November 29 [Day 93] At 0730 it was -11C, light N-W winds and overcast with light snow falling, but the ridges were visible and by 0840 there were small patches of blue sky. By 0915, however, everything closed in and I left at 1010, but returned to the site at 1400 just as the snow was ending and the clouds dispersing, with a temperature of -9C and a light W wind. After 1530 the clouds completely disappeared, as did the wind, allowing the temperature to fall to -15C by 1700. Two adult Bald Eagles flapped their way south along the ridge at 1438 and a single adult Bald Eagle flew low to the south at 1523 to complete the day’s raptor migration. At 1638 the resident juvenile Golden Eagle flapped low and slowly to the west to roost on Bluff Mountain. 5.75 hours (991.9) BAEA 3 (605) TOTAL 3 (8175)

November 28 [Day 92] The temperature ranged from -6C to -2C at 1300 and back to -6C at 1700, with a mainly northerly wind gusting to 20 km/h making it seem much cooler, and an upper flow from the NW-N all day. Cloud cover was 100-60% cumulus, altostratus and cirrus giving hazy sun conditions for much of the day. Early in the day it looked as if there was a prospect of good raptor movement as 2 Golden Eagles and a Bald Eagle went south before 0902, but there was a long gap until after 1500 when 5 Bald Eagles and a Golden Eagle moved along the ridge between 1506 and 1549, the 2 Bald Eagles at 1522 bringing the season’s total to 600. The last bird of the day, a Bald Eagle, went south at 1626. 9.67 hours (986.15) BAEA 7 (602), GOEA 4 (5435) TOTAL 11 (8172)

November 27 [Day 91] (Raymond Toal) The ridges were in cloud all day with 100% overcast skies, light NE winds and occasional periods of snow. No migrant raptors were seen. 5.75 hours (976.48) TOTAL 0 (8156)

November 26 [Day 90] (Raymond Toal) A cold front from the north that was forecast to pass south over the site tomorrow actually arrived early this morning with the temperature -5C at 0800 that gradually dropped during the day and reached -13C at 1700. The only time that the sky and ridges completely cleared was 1300 to 1500 when the temperature briefly regained -5C under sunny skies, but for the rest of the day the sky was overcast and the ridges were generally shrouded in cloud, with a light westerly wind all day that never exceeding 5-10 km/h. Two adult Bald Eagles that moved south along the ridge at 1223 and 1226, and 3 adult Golden Eagles that followed the same route between 1503 and 1603 were the only migrant raptors observed with the help of Denise and Karola. A flock of about 30 Canada Geese flying south at 0816 and 10 White-winged Crossbills were the only non-raptor migrants seen. 9 hours (970.73) BAEA 2 (595), GOEA 3 (5431) TOTAL 5 (8161)

November 25 [Day 89] The early morning was similar to yesterday with a temperature of -10C and W-NW winds gusting to 40 km/h but today was cloudless until 1000 which allowed me to periodically unfreeze my face by looking towards the sun for a few minutes. The wind continued W-WNW 20-45 km/h all day and mainly cumulus cloud developed after 1000 giving good observing conditions. By 1400 the temperature had reached -6C before falling back to -9C at 1700. Once again there was no early raptor movement with the first bird, an adult Northern Goshawk, not appearing until 1132, and subsequent movement was slow and sporadic despite the apparently ideal conditions: perhaps we are finally running out of birds! The last two Bald Eagles moved high to the south in fading light at 1624 and 1638. There was some early finch movement with 12 Red Crossbills, 19 White-winged Crossbills and 2 Common Redpolls flying south before 1000, and at 1715 I flushed 2 Ruffed Grouse on the descent for a first November sighting although I had seen tracks a couple of weeks ago. Raymond and Denise will be watching from the Valley View (Frank) site for the next couple of days so I can accompany Barbara to Calgary for some preliminary procedures before her radiation treatment starts in December. 9.92 hours (961.73) BAEA 6 (593), NOGO 1 (163), GOEA 1 (5428) TOTAL 8 (8156)

November 24 [Day 88] It was a chilly start to the day with the temperature -10C to -9C until 1100 with 20km/h N-WNW winds blowing straight into my face. At 1150 the wind shifted to westerly with maximum gusts of 90 km/h around 1400 and subsequently dropped to 60 km/h, raising the temperature to a high of -3.5C at 1500. A Chinook Arch of thick altostratus cloud made the cold morning even gloomier until it moved to the east at 1100 leaving a sky of thin altostratus, cirrus and lenticular cloud with mainly sunshine for the rest of the day. To add to the misery of the morning the first raptor, a Rough-legged Hawk, did not appear until 1146, and the second, an adult Golden Eagle was not seen until 1306. After that, however, movement was steady with the last of the 9 adult Golden Eagles seen moving south at 1641 and the last of 5 Bald Eagles following it 5 minutes later at 1646. The combined species count of 16 was not bad for late November. The finch count comprised 1 Grey-crowned Rosy Finch, 1 Pine Grosbeak, 3 White-winged Crossbills and 9 Common Redpolls but only the crossbills and a few of the redpolls appeared to be migrating. 10 hours (951.81) BAEA 5 (587), NOGO 1 (162), RLHA 1 (77), GOEA 9 (5427) TOTAL 16 (8148)

November 23 [Day 87] The temperature was a balmy -6C at 0800 but a W-WNW wind gusting 30 km/h tempered the potential pleasantness of the situation. The wind steadily increased in velocity reaching 45 km/h at 1700 and the temperature reached a high of -4C at 1200. Cloud cover ranged from 30% to 100% altocumulus and cirrus providing excellent viewing conditions. There was again no early raptor movement with the first bird, a Prairie Falcon, not coming through until 1118, but subsequently there was a slow but steady flow of mainly Golden Eagles, with the last bird, an adult Bald Eagle moving through at 1645. The 11 Golden Eagles was the highest daily count for the species since November 11 and with the exception of one juvenile all the birds were adults. There was a small early morning movement of passerines comprising 1 Snow Bunting, 3 Grey-crowned Rosy finches and 5 Common Redpolls. 10 hours (941.81) BAEA 2 (582), GOEA 11 (5418), PRFA 1 (18) TOTAL 14 (8132)

November 22 [Day 86] It was -10C at 0800 with a NW wind gusting to 25 km/h, but at 1015 the wind dropped to 0-5 km/h from the NNW and remained light W-NW until 1615 when it increased to 20km/h from the west. Initial cloud cover was 70% altostratus which progressively disappeared leaving cloudless skies after 1330, allowing the temperature to rise to -6C. The light winds combined with a northerly upper flow were not conducive to raptor movement and only 4 migrants, 2 adult Bald Eagles and 2 light morph Rough-legged Hawks, came through between 1138 and 1339. All the birds flapped extensively and attempts to soar were generally unsuccessful both testaments to the poor flying conditions. Six Common Redpolls and 3 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches rounded out the migrants for a rather sparse but otherwise pleasant day. 10 hours (931.81) BAEA 2 (580), RLHA 2 (76) TOTAL 4 (8118)

November 21 [Day 85] Three centimetres of snow fell overnight covering the ice patches on the access trail and making the ascent both slow and, at times, painful. The temperature was -13C until 1030 and combined with WNW winds gusting to 40 km/h the resulting wind chill made observation uncomfortable. Blowing snow was also a problem from 1100 to 1300, but by 1400 the temperature had reached a very pleasant -8C and the wind had dropped a breezy 30 km/h. The sky was cloudless until 1100 when altostratus cloud began to develop reaching a maximum of 60% from 1400 to 1500 before dissipating to a cloudless condition again at 1700. Raptor movement was very similar to that of yesterday with the first Bald Eagle moving at 1142 and was again slow but steady until the last Rough-legged Hawk went south at 1645. Seven of the day’s 13 Bald Eagles moved between 1317 and 1334, and 3 of the 4 Golden Eagles between 1213 and 1216. The only non-raptor migrants were a flock of 28 Canada Geese flying high to the south east of the ridge at 0923.
At 1453 I heard a very soft mewling sound which I didn’t recognize, in fact in the wind I was not sure that it wasn’t my boot in the snow or my clothing that was making the sound. I immediately forgot about the noise, however, when I spotted two adult Bald Eagles flying towards me and when I put my binoculars down I found that I was looking into the beautiful sapphire blue eyes of a young, but almost fully grown cougar staring at me about 10 metres away. After recovering from the surprise I made myself appear as large as possible by standing on my toes and arching my arms (this was also assisted by the fact that I was wearing six layers of clothing!), while at the same time quietly loosening my pepper spray in its holster. After we stared at each other for about 30 seconds I deliberately and overtly turned my head away in what (I hoped) was a submissive gesture and after another 20 seconds the animal moved down-slope to the east where it stood at the edge of the forest making the same mewling sound that I had originally heard. About 20 seconds later an adult female cougar loped down to the young animal passing about 10 metres to the north of me and both immediately disappeared into the forest. If I thought that the young animal looked large the female looked huge by comparison and I was rather relieved that she completely ignored me. 10.08 hours (921.81) BAEA 13 (578), RLHA 2 (74), GOEA 4 (5407) TOTAL 19 (8114)

November 20 [Day 84] I was back on the ridge today where the sky was cloudless all day with a temperature of -10C at 0800 that rose to -4C at 1500 and down to -9C at 1700. Winds were again generally light W or WNW, normally 10-14 km/h with even calm periods in the late afternoon. The first raptors were 3 Bald Eagles at 1140 and movement was subsequently slow but steady until the last Bald Eagle went south at 1615. The count of 15 Bald Eagles is the highest since November 10, and the single Rough-legged Hawk at 1406 is the first seen since November 11. The only non-raptor migrant moving in any numbers was Canada Goose with 378 birds counted including a flock of 130 flying west at 1213 and one of 150 flying south at 1718. The only passerines moving were 9 Common Redpolls. 10.08 hours (911.73) BAEA 15 (565), NOGO 1 (161), RLHA 1 (72), GOEA 3 (5403) TOTAL 20 (8095)

November 19 [Day 83] (Raymond Toal) It was yet another calm day with occasional light westerly winds, a cloudless sky all day and a temperature that climbed to zero from a low of -9C. The first migrant was not seen until 1402 when an adult Bald Eagle went south followed in the same hour by 3 adult Golden Eagles and another adult Bald Eagle. I arrived back at the site just in time to see the 5400th migrant Golden Eagle of the season at 1619: a juvenile bird. The Golden Eagle total is now exactly 1000 higher than last fall’s count at this site. An un-aged goshawk, and 2 late moving adult Bald Eagles at 1652 rounded out the day’s count. 9.25 hours (901.65) BAEA 4 (550), NOGO 1 (160), GOEA 4 (5400) TOTAL 9 (8075)

November 18 [Day 82] (Raymond Toal) The temperature range was only -1C to 1C and after moderate westerly winds early the winds again became light after 1000 with most of the day seeing 90-100% cirrostratus cloud. Apart from a few sightings of the resident family group of 2 adults and 1 juvenile Golden Eagle and a single hunting Northern Goshawk over Bluff Mountain at 1040 no migrant raptors were seen. This ends a 43 consecutive day count of migrant Golden Eagles involving 4466 birds between October 8 and November 17. 7 hours (892.5), no migrant raptors.

November 17 [Day 81] (Raymond Toal) Today saw one of the rarest meteorological events in the Crowsnest Pass area: a calm day! It was almost windless at the base of the ridge and winds aloft were light all day with the cumulus cloud barely moving The temperature rose from a low of 3C to a high of 7C at 1500, and the ridge remained clear until 1300 after which it was occasionally draped with cloud. As might be expected under such conditions movement was desultory with only 8 migrants between 0914 and 1545, 6 of which were Golden Eagles, and no Bald Eagles were seen for only the second time this month. In compensation splendid views were afforded by an adult Northern Goshawk which parked itself close to the observers for several minutes, and a male Northern Three-toed Woodpecker was similarly cooperative later in the afternoon. 8 hours (885.4) NOGO 1 (159), GOEA 6 (5396), UE 1 (12) TOTAL 8 (8066)

November 16 [Day 80] (Raymond Toal) It was a pleasant day with the temperature rising from 3.5C at the base of the ridge at 0800 to 7C at 1000 where it remained until 1600. The west winds were moderate in the morning only becoming strong after 1500 and 10% cumulus cloud cover initially increased to 80% at noon but quickly diminished to 20% in the afternoon. The southern end of the Livingstone Range was draped with cloud until 0900 but was subsequently clear for the rest of the day. Movement was again sporadic from the first Golden Eagle at 0858, with half the 14 migrants counted occurring between 1300 and 1400 and the last bird, an unidentified large Accipiter (probably a goshawk) flying south at 1517. 8 hours (877.4) BAEA 6 (546), NOGO 1 (158), UA 1 (57), GOEA 6 (5390) TOTAL 14 (8058)

November 15 [Day 79] At 0710 I climbed to the ridge where the wind was blowing 60 km/h from the west, the mountains to the north were cloud-covered and it was snowing, so I went back down and watched for the rest of the day from the site we occupied in late November last year at the base of the ridge to the west. Snow continued until after 1100 and the mountains finally cleared at 1135, but were thereafter periodically occluded for the rest of the day. As a result the first migrant did not appear until 1146 and movement was then slow and sporadic all day, but considering the conditions and the lateness of the season the 13 birds counted was not bad. I shall be going to Calgary for the next couple of days to join Barbara who is awaiting news of treatment for a recently detected small tumour patch in her left cerebellum, but the count will continue in my absence under the auspices of Denise and Raymond at the Valley View (Frank) site. 10.08 hours (869.4) BAEA 9 (540), NOGO 1 (157), GOEA 3 (5384) TOTAL 13 (8044)

November 14 [Day 78] A cloudless sky until 1030 dropped the temperature to -7C and with WNW to NW winds gusting to 50 km/h it felt a little chilly. After 1030 it progressively clouded over with cirrus, cirrostratus and altostratus, finally developing a Chinook Arch after 1600 as winds shifted to westerly and the temperature rose to -3C. The first raptor migrants were 2 Northern Goshawks at 1056 that raised the seasonal total above the 154 counted last year, and movement was subsequently slow only increasing between 1500 and 1600 when 8 of the day’s 22 migrants moved. The last bird of the day was a female grey morph Gyrfalcon at 1554, bringing the seasonal species total to 9. Passerine movement was steady to mid-afternoon and comprised 25 Snow Buntings, 207 grey-crowned Rosy Finches, 8 Pine Grosbeaks and 132 Common Redpolls. 10.33 hours (859.32) BAEA 11 (531), NOGO 3 (156), GOEA 7 (5381), GYRF 1 (9) TOTAL 22 (8031)

November 13 [Day 77] It was a delightful morning with a temperature of -4C, WNW winds only gusting to 50-70 km/h and 20-50% cumulus cloud cover giving mainly sunny conditions. After 1330, however, a series of snow showers swept in from the NW generally lasting around 45 minutes each time reducing the temperature to -6C and obscuring the Livingstone Range to the north. The morning saw a slow but steady stream of southward-bound raptors starting at 0850, and a late subadult Golden Eagle at 1026 proved to be the 8000th migrant raptor of the season. The second bird of the day was an adult dark morph Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawk which is the latest ever at the site and the 33rd “Harlan’s” of the season. The flow stopped with the development of snow squalls in the afternoon and only a further two birds, an adult Golden Eagle and adult Bald Eagle, moved in a snow-free interlude. With the exception of rosy finches passerine movement is also slowing with today’s count comprising 32 Bohemian Waxwings, 152 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches, 1 Pine Grosbeak and 4 Common Redpolls. 10.33 hours (848.99) BAEA 2 (520), NOGO 1 (153), RTHA 1 (188), GOEA 10 (5374) TOTAL 14 (8009)

November 12 [Day 76] Westerly winds were already gusting to 70 km/h at 0800 and after 1300 strengthened with gusts to 110 km/h and one at 1325 was above 120 km/h. Cloud cover was mainly 100% altostratus, altocumulus and cumulus and the temperature briefly rose to 1C from a low of -2C until snow developed from the west at 1330 obscuring the mountains for the rest of the day. Two adult Golden Eagles and a juvenile Bald Eagle moved between 0816 and 0829 suggesting that it would be another good day. Just before 1000 another adult Golden Eagle moved south closely followed by an adult Northern Goshawk and that was it for the day. The mountains to the north remained clear for another 3.5 hours but snow had obviously already developed to the north stopping further movement. Passerine movement was also thin involving 18 Bohemian Waxwings and 49 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches, and even Common Ravens were uncharacteristically scarce. 8 hours (838.66) BAEA 1 (518), NOGO 1(152) GOEA 3 (5364) TOTAL 5 (7995)

November 11 [Day 75] A cool day starting at -5C and only rising to -2C with westerly winds gusting to 40 km/h in the morning and 65 km/h in the afternoon making observation uncomfortable. Sky conditions, however, were generally favourable for observation with 5-80% cumulus and altocumulus cloud cover, and threatening snow squalls to the west in mid afternoon failed to reach us. Raptor movement was reasonably steady all day from 0844 to 1655, peaking 1100-1200 with the passage of 15 birds including 12 Golden Eagles, which are still moving south in good numbers. Eleven of the 39 Golden Eagles counted today were juveniles. Two Prairie Falcons hunted near the site for about an hour in the early afternoon providing spectacular views of the birds before they moved south. Flocks of passerines moved south until mid afternoon and included 2 American Robins (the latest ever seen at the site), 30 Bohemian Waxwings, 763 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches, 8 Pine Grosbeaks and 435 Common Redpolls. 10.42 hours (830.66) BAEA 13 (517), RLHA 2 (71), GOEA 39 (5361), PRFA 2 (17) TOTAL 56 (7990)

November 10 [Day 74] Winds were again westerly all day, generally moderate until 1430 after which they gusted up to 70 km/h. The temperature was 3C at 0800 and rose to 4C by late morning, but fell to 0C by 1600, and mainly cumulus and cumulostratus cloud cover ranged from 70-100%. Light rain showers in the morning gave way to periods of snow and hail after 1345 with the mountains to the north periodically obscured for up to 50 minutes at a time. Raptor movement again started early with the only Rough-legged Hawk of the day moving south with a couple of ravens at 0745, and was steady until 1400 by which time 47 birds had gone south. After the snow developed only another 3 migrants were seen including the second adult grey morph Gyrfalcon of the day: a female (the first was a male). In a 32 minute period in the morning we reached three milestones for the season: the 5300th Golden Eagle at 1019, the 7900th migrant raptor at 1031 and the 500th Bald Eagle at 1051. Passerine movement was relatively sparse and comprised 57 Bohemian Waxwings, 32 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches, 1 Red Crossbill and 26 Common Redpolls. 10.25 hours (820.24) BAEA 18 (505), NOGO 1 (151), RLHA 1 (69), GOEA 28 (5322), GYRF 2 (8) TOTAL 50 (7934)

November 9 [Day 73] The system that arrived yesterday evening passed through quickly overnight leaving 2 cm of fresh snow on the ridge, and the morning was clear, 0C with moderate west winds at 0800. The wind rapidly increased, however, and soon after 0900 was gusting to 80-100 km/h creating problems with blowing snow. Fortunately after about 1.5 hours all the loose snow had blown off the ridge and I no longer had to wipe my lenses every couple of minutes. The wind dropped to a pleasant 50-70 km/h in the afternoon, with the temperature rising to 5C, but increasing and darkening cumulus cloud produced snow pellets from 1435 to 1525. Raptor movement started early with 2 Rough-legged Hawks and a Bald Eagle moving before 0800 and continued strongly until 1400 by which time I had counted 68 birds. After 1400 only another 6 birds moved suggesting that they were being blocked by adverse weather conditions to the north. The flight was dominated by Golden and Bald Eagles, the latter species having now surpassed last year’s count of 482 birds. A juvenile male grey morph Gyrfalcon that flew close to the site at 0941 was the 6th of the season, equaling last year’s count, and was the fourth in the last seven days. A Townsend’s Solitaire flying south at 0801 was the first seen since October 14, and was a first November record. Other migrant passerines were 110 Bohemian Waxwings, 360 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches, 3 Pine Grosbeaks, 3 Red Crossbills, 2 White-winged Crossbills and 58 Common Redpolls. 10.5 hours (809.99) BAEA 33 (486), NOGO 2 (150), RLHA 4 (68), GOEA 34 (5294), GYRF 1 (6) TOTAL 74 (7884)

November 8 [Day 72] The morning was as gloomy as it was yesterday with 100% cloud cover, a starting temperature of 0C and moderate westerly winds. After 1300, however, the altostratus cloud dissipated and was replaced by 40-60% cirrus and cumulus, the wind dropped to less than 10 km/h and the temperature rose to 5C under mainly sunny skies: it felt like August again. It was not to last: at 1510 the wind switched to E, 100% altostratus and cumulus cloud developed quickly, the temperature fell back to 0C and by 1700 cloud was enveloping the peaks of the Livingstone Range. Although the first Golden Eagle moved south at 0825 raptor migration was slow with only 11 birds counted before 1400. The next two hours, however, produced 18 more birds with the last, a Rough-legged Hawk, moving at 1551. The highlight of the day was an adult Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawk at 1517, the latest ever record of the species at the site and the first time the subspecies has been seen in November. An adult Bald Eagle at 1441 brought the combined species total for the season to 7,800. A flock of 120 Canada Geese flew high to the SSW at 0915, 14 flew high to the W at 1643 and a third flock of 20 moved to the SSW at 1700 just as the weather was closing in. A Northern Pygmy-Owl was in the area all afternoon, at one time perching at the site for around 20 minutes. Passerine movement was fairly diverse but numbers were somewhat down from the last several days: 69 Bohemian Waxwings, 1 Snow Bunting, 1 Purple Finch, 56 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches, 7 Pine Grosbeaks, 9 Red Crossbills, 17 White-winged Crossbills and 108 Common Redpolls. 10.58 hours (799.49) BAEA 14 (453), NOGO 3 (148), RTHA 1 (187), RLHA 4 (64), GOEA 7 (5260) TOTAL 29 (7810)

November 7 [Day 71] A rather gloomy day with 100% cumulus and altostratus cloud cover until late afternoon, but relatively warm with the temperature ranging from 2C to 4C. Winds were westerly and generally moderate only gusting to 50 km/h around 1300 and after 1700. The southern end of the Livingstone Range was periodically enveloped in cloud and as a result raptor movement was sporadic and sparse with only 22 birds moving between 0932 and 1559. By way of compensation the flight comprised 8 species of raptor including our first ever November Northern Harrier (an adult female), the 5th Gyrfalcon of the season (a grey morph adult male) and the first migrant Prairie Falcon for 16 days. A subadult Golden Eagle gliding past at 1546 was number 5250 for the season. An adult male Oregon (J.h.montanus) Junco was the first at the site since October 9 and was the first time the subspecies has been recorded there in November, and a flock of 40 Snow Buntings flying south also represented a November first. Other migrant passerines were 390 Bohemian Waxwings, 127 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches, 5 Pine Grosbeaks, 4 White-winged Crossbills and 182 Common Redpolls. 10.58 hours (788.91) BAEA 2 (439), NOHA 1 (56), SSHA 1 (1219), NOGO 1 (145), RLHA 1 (60), GOEA 14 (5253), GYRF 1 (5), PRFA 1 (15) TOTAL 22 (7781)

November 6 [Day 70] The temperature started at -1C and rose to a very pleasant 4C for much of the afternoon as westerly winds freshened to 40-50 km/h. Cloud cover was a variable mixture of altostratus, cirrus and lenticular from 20-90% again providing an excellent viewing background for much of the day. The first raptor of the day was a Merlin at 0746, but thereafter the movement was dominated by eagles with the 43 Golden Eagles being the highest total this month so far. Movement was fairly steady all day with peak movement of 16 birds between 1100 and 1745, and the last Bald Eagle moved south at 1652. Passerine movement included 1 American Robin (the first for 9 days), 190 Bohemian Waxwings, 75 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches, 3 Pine Grosbeaks, 1 Red Crossbill, 33 White-winged Crossbills, and 293 Common Redpolls. After having seen Bobcat tracks after every snowfall both last fall and this I finally managed to see the animal in the flesh as it moved eastwards just north of the site at 1642: from the size of the track it appeared to be a male. 10.75 hours (778.33) BAEA 20 (437), NOGO 2 (144), GOEA 43 (5239), MERL 1 (27) TOTAL 66 (7759)

November 5 [Day 69] With 6 cm of fresh snow on the ridge the starting temperature at 0700 was -10C, the coldest so far, with SE winds gusting to15km/h and a moderate northerly upper flow. After noon the wind shifted to WSW with a westerly upper flow and the temperature steadily rose reaching -1C at 1600. The Livingstone Range to the north was obscured in cloud until 1210 but was then clear for the rest of the day, and overall cloud cover ranged from 100% to 30% altocumulus, altostratus, cumulus and cirrus giving excellent viewing conditions once the mountains cleared. Because of the morning conditions raptor movement was slow to start and by 1400 I had seen only 8 migrants including the first November Cooper’s Hawk for the site. The pace then quickened with 20 birds moving in each of the next 2 hours, a further 8 between 1600 and 1700 and the last bird of the day, an adult Bald Eagle moved south at 1711 against a blazing sunset. The count of 36 Bald Eagles is the highest so far this season, and the adult dark morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk at 1529 is the latest ever at the site. Eight of the 13 Golden Eagles moved after1557 suggesting that tomorrow should see more birds, and the 4th Gyrfalcon of the season cruised by at 1611. Non raptor movement was also abundant and diverse including 633 Canada Geese, 1 Cackling Goose (the 98th species for the season and a first November record), 5 European Starlings (new for November) and 149 Bohemian Waxwings. Six species of finch also moved past the site: 129 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches, 3 Pine Grosbeaks, 3 Red Crossbills, 12 White-winged Crossbills, 112 Common Redpolls and 1 Evening Grosbeak which was also a first November record. In total 1128 birds of 21 species were seen, 8 of which were raptor species: not bad for a cold November day at 1,900 m. 10.75 hours (767.58) BAEA 36 (417), SSHA 1 (1218), COHA 1 (191) NOGO 1 (142), RTHA 1 (186), RLHA 3 (59), GOEA 13 (5196), GYRF 1 (4) TOTAL 57 (7693)

November 4 [Day 68] [Note: change to Mountain Standard Time] It was a surprisingly pleasant early morning with the temperature 3C at 0700 with moderate westerly winds and 100% cumulus and stratocumulus cloud cover. At 0800 the wind shifted to easterly and by 0840 the peaks of the Livingstone Range were obscured and steady snow started at 0900 with the temperature now 1.5C and falling. Just before the mountains to the north disappeared under cloud for the day two adult Golden Eagles glided along the ridge to the south. A few songbirds also moved ahead of the snow including 6 Common Redpolls and the first Red-breasted Nuthatch for 12 days. One of 3 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches feeding near the site at 0828 was the grey hooded subspecies littoralis (“Hepburn’s Rosy Finch”) 2.5 hours (756.83) GOEA 2 (5183) TOTAL 2 (7636)

November 3 [Day 67] (Bill Wilson) It was a little milder than the last couple of days with a starting temperature of -1C that gradually climbed to a high of 2.5C at 1800. Winds were strong westerly all day gusting to 65 km/h and it was generally cloudy with 70-100% altocumulus and altostratus cloud with only occasional sunny periods. The raptor count was again remarkably similar to that of yesterday with movement starting with a juvenile Golden Eagle at 0934 and finishing with an un-aged Golden Eagle in the gloom of 1544 and included 13 Bald Eagles (all adults) and 26 Golden Eagles. The highlight of the day was a white (or very pale grey) Gyrfalcon that flew directly overhead before noon: the third of the season. After several days of strong passerine movement the only migrants recorded today were 13 Bohemian Waxwings, 6 Pine Grosbeaks and 88 Common Redpolls. Bill relieved me today so that I could attend the RMERF planning session and Board Meeting near Calgary at which my suggestion to change the name of the count to Piitaistakis-South Livingstone was accepted. Piitaistakis (pronounced “beetaISHstahkuh”) is the traditional Piikani (Blackfoot) name for the ridge system on which the count site is situated and the name means, appropriately, “Place of the Eagles”. 10.66 hours (754.33) BAEA 13 (381), NOGO 5 (141), RLHA 1 (56), GOEA 26 (5181), GYRF 1 (3) TOTAL 46 (7634)

November 2 [Day 66] The temperature briefly reached a high of -0.5C at 1600 from a low of -6C and with W to NW winds gusting to 80 km/h in the afternoon it again made for chilly viewing against a background of altocumulus, lenticular and cirrus Chinook clouds. Raptor migration was remarkably similar to yesterday with the main movement again late in the day: 16 birds moved between 1658 and the last Golden Eagle of the day at 1748. Another adult dark morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk at 1156 becomes the latest ever at the site. A male Mountain Bluebird just after noon is the first November record, as is a pair of Cassin’s Finches at 1105. As has been the norm in the last couple of weeks most of the passerine movement occurred before 1000, although a flock of 10 Bohemian Waxwings flew south past the site at 1818. Other migrants were 170 Bohemian Waxwings, 1 Purple Finch, 99 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches, 18 Red Crossbills, 20 White-winged Crossbills and 983 Common Redpolls. 11 hours (743.67) BAEA 11 (368), NOGO 3 (136), RTHA 1 (185), RLHA 2 (55), GOEA 28 (5155) TOTAL 45

November 1 [Day 65] Another cool day starting at -3C, briefly reaching 0C at 1400 and falling to -3C again by 1800. Winds were W to NW gusting 50-55 km/h in the morning but moderated to 20-30 km/h in the afternoon, and cloud cover was mainly cumulus varying from 100% early in the morning to 10% at 1850. There were periodic brief snow flurries moving from the NW in the morning that probably disrupted raptor flow until after noon. Although the first Golden Eagle moved south at 0830 movement was slow and sporadic for most of the day, increasing slightly after 1500 when 20 of the 36 birds counted moved. The last bird of the day was a Rough-legged Hawk at 1814, and the adult dark morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk at 1128 was the latest ever record of the species at the site. Passerine movement was also lower compared to recent days with most birds moving south in small flocks instead of the 100+ flocks of the last week: 25 Bohemian Waxwings, 3 Purple Finches, 56 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches, 6 Red Crossbills, 2 White-winged Crossbills and 110 Common Redpolls. Purple Finch and Red Crossbill were new species for November as was a single Dusky Grouse that flew north in the gathering dusk just before 1830. 11.08 hours (732.67) BAEA 8 (357), NOGO 3 (133), RTHA 1 (184), RLHA 2 (53), GOEA 22 (5127) TOTAL 36 (7543)