RMERF counts, April 22 with April and final count summaries.

Sunday, April 22 Mount Lorette [Day 48] 0555-2030 (Bill Wilson, assisted by Cliff Hansen and Chris Hunt). The temperature was -2C at 0600, the high was 8C from 1600 to 1800 and it was 7C at 2030. Ground winds were SW 2-10 gusting to 28 km/h to 1700, then NE 3-10 km/h for the rest of the day; ridge winds were SW light to moderate to 0800, moderate SW to 1700 and then NE moderate for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was altostratus and cumulus with occasional cirrus all day, initially 10% increasing to 60-90% between 1100 and 1300 after which it was 100% to the end of the count. The only precipitation was snow flurries at the end of the day, and the ridges were completely clear all day. The last day of the count produced a total of 25 migrant raptors of 5 species between 1150 and 1947 that comprised 4 Bald Eagles (2a, 1sa, 1j), 1 adult Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 small undifferentiated Accipiter, 1 juvenile light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk and 17 Golden Eagles (2sa, 12j, 3u). All the birds traveled on the eastern route with birds being located over the Fisher Range, above the valley to the north or over Mount Lorette, with the exception of 2 Golden Eagles that glided to the north from the northern end of the Fisher Range. By 1600 only 4 migrants had been seen but the next 3 hours produced 7, 5 and 8 birds respectively and the last bird of the count was an adult Bald Eagle at 1947. Non-migrant raptors were 2 adult Bald Eagles that flew to the south, 1 adult resident Northern Goshawk, several sightings of up to 3 resident Red-tailed Hawks and 2 sightings of resident adult Golden Eagles. Other birds seen were 8 Canada Geese, 9 Mallard, 2 Common Mergansers, 4 Northern Flickers, 2 American Crow, 12 Common Ravens, 6 Tree Swallows, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 9 Mountain Bluebirds, 7 Varied Thrushes, 14 American Robins, 1 European Starling, 2 American Pipits, 54 Bohemian Waxwings, 27 Dark-eyed Juncos of which 15 were “slate-coloured” morphs of the race cismontanus, and 1 Song Sparrow. There were 23 visitors at the site today.

14.58 hours (549.5) BAEA 4 (182), SSHA 1 (25), COHA 1 (2), UA 1 (4), RTHA 1 (30), GOEA 17 (2390) TOTAL 25 (2714)

Mount Lorette April 1-22 summary (With percentage variance from long-term 21 year average 1993-2017, that excludes the anomalously low counts in 2008-2010 and 2012 which are considered invalid). 21 days (-0.7%), 242.3 hours (-0.6%), TUVU 0, OSPR 3 (+65.8%), BAEA 57 (-20.5%), NOHA 1 (-75.3%), SSHA 18 (-17.8%), COHA 2 (-67.4%), NOGO 2 (-83.2%), UA 4 (+171%), BWHA 1 (+250%), SWHA 0, RTHA 23 (-11%), FEHA 0, RLHA 7 (-51.3%), UB 3 (+142%), GOEA 596 (+20.4%) which is the highest April count since 2014 and the second highest since 2002, UE 5 (+275%), AMKE 2 (+82.6%), MERL 3 (-33.7%), GYRF 0, PEFA 0, PRFA 0, UF 0, UU 4 (+236%) TOTAL 731 (+9.5%) of 12 species.

Mount Lorette spring 2018 summary March 1-April 22 (With percentage variance from long-term 21 year average 1993-2017, that excludes the anomalously low counts in 2008-2010 and 2012 which are considered invalid). 48 days (-3.7%), 549.5 hours (-1.1%), TUVU 0, OSPR 3 (+65.8%), BAEA 182 (-0.3%), NOHA 1 (-79.2%), SSHA 25 (+2.5%), COHA 2 (-70.8%), NOGO 11 (-52.6%), UA 4 (+104.9%), BWHA 3 (+950%), SWHA 0, RTHA 30 (-1.7%), FEHA 0, RLHA 16 (-18%), UB 3 (+46.5%), GOEA 2390 (-18.4%), UE 25 (+540.2%), AMKE 2 (+82.6%), MERL 3 (-56.6%), GYRF 7 (+444.4%), PEFA 1 (-22.2%), PRFA 2 (-4.5%), UF 0, UU 4 (+121.1%) TOTAL 2714 (-16.4%) of 15 species.

Sunday, April 22 Beaver Mines [Day 55] 0700-1845 (Peter Sherrington). The temperature at 0700 was 3C, the high was 10C (1100-1400) and it was 7C at 1845. Winds were mainly SW-WSW 25-35 gusting 40 km/h to 1300, after which they were E-NE 20-30 km/h and light after 1600. Cloud cover was 0-30% altostratus to 0930 after which it was 100% altostratus and cumulus for the rest of the day which produced very hazy sunshine and poor observing conditions. The last day of the count produced 16 migrants of 6 species between 0940 and 1646 that comprised 2 juvenile Bald Eagles, 1 adult female Northern Harrier, 4u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks, 4 Golden Eagles (1sa, 2j, 1u) and 3 American Kestrels (1 male, 2 females). The maximum hourly count was 4 between 1100 and 1200 and again between 1600 and 1700, and the last bird seen on the count was a female American Kestrel at 1646. No migrants were seen in the last two hours and the 2018 spring count mercifully ended at 1845.

11.75 hours (581.2) BAEA 2 (355), NOHA 1 (24), SSHA 4 (46), RTHA 2 (155), GOEA 4 (1533), AMKE 3 (10) TOTAL 16 (2340)

Beaver Mines April 1-22 summary (With percentage variance from the 3-year average 2015-2017). 20 days (-3.2%), 241.5 hours (+42.3%), TUVU 1 (+200%), OSPR 3 (-18.2%), BAEA 159 (+104.7%), NOHA 24 (-47.8%), SSHA 39 (-36.1%), COHA 4 (-72.1%), NOGO 13 (-35%), UA 0, BWHA 13 (+77.3%), SWHA 2 (-25%), RTHA 120 (-26.1%), FEHA 3 (+12.5%), RLHA 30 (+25%), UB 11 (+26.9%), GOEA 428 (+265.8%), UE 0, AMKE 9 (+22.7%), MERL 9 (+22.7%), GYRF 3 (+200%), PEFA 9 (+42.1%), PRFA 3 (+28.6%), UF 1, UU 1 (-40%) TOTAL 885 (+53.5%) of 18 species.

Beaver Mines spring 2018 summary February 25-April 22 (With percentage variance from the 3-year average 2015-2017). 55 days (+12.2%), 581.2 hours (+55.7%), TUVU 1 (-25%), OSPR 3 (-18.2%), BAEA 355 (+39.2%), NOHA 24 (-60%), SSHA 46 (-39.7%), COHA 6 (-61.7%), NOGO 27 (-56.7%), UA 0, BWHA 13 (+56%), SWHA 2 (-33.3%), RTHA 155 (-31.2%), FEHA 6 (+12.5%), RLHA 101 (+13.5%), UB 15 (+2.3%), GOEA 1533 (+43.7%), UE 3 (+28.6%), AMKE 10 (-6.3%), MERL 14 (-10.6%), GYRF 9 (+80%), PEFA 10 (+25%), PRFA 3 (-60.9%), UF 1 (+200%), UU 3 (-10%) TOTAL 2340 (+20.5%) of 18 species.

Sunday, April 22 Steeples [Day 40] 1130-1930 (Vance Mattson). The initial temperature was 10C that increased to 12C after 1500, winds were mainly calm alternating with light to moderate NE and then W winds after 1500, and cloud cover of 40-60% altocumulus and cumulus provided excellent observing conditions. There was a steady, leisurely flow of migrants between 1341 and 1845 involving 46 birds of a season-high 10 species that comprised 7 Turkey Vultures, 3 Ospreys, 9 Bald Eagles (2a, 2sa, 5j), 5 Sharp-shinned Hawks (3a, 1j, 1u), 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 4 light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks (3a, 1j), 1 dark morph Rough-legged Hawk, 13 Golden Eagles (4a, 1sa, 8j), 1 adult female American Kestrel and 2 adult Peregrine Falcons. Maximum hourly movement was 14 between 1600 and 1700 and the last bird of the count was an adult Golden Eagle that moved to the north at 1845. Two inter-species interactions were observed: an Osprey “bombing” a juvenile Bald Eagle that barrel-rolled away to avoid impact, and a subadult Golden Eagle doing the same thing to an adult Bald Eagle that resulted in the Bald Eagle chasing the Golden Eagle away. Non-migrants were plentiful Turkey Vultures, 2 adult Sharp-shinned Hawks, 3 adult Red-tailed Hawks and 2 Golden Eagles (1a and 1 juvenile which was the first sighting of a non-migratory juvenile bird at the site since March 31).

8 hours (178.5) TUVU 7 (19), OSPR 3 (3), BAEA 9 (181), SSHA 5 (19), NOGO 1 (3), RTHA 4 (31), RLHA 1 (7), GOEA 13 (620), AMKE 1 (3), PEFA 2 (3) TOTAL 46 (891)

Steeples April summary (With percentage variance from the 8-year average 2010-2017). 17 days (+54.5%), 75 hours (+81.8%), TUVU 19 (+166.7%), OSPR 3 (+140%), BAEA 62 (+155.7%), NOHA 0, SSHA 19 (+700%), COHA 0, NOGO 2 (+128.6%), UA 0, BWHA 0, SWHA 0, RTHA 31 (+451.1%), FEHA 0, RLHA 7 (+700%), UB 0, GOEA 97 (+241.9%), UE 2 (+0.13%), AMKE 3 (+242.9%), MERL 0, GYRF 0, PEFA 3 (+1100%), PRFA 0, UF 0, UU 0 TOTAL 829 (+241.5%) of 10 species.

Steeples spring 2018 summary (With percentage variance from the 8-year average 2010-2017). 40 days (+26%), 178.5 hours (+41.8%), TUVU 19 (+137.5%), OSPR 3 (+140%), BAEA 181 (+39.5%), NOHA 0, SSHA 19 (+347.1%), COHA 0, NOGO 3 (+50%), UA 0, BWHA 0, SWHA 0, RTHA 31 (+230.7%), FEHA 0, RLHA 7 (+124%), UB 0, GOEA 620 (+99.3%), UE 2 (+2.4%), AMKE 3 (+200%), MERL 0, GYRF 0, PEFA 3 (+380%), PRFA 0, UF 0, UU 0 TOTAL 891 (+87.9%) of 10 species.