October 14 [Day 24] (Bill Wilson) The temperature at 0800 was 8C, reached a high of 14C between 1400 and 1600 and was still 12.5C at 1930. Ground winds were initially calm to light SSE but after 0900 they were WSW 10-20 gusting to over 50 km/h for the rest of the day, while ridge winds were moderate to strong WSW all day. Cloud cover was mainly cumulus and altostratus all day, 100% to 1300 after which it varied between 60% (at 1700) to 100%. The western route was 5-10% obscured in the morning and again at the end of the day, but the eastern route was clear all day. Despite this most of the eagles seen flew high over the eastern part of the Kananaskis Valley or overhead, and probably came from Mount Lorette although none were seen there. In the afternoon many eagles flew very high above the lowest cumulus cloud layer and could only be seen when there were breaks in the cloud. It is probable that many birds passed unobserved when such breaks were not present.  The first Golden Eagle occurred at 0857 but by noon only 9 migrants (2 Bald and 7 Golden Eagles) had been seen. Between 1200 and 1300 30 of the day’s 86 birds were recorded (29 Golden eagles and 1 goshawk), but for the rest of the afternoon movement was only between 5 and 11 birds per hour and the last Golden eagle went south at 1825. The flight comprised 2 adult Bald Eagles, 1 adult Northern Goshawk and 83 Golden Eagles (55a,1j,27u), the high number of unaged birds again resulting from the poor observing conditions.

12.5 hours (266.76) BAEA 2 (42), NOGO 1 (17), GOEA 83 (1349) TOTAL 86 (1531)

The further adventures of “Elaine” On October 14 Elaine had continued her journey to the SE and was about 50 km north of the Yukon/BC border just east of 126^oW. In the next couple of days she should arrive at the northern end of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Front Ranges after which, if weather conditions remain good, she could be passing by our Mount Lorette site a couple of days later.