RMERF counts, April 12

Friday, April 12 Mount Lorette [Day 41] 0815-2020 (Caroline Lambert, assisted by Rick Robb). The starting temperature was -1C, the high was 5C between 1500 and 1800, and it was 3C at 2020. Ground winds were N 0-10 km/h to 1700 after which they were SW gusting to 20 km/h for the rest of the day, while ridge winds were light to moderate W to 1700 then moderate W. Cloud cover was 100% stratus that brought light snow to 1200, 90-80% cumulus, altocumulus and altostratus to 1900 after which 40% towering cumulus clouds threatened a thunderstorm for the rest of the day. The east was 100% obscured to 1200, 40% to 1500, 20% to 1800 and then clear, and the west was 100% obscured to 1400, 80% to 1700 and 40% for the rest of the day. Despite the weather there was a fairly strong raptor movement of 34 birds of 4 species between 1135 and 1710 that comprised 3 Bald Eagles (2a, 1sa), a season-high 3 adult calurus Red-tailed Hawks (2 light, 1 dark), 3 light morph Rough-legged Hawks, 23 Golden Eagles (6a, 4sa, 8j, 5u) and 2 unidentified eagles. No birds were seen on the western route and only 2 over the Fisher Range and the rest of the birds were located at the northern end of Hummingbird Plume Hill and immediately south of Mount Lorette and appeared to originate from the Wasootch Creek area north of the Fisher Range. Raptors migrated steadily throughout the movement period with 6 seen between 1135 and 1200, 7 between 1200 and 1300, 1300 and 1400 and again between 1700 and 1710. Non-migrant birds were an adult Bald Eagle that hunted low over the river early in the morning and a juvenile hunted over Hummingbird Hill at 1500, a juvenile female Northern Harrier that hunted below Hummingbird Plume Hill at 1220, a Northern Goshawk hunting over Olympic Summit at 1520, the resident Golden Eagle pair that were seen flying between on three occasions between 1220 and 1800 and a subadult Golden Eagle that flew south from Hummingbird Hill at 1320. Other birds recorded were 5 Canada Geese, a pair of Mallards and a male Common Merganser on the river, 2 drumming Ruffed Grouse, 1 Killdeer, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 2 Northern Flickers, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 1 Canada Jay, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 10 Common Ravens, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 2 American Dippers, 3 singing Varied Thrushes, 7 American Robins, 6 European Starlings, 10 White-winged Crossbills, 2 American Tree Sparrows, 1 Song Sparrow and 10 Dark-eyed Juncos. Five White-tailed Deer fed in the meadow late in the day and there were 7 visitors at the site today.

12.08 hours (466.6) BAEA 3 (195), RTHA 3 (9), RLHA 3 (11), GOEA 23 (2028) UE 2 (24) TOTAL 34 (2299)

Friday, April 12 Beaver Mines [Day 41] 0645-2045 (Peter Sherrington assisted by Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0645 was 0C, the high at 1600 was 6C and it was 1C at 2045. Winds were light ENE to ESE with a light westerly flow aloft to 1830 when the winds switched to W-WSW 10-15 km/h for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was 100% stratus to 1400 which brought light snow and light rain to 1320 and obscured the ridge to 0720. At 1355 the first small patches of blue sky appeared and cloud cover quickly thinned to 40-70% which gave sunny periods to 1830 when dark stratocumulus moved from the west that brought light snow and briefly obscured the ridge. By 1905 the skies had again cleared to 60% cumulus, altocumulus and cirrus and at 2045 the only cloud that remained was 10% altocumulus. The overcast and light wind conditions through most of the day produced only 5 migrant raptors: an adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk at 1444, an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk at 1559 and 3 unaged Golden Eagles that soared very high above the ridge at 1725 and probably reached the westerly upper flow before gliding high to the NW. A non-migrant subadult Bald Eagle that hunted Mallards on the creek between 1052 and 1115, and a displaying resident Red-tailed Hawk at 1556 were the only other raptors seen. Other birds in the area were 4 Canada Geese, 10 Mallards, 4 Wild Turkeys, 11 Rock Pigeons, 2 Great Blue Herons that were the first of the year, 3 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, a pair of Northern Flickers,  5 Blue Jays, 7 Black-billed Magpies, 34 American Crows, 22 Common Ravens, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 34 American Robins, 11 European Starlings, 50 Evening Grosbeaks, 1 female Cassin’s Finch, 30  Pine Siskins, 4 Dark-eyed Juncos (1 hyamelis, 1 cismontanus and 2 montanus) and 5 male Red-winged Blackbirds.

14 hours (491) SSHA 1 (16), RTHA 1 (68), GOEA 3 (516) TOTAL 5 (858)

Friday, April 12 Steeples [Day 35] 1230-1745 (Vance Mattson). The temperature was 10C, it was mostly calm with periodic light to moderate SE winds, and 40-80% cumulus cloud cover that gave partially sunny conditions and brought light rain at 1700. No migrant raptors were seen although non-migrants were very common, especially Turkey Vultures (13) and Bald Eagles (20: 9a, 2sa, 9j). Other non-migrants were 1u Northern Harrier, 1 adult Northern Goshawk and 1 adult Golden Eagle. Between 1300 and 1330 3 adult and 4 juvenile Bald Eagles interacted vigorously with intense chasing, dive-bombing, barrel-rolling and soaring behaviour. The speed and agility of the big birds as they chased and avoided each other was impressive.

5.25 hours (173) TOTAL 0 (688)