RMERF counts, March 30

Saturday, March 30 Mount Lorette [Day 28] 0710-2030 (Blake Weis, assisted by Cliff Hansen and Doug Pederson). The temperature reached a high of 12C from 1600 to 1900 from a starting low of -7C and it was 5C at the end of observation. Ground winds were WSW 0-5 km/h to 1500, variable 0-5 gusting 10 km/h to 1800 and NW-NE 5-10 gusting 20 km/h for the rest of the day; while ridge winds were light to moderate SW to 1600 after which they were moderate WSW. Cloud cover was 10-20% cirrus to 1500 after which it was 20% altocumulus and cirrus which gradually increased to 90% at the end of the day. The first migrant at 0943 was the first Merlin of the season and by 2010 a total of 143 raptors of a season-high 5 species had been counted. The flight was 11 Bald Eagles (9a, 1 undifferentiated immature bird and 1u), 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk (the first of the season), 1 light morph Rough-legged Hawk, 127 Golden Eagles (103a, 1sa, 4j, 19u), 1 unidentified eagle, 1 Merlin of undetermined race, sex or age and 1 unidentified raptor. The highest hourly count was 52 Golden Eagles between 1100 and 1200 that was followed by 2 Bald Eagles and 30 Golden Eagles the next hour. Only 12 further raptors were seen up to 1900 but 1900-2000 produced 4 Bald Eagles, 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk and 38 Golden Eagles, and the unidentified eagle at 2010 was the latest seen so far this season. All birds moved on the western route to 1300, soaring high on Olympic Summit and gliding high to the NW behind the summit of Mount Allan or to the NW over Skogan Pass, between 1300 and 1900 one-third of the birds used the west and two-thirds the east and the last big movement after 1900 was exclusively on the eastern route from the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette. Resident birds were 1 or 2 Northern Goshawks, a pair of adult Bald Eagles that soared together for 10 minutes above the northern end of the Fisher Range and drifted slowly to the south, and an adult Golden Eagle that displayed to 4 migrant birds over Olympic Summit at 1120. Other birds in the area were 43 Canada Geese including a flock of 35 that flew to the north, 1 male Common Merganser, 1 singing Northern Pygmy-Owl on Hummingbird Plume Hill that was reported by a visitor to the site, 1 drumming Ruffed Grouse, 40 unidentified gulls that flew high to the north over the western route at 1130, 1 Hairy Woodpecker drumming, 2  Pileated Woodpeckers, 1 Northern Flicker, 1 Canada Jay, 2 American Crows, 13 Common Ravens, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 4 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Boreal Chickadee, 3 Red-breasted Nuthatches,  1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 3 male and 1 female Mountain Bluebirds in the meadow, 4 singing Varied Thrushes, 60 American Robins, 3 European Starlings, 1 Pine Siskin, 1 White-winged Crossbill and 6 Dark-eyed Juncos. Ten White-tailed Deer were in the Meadow and 23 Bighorn Sheep were on Olympic Summit, and butterflies seen were 1 Mourning Cloak, 3 Milbert’s Tortoiseshells and 1 unidentified Comma. There was much to enjoy for the 38 visitors to the site today.

13.33 hours (306.5) BAEA 11 (114), SSHA 1 (1), RLHA 1 (3), GOEA 127 (1179), UE 1 (17), MERL 1 (1), UU 1 (3) TOTAL 143 (1329)

Saturday, March 30 Beaver Mines [Day 28] 0730-2000 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Gord Petersen and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0730 was 2C, the high from 1300 to 1800 was 12C and it was 7C at 2000. Winds were SW-WNW 5-10 gusting 30 km/h to 1345, after which they were variable but mainly ESE-NE 5-10 gusting 15 km/h. It was mainly cloudless with trace amounts to 10% cirrus to 1900 when 10% scattered cumulus developed that became 50% at 2000. There was yet another disappointing raptor movement of only 13 birds between 0935 and 1715 that comprised 1 adult Bald Eagle, 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 1u Rough-legged Hawk and 10 Golden Eagles (7a, 2sa, 1j). Seven of the Golden Eagles moved between 0935 and 1028, and the other 3 were seen between 1540 and 1545. A non-migrant light morph Rough-legged Hawk flew low to the SW at 1530 before perching on a cottonwood tree for an hour. Other birds were also sparse and comprised 2 Canada Geese, 38 Wild Turkeys, 9 Rock Pigeons, 3 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, 1 adult Northern Shrike, 1 Blue Jay, 14 American Crows, 21 Common Ravens, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Townsend’s Solitaires, 2 American Robins, 40 European Starlings, 28 Evening Grosbeaks, 30 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches that flew high to the north at 1620, 3 Pine Siskins and 1 montanus (“Oregon”) Junco. Butterflies seen were 1 Mourning Cloak and 1 probable Green Comma.

12.5 hours (323.3) BAEA 1 (122), NOGO 1 (12), RLHA 1 (14), GOEA 10 (298) TOTAL 13 (471)

Saturday, March 30 Steeples [Day 25] 1200-1900 (Vance Mattson). It was a beautiful day with the temperature reaching 14C from a starting low of 7C, conditions were calm and cloud cover was 10-40% thin altostratus, altocumulus and cirrus. A total of 24 migrants were seen between 1225 and 1746 comprising 7 Bald Eagles (8a, 7j), 1 dark morph Red-tailed Hawk of undetermined race, morph or age, 15 Golden Eagles (8a, 7j) and 1 unidentified eagle. Six birds moved between 1300 and 1400, 10 between 1400 and 1500 and 5 between 1500 and 1600. Non-migrants were the season’s first Turkey Vultures, none of which exhibited migratory behaviour, 13 Bald Eagles (6a, 1sa, 6j) and the first resident adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk. No resident Golden Eagles were seen today.

7 hours (123.8) BAEA 7 (176), RTHA 1 (4), GOEA 15 (405), UE 1 (6) TOTAL 24 (594)