTHA 4 (101), RLHA 12 (33), UB 1 (6), GOEA 80 (745), UE 1 (7), UU 1 (1) TOTAL 114 (1438)

Sunday, October 06 Steeples [Day 8] 1215-1815 (Vance Mattson). The temperature was 13C, winds were moderate SW and cloud cover was 0-30% thin altostratus, but despite apparently ideal conditions only 15 migrants were seen. This contrasts to this date last year when a season-high 104 migrants that included 75 Golden Eagles were counted. Today’s total of 15 birds of 4 species was 9 Bald Eagles (4a, 4j, 1u), 1 adult female Northern Harrier, 3 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks and 2a Golden Eagles. Resident Golden Eagles hunted as a pair near the site at 1724, the same time that the last migrant, an adult Bald Eagle, glided south over Mount Bill Nye.

6 hours (34.75) BAEA 9 (31), NOHA 1 (2), RTHA 3 (14), GOEA 2 (21) TOTAL 15 (90)