October 24 [Day 59] (Valley View site) The temperature was 5C at 0800 and rose to 9C between 1100 and 1130 but fell to 1.5C at 1400 after a cold front passed south bringing 2 hours of snow and obscured ridges. Ground winds were variable gusting to 26 km/h before 1130, and were mainly NE gusting 14 km/h in the afternoon, and ridge winds were moderate WNW all day. Morning cloud cover was 60-80% cumulus, altocumulus and altostratus, and after the front passed it was 80-30% cumulus giving excellent observing conditions. Raptor movement was slow but steady up to the passage of the front, with the first Rough-legged Hawk moving at 0812 and a total of 23 birds counted by 1132. After the ridges cleared movement significantly increased, with 28 raptors moving between1411 and 1500, peaking at 45 (18 Bald Eagles and 27 Golden Eagles) between 1700 and 1800, with a further 15 birds moving between 1800 and 1844. Golden Eagles (110: 91a,11sa,8j) dominated the flight, with Bald Eagles (29: 21a,2sa,4j,2u) also moving strongly for the fourth consecutive day. An adult Peregrine Falcon at 1434 was the 46th of the season. The combined species count of 157 brings the total movement for the last 4 days to 1197 migrant raptors, but the total of 5670 is still 709 below average for this date at the site, while the 3370 Golden Eagles is 611 below average. There was little passerine movement but 3 Mountain Bluebirds flying high to the south at 1812 were the first to be seen since October 2. 11.33 hours (696.13) BAEA 29 (220), SSHA 6 (1015), COHA 1 (299), NOGO 4 (115), RTHA 2 (193), RLHA 3 (40), GOEA 110 (3370), MERL 1 (29), PEFA 1 (46) TOTAL 157 (5670)
Mount Lorette [Day 32] (Ron Dutcher) The temperature rose to a high of 5C from 1C, ground winds were light variable while ridge winds were moderate W all day, and cloud cover varied between 50% cumulus and 100% stratocumulus as brief snow squalls moved east from the Continental Divide throughout the day. The Fisher Range ridge remained clear all day, however. A total of 59 migrants raptors were recorded between 0937 and 1555 dominated by 55 Golden Eagles, 24 of which moved high and fast to the south between 1100 and 1200. 10.16 hours (373.17) BAEA 2 (69), RTHA 1 (17), GOEA 55 (1966), UU 1 (3) TOTAL 59 (2178)