subscribe: Posts | Comments

RMERF counts, September 25

0 comments

Tuesday, September 25 Mount Lorette [Day 6] 0730-1945 (Joel Duncan, assisted by Rachel McKay). Clear skies allowed the temperature to fall to -2C at 0730, but it reached a high of 12C at 1500 and 1600 and was still 10C at the end of observation. Ground winds were calm or very light to 1200 after which they were W 5-10 km/h gusting to 24 km/h around 1500 and gusted to 17 km/h after 1600 before becoming calm again at the end of the day. Ridge winds were moderate west after 1300. It was cloudless with traces of cumulus to 1200 after which cumulus and cirrus cloud gradually developed to 80% by 1500 and then 90% thin altostratus persisted until the end of the count. Observing conditions were good throughout the afternoon. There was a moderate raptor movement of 41 birds of 6 species between 1119 and 1802 that comprised 1 subadult Bald Eagle, 1u Cooper’s Hawk, 1 juvenile Northern Goshawk, 1 unidentified small Accipiter, 4 calurus Red-tailed Hawks (1 light adult and 1a, 2u dark morphs), 29 Golden Eagles (14a, 2sa, 7j, 1 undifferentiated immature and 6u), 3 unidentified eagles and 1 unidentified small falcon. The highest hourly counts of 10 birds were 1500-1600 and 1600-1700. All the eagles moved on the eastern route from Mount Lorette to the Fisher Range, the red-tails were to the west and most of the other birds were seen above the valley. Other birds seen included 2 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 7 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 1 Townsend’s Solitaire, 3 American Pipits, 5 Lapland Longspurs, 21 White-winged Crossbills, 4 Pine Siskins, 3 Song Sparrows and 9 Yellow-rumped Warblers; butterflies were 6 Mourning Cloaks and 2 Zephyr Commas. There were 19 visitors to the site today.

 

12.25 hours (57.6) BAEA 1 (5), COHA 1 (2), NOGO 1 (1), UA 1 (1), RTHA 4 (6), GOEA 29 (166), UE 3 (5), UF 1 (1) TOTAL 41 (204)

 

Tuesday, September 25 Vicki Ridge [Day 5] 0800-1900 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Doug and Teresa Dolmen, observation from Waterton 61 wellsite). The temperature was 5C at 0800, reached a season-high 14.5C at 1400 and 1500 and was still 11C at 1900. Winds were W-WSW all day, light to 1100 then 20-30 gusting to 45 km/h for the rest of the day. It was cloudless to 1135 when cumulus cloud began to develop which was 10-30% to 1600, after which it was 60-90% cirrostratus, cirrus and cumulus for the rest of the day. Observing conditions after 1135 were generally excellent and contributed to a season-high count of 178 migrant raptors of 11 species between 0816 and 1850. The total comprised 1 Osprey, 6 Bald Eagles (4a, 1sa, 1j), 1 juvenile Northern Harrier, 74 Sharp-shinned Hawks (19a, 55u), 4 adult Cooper’s Hawks, 1 juvenile male Northern Goshawk, 6 Broad-winged Hawks (2a light, 2a dark, 2j light), 15 Red-tailed Hawks (8a calurus, 5 light, 3 dark; 7 dark harlani, 4a, 1j, 2u), 63 Golden Eagles (28a, 9sa, 24j, 2u), 4 American Kestrels (1 male, 2 females, 1u), 1 Prairie Falcon, 1 large unidentified falcon and 1 unidentified raptor. Movement was sporadic until 1600 when the rate increased with 36 birds counted between 1600 and 1700, and 44 between 1700 and 1800 which included 31 Golden Eagles. Other birds recorded included 5 Mountain Bluebirds, 93 American Robins, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 2 American Pipits and 54 Pine Siskins, and butterflies were 3 Western Whites, 3 Clouded Sulphurs and 4 Mourning Cloaks.

11 hours (51) OSPR 1 (5), BAEA 6 (12), NOHA 1 (8), SSHA 74 (181), COHA 4 (28), NOGO 1 (10), BWHA 6 (11), RTHA 15 (44), GOEA 63 (142), AMKE 4 (6), PRFA 1 (2) UF 1 (1), UU 1 (1) TOTAL 178 (470)

 

Tuesday, September 25 Steeples [Day 6] 1330-1800 (Vance Mattson). The temperature was 14C, conditions were calm and cloud cover was 40-60% thin altocumulus and altostratus. Despite the excellent observing conditions only 3 migrant Golden Eagles (1a, 2j) were seen between 1402 and 1703. Resident adult Golden Eagles were seen soaring on three occasions, and 1a Bald Eagle and 1 adult Red-tailed Hawk were considered non-migrants.

4.5 hours (25) GOEA 3 (9) TOTAL 3 (76)

 

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY COUNTS, FALL 2018
MOUNT LORETTE September 20-November 15 BEAVER MINES September 20-November 15 STEEPLES September 20-November 15
DAYS 6 5 6
HOURS 47.6 51 25
TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0 0 1
OSPREY (OSPR) 2 5 0
BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 5 12 6
NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 2 8 1
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 10 181 19
COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 2 28 2
NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 1 10 0
Accipiter sp. (UA) 1 0 0
BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 0 11 2
SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0 2 0
RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 6 44 34
FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0 2 0
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 0 1 0
Buteo sp. (UB) 3 0 0
GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 166 142 9
Eagle sp. (UE) 5 1 0
AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 0 6 1
MERLIN (MERL) 0 8 0
GYRFALCON (GYRF) 0 0 0
PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 0 5 1
PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 0 2 0
Falco sp. (UF) 1 1 0
Unidentified Raptor (UU) 0 1 0
   
TOTALS 204 470 76