October 15 [Day 24] (Doug Pedersen, assisted by 35 visitors from the Canmore Eagle Festival) The temperature regime was similar to that of the previous two days with a morning low of -6C, a high at 1500 and 1600 of 8C, and -2C on departure from the site. Ground winds were light S all day, while ridge winds were mainly moderate SW-WSW gusting to 60 km/h. Initial cloud cover was 80% altocumulus which gradually dwindled to zero by the end of the day, which in the main gave good viewing conditions. The day's first and last migrants were single Golden Eagles at 0815 and 1858 respectively, and the busiest hours were 1100-1200 with 20 migrants (19 Golden Eagles and 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk) and 1700-1800 with 19 migrants (18 Golden Eagles and 1 Cooper's Hawk). Apart from 1 unaged Sharp-shinned Hawk and 2 adult Cooper's Hawks all migrants were Golden Eagles: 101 birds comprising 77 adults, 14 subadults, 8 juveniles and 2 unaged birds. Other sightings included 22 European Starlings, 100 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches and 2 Moose.

11.42 hours (278.98) SSHA 1 (73), COHA 2 (26), GOEA 101 (2098) TOTAL 104 (2315)

Canmore Eagle Festival (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Cliff Hansen, Chris Hunt, Ed McCullough, Des Allen and Claire Bourret and many of the Festival's 3000 or so visitors). It was a generally sunny day with a temperature that reached 8C with moderate SW ridge winds and 40-60% altocumulus cloud cover. Nearly all the birds moved high above the mountains of the Fairholm Range but the cloud cover and the soaring nature of much of the flight allowed most visitors to view the birds though our telescopes. The birds seen were 3 light morph Rough-legged Hawks, 25 Golden Eagles (whose height precluded the assignation of reliable ages in most cases) and 1 adult male richardsonii Merlin which may have been a resident bird.

7.5 hours RLHA 3, GOEA 25, MERL 1 TOTAL 29

Piitaistakis-South Livingstone: Frank site (Vance Mattson, assisted by Denise Cocciolone-Amatto and Raymond Tole) The temperature ranged from 0C to a high of 7C, ridge winds appeared to be mainly moderate W and cloud cover was 25-50% cumulus for much of the day until 1730 after which it became almost cloudless. A total of 146 migrant raptors were recorded between 1051 and 1818 in a fairly steady flow with complete hourly counts ranging from a low of 12 (1100-1200) to a peak count of 30 (1 Bald Eagle, 29 Golden Eagles) between 1700 and 1800. The flight comprised 3 Bald Eagles (2a,1sa), 7 Sharp-shinned Hawks (3a,4u), 3 Northern Goshawks (2a,1u), 1 unidentified Accipiter, 128 Golden Eagles (84a,9sa,29j,6u), 2 unidentified eagles and 2 unidentified falcons. Two Pine Grosbeaks were new for the season.

8 hours BAEA 3, SSHA 7, NOGO 3, UA 1, GOEA 128, UE 2, UF 2 TOTAL 146