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)