Mount Lorette and Steeples, April 5

April 5 [Day 35] (Joel Duncan, assisted by Caroline Lambert) 0800-2030. It was a warm day with the temperature reaching 12C at 1700 from a morning low of 3C and it was still 8C when observation ceased at 2030. Ground winds were SW 10-20 gusting 32 km/h in the morning and 5-10 occasionally gusting to 30 km/h in the afternoon, while ridge winds were strong SW all day. Cloud cover was 100% altostratus to 1300 and 70-100% altostratus and altocumulus for the rest of the day, and all peaks and ridges were clear. There was a sporadic migration of 12 raptors of 3 species between 1222 and 1842, 7 of which (all Golden Eagles) occurred between 1222 and 1300 which raised expectations of a sustained movement that were not to be fulfilled. The count comprised 1 adult Cooper’s Hawk, the first for the season, 9 Golden Eagles (6a, 1sa, 2u), 1 unidentified eagle and 1 adult Peregrine Falcon which flew north against the face of the Fisher Range. All other birds glided high above the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette. The resident pair of Golden Eagles were seen in talon-clasping display over the Fisher Range. Other birds seen included a flock of 8 American Crows that flew high to the north, 5 Mountain Bluebirds (4m, 1f), 14 American Robins, 1 Song Sparrow, 37 Dark-eyed Juncos (27 cismontanus, 6 montanus and 4u) and 1 male Red-winged Blackbird. Nine visitors enjoyed the spring-like weather.

12.5 hours (389.8) COHA 1 (1), GOEA 9 (2057), UE 1 (12), PEFA 1 (3) TOTAL 12 (2313)

Beaver Mines [Day 38] (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Hilary Atkinson) 0800-1900. The temperature at 0800 was 4C, rose to a high of 10.5C at 1700 and was 9C at 1900. Winds were W-WSW all day 40-60 km/h with gusts to 74 km/h around midday, and cloud cover was 100% altostratus with occasional minor cumulus apart from 1600-1700 when it reduced to 80-90%. Once again there was no early movement and the first migrant was not seen until 1102 but subsequently there was a slow but steady stream of birds of 6 species that moved until 1828. The count of 32 raptors comprised 1 Osprey, the first of the year and the earliest ever recorded on a RMERF count (the previous earliest was April 9, 1994 at Mount Lorette), 13 Bald Eagles (12a, 1j), 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 unidentified small Accipiter, 9 light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks (8a, 1u), 1 unidentified dark morph Buteo, 4 Golden Eagles (3a, 1sa), 1 male columbarius Merlin and 1 unidentified small falcon. All 18 regularly occurring raptor species have now been seen at the site this season. The 2 pairs of resident Red-tailed Hawks were seen between 1122 and 1540 but no display flights were seen.

11 hours (348.3) OSPR 1 (1), BAEA 13 (260), SSHA 1 (27), UA 1 (1), RTHA 9 (123), UB 1 (7), GOEA 4 (973), MERL 1 (12), UF 1 (1) TOTAL 32 (1556)

Steeples (Vance Mattson) No observation.

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (March 1 to April 22)

DAYS 35

HOURS 389.8

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 0

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 171

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 1

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 3

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 1

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 13

Accipiter sp. (UA) 0

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 3

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 19

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 21

Buteo sp. (UB) 3

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 2057

Eagle sp. (UE) 12

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 0

MERLIN (MERL) 2

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 1

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 3

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 1

Falco sp. (UF) 1

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 1

TOTAL 2313