May 12 [Day 79] (Piitaistakis Ridge site) It took me 1.67 hours to climb the 300m to the ridge top through thick crusted snow and found that there was still 40-50cm of compacted snow at the site with drifts several metres thick on the eastern side of the ridge. The day, however, was quite pleasant with the temperature reaching 9C at 1800 from a low (at 0900) of 2C, mainly W winds occasionally gusting to 28 km/h but usually light and even calm on occasion, and cloudless skies giving way after 1200 to scattered cumulus that gradually increased from 5% to 40% after 1800. Raptor movement was very slow with only 10 birds moving between 1242 and 1816: 3 Bald Eagles (2sa,1j), 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks (2a,1u), 1 adult light morph Broad-winged Hawk and 3 juvenile Golden Eagles, 2 of which moved north together at 1613. Despite the snow covered landscape there were a few species of non-raptor on the ridge including Townsend’s Solitaires performing their beautiful aerial song flight, and a displaying male Dusky Grouse. Six American Pipits near the parking area in the evening represented the 75th bird species seen this season. 12.75 hours (903.2) BAEA 3 (389), SSHA 3 (67), BWHA 1 (10), GOEA 3 (2163) TOTAL 10 (2958)