November 5 [Day 44] (George Halmazna) The temperature at 0800 was a remarkable 8.5C (it was ,an even more remarkable 12C at 0600!), rose to a high of 11C at 1200 and remained at 7C from 1500 to the end of the day. Ground winds were SW, 10-22 gusting 40 km/h in the morning, that gradually diminished in the afternoon and were 2-5 km/h after 1500, while ridge winds were strong SW in the morning, causing blowing snow, but they also diminished in the afternoon. Cloud cover was initially 100% altostratus and cumulus, which started to clear at 0900 and reduced to 20-30% lenticular cloud after 1600. Apart from the blowing snow, the ridges were clear all day. Raptor movement was again fairly strong and steady for the time of year, with 51 birds of 6 species mainly moving high from Mount Lorette or Skogan Pass to the Fisher Range between 0820 and the last bird at 1538, which also happened to be the 2,500^th Golden Eagle of the season. The highest single hourly count was 20 birds between 1200 and 1300, of which 14 were Golden Eagles. The flight comprised 7 adult Bald Eagles (equaling the highest count for the season), 1 late juvenile Northern Harrier (that hunted for a while by the river), 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 1 Rough-legged Hawk of indeterminate morph, 40 Golden Eagles (36a,2sa,2j) and the season's 6^th Peregrine Falcon (an unaged bird that flew fast over the eastern part of the valley at 1349). Other birds seen included 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 4 European Starlings, 20 Bohemian Waxwings, 2 Pine Grosbeaks, 31 White-winged Crossbills and 6 Common Redpolls. The single Snowshoe Hare seen had its all white winter pelage.

10.5 hours (458.09) BAEA 7 (85), NOHA 1 (6), NOGO 1 (27), RLHA 1 (59), GOEA 40 (2500), PEFA 1 (6) TOTAL 51 (2802)

The further adventures of “Elaine” By the end of the day Elaine was still about 20 km east of Canyon Ferry Lake in the Big Belt Mountains east of Helena, southern Montana.