September 28 [Day 35] (Doug and Teresa Dolmen after 1000) The temperature ranged from 4C to 9C with variable light winds to 1600 after which SW winds gusting to 30 km/h raised the temperature to 14C. Cloud cover was 80-100% altostratus, altocumulus and cirrus to 1300 after which it thinned to 10% altostratus before thickening to 40% at the end of the day. Raptor movement was initially slow with the first Golden Eagle at 1145 and by 1400 only 8 birds had been seen. Subsequently the pace quickened with a good movement of Golden Eagles peaking at 49 birds between 1500 and 1700 and with the last Golden Eagle seen at 1840. The 70 Golden Eagles is the highest total so far and comprised 21 adults, 10 subadults, 24 juveniles and 15 birds of unknown age. Other raptor movement was sparse but included an Osprey and 2 light morph Broad-winged Hawks (1a,1j). Songbirds were again scarce and the ridge in the early morning was eerily quiet for almost the first time this season. 12.5 hours (437.01) OSPR 1 (43), BAEA 1 (31), SSHA 7 (816), UA 1 (33), BWHA 2 (45), RTHA 2 (157), UB 2 (5), GOEA 70 (407), UU 2 (9) TOTAL 91 (2141)
Mount Lorette [Day 8] (George Halmazna) The temperature rose to 12C from a low of -5C, it was calm to 1100 and then the wind was N 15-30 km/h for the rest of the day, and cloud cover was 40-80% cirrus and cirrostratus to 1500 after which it became cloudless. The presence of smoke produced gloomy conditions in the morning. Probably as a result of the north winds migrating raptors couldn’t maintain lift on the ridges and moved low over the whole width of the Kananaskis Valley. Despite this there was strong raptor movement between 1110 and 1815 with 103 of the day’s total of 122 being Golden Eagles (57a,5sa,35j,6u), both being high counts for the season. One of the 3 Red-tailed Hawks was the season’s first “Harlan’s Hawk” and 10 Sharp-shinned Hawks was a season high count. Non-raptor movement was thin, but highlights were a single Western Grebe flying to the S at 0757 (only the second record for the site), and a migrating juvenile dark-morph Parasitic Jaeger at 1317 provided the 3rd record for the site. 13 hours (110.17) OSPR 1 (3), SSHA 10 (29), COHA 1 (6), NOGO 3 (9), RTHA 3 (13) GOEA 103 (240), PRFA 1 (1) TOTAL 122 (312)