May 23 [Day 85] (Piitaistakis Ridge) (Doug and Teresa Dolman) Doug and Teresa allowed me to attend the RMERF Board meeting near Calgary and afterwards I joined them and Keith on the ridge at 1600. It was another pleasant day with the temperature reaching 14.5C and mainly light upslope winds that varied from SE to ENE. Upper winds also appeared to be light as smoke from a controlled burn to the west rose vertically in the air. Cloud cover was mainly altocumulus, less than 10% to noon but then increased throughout the afternoon to 70% with towering cumulus threatening rain after 1700 which mercifully did not materialise. It was again a good and varied late season raptor movement with 17 birds of 9 species moving between 1135 (an un-aged Northern Harrier) and a juvenile light morph Swainson’s Hawk at 1810. The season’s 4th and 5th Turkey Vultures came through at 1143 (a young bird) and 1423 (an adult) respectively, and the 2 Ospreys seen at 1236 brought the season’s total to a record 26 birds. Sharp-shined Hawk movement seems to have run out of steam again with only 1 juvenile bird moving, and the 2 Swainson’s Hawks brought the total to a new seasonal high for the site of 6 birds. All 4 Golden Eagles (2 subadults and 2 juveniles) moved between 1605 and 1657. No new bird species were seen today but a male Rufous Hummingbird at 1820 was a first for the ridge this season, and a Hoary Elfin butterfly seen on the trail to the ridge was the first seen this year. 10.25 hours (968.1) TUVU 2 (5), OSPR 2 (23), BAEA 1 (439), NOHA 2 (36), SSHA 1 (126), COHA 1 (19), SWHA 2 (6), RTHA 2 (212), GOEA 4 (2733) TOTAL 17 (3828)