May 18 [Day 85] (Piitaistakis Ridge site) The temperature was 14.5C at 0800 and rose to the day’s high of 18C at 1300, winds to 1300 were often calm or variable and light, and cloud cover was 70-80% cumulus, altostratus and cirrus. At 1245 a dark cumulonimbus cloud rapidly developed to the SW and at 1312 a thunderstorm broke bringing steady rain that lasted until 1540. The storm appeared to be stationary overhead with continuous thunder and lightening for over 2 hours and although spectacular it was not exactly enjoyable! By 1520 the temperature had fallen to 8C but recovered to12-13C after 1700. At 1700 another thunderstorm developed to the SSE and for the next 1.5 hours it moved slowly north just E of the ridge saving me from a second soaking. To finish the day WNW winds developed gusting to 50 km/h at 1900 and the day ended in sunshine as the cloud cover rapidly cleared. Before the storm only 5 migrant raptors moved: a juvenile Northern Harrier, 2 juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 juvenile Red-tailed Hawk and a juvenile Golden Eagle. After the storm ended a second juvenile Northern Harrier with a full crop glided low along the ridge to the north at 1640, and just as I was beginning to give up on the day a juvenile Peregrine Falcon flew low overhead to the north at 1837. A Warbling Vireo singing near the parking area in the evening was the 83rd bird species of the year. The bad weather gave me time to look at the flowering plants on the ridge. Just a few days after the snow had finally melted there were extensive carpets of Western Spring Beauty, Glacier Lilies and Prairie Anemone, common Wyoming Kittentails, Yellowstone Draba, Pretty Shootingstars and early Yellow Buttercups, one patch of Yellowbells and single flowering Moss Phlox and Nine-leaved Desert-Parsley. With a dwindling number of raptor migrants and with deteriorating weather conditions forecast for the weekend I am now planning to end the count on Friday May 21.12.75 hours NOHA 2 (20), SSHA 2 (79), RTHA 1 (120), GOEA 1 (2180), PEFA 1 (4) TOTAL 7 (3026)