RMERF counts, April 17

Wednesday, April 17 Mount Lorette [Day 46] 0715-2045 (Cliff Hansen, assisted by Rick Robb and Chris Hunt). The starting temperature was 3C, the high at 1700 was 11C and it was 7C at the end of observation. Ground winds were SW all day 0-5 gusting 20 km/h and up to 35 km/h after 1700, while ridge winds were moderate to strong W-NW in the morning that became NW to 1700 after which they were strong NW for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was initially 80% cumulus that brought light snow flurries and was then 90-60% cumulus for the rest of the day. The ridges were clear all day and observing conditions were good throughout, but the only migrants seen were a subadult Golden Eagle that glided high from the Fisher Range to above Mount Lorette at 1618 and an unaged Golden Eagle that glided very high on the same route at 1940. Resident and non-migrant raptors were 4 adult Bald Eagles (probably two pairs) that soared above the Fisher Range at 1645 and interacted vigorously before flying to the east, a Northern Goshawk that called from the nest site at 1000, a pair of Red-tailed Hawks that soared above Hummingbird Plume Hill at 1536 and 1 or 2 adult resident Golden Eagles that were occasionally seen hunting up to 1214. Other birds in the area were also scarce and comprised 3 Canada Geese, 11 Mallards and a pair of Common Mergansers on the river, 2 drumming Ruffed Grouse, 1 pair of Northern Flickers, 6 Common Ravens, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 1 singing Varied Thrush, 4 American Robins, a small flock of perched Red Crossbills, 1 Song Sparrow, 2 Dark-eyed Juncos, 1 of which was cismontanus and 1 male Red-winged Blackbird. Four White-tailed Deer fed in the meadow late in the evening and there were 4 visitors at the site today.

13.5 hours (530.3) GOEA 2 (2076) TOTAL 2 (2361)

Wednesday, April 17 Beaver Mines [Day 46] 0645-2045 (Peter Sherrington assisted by Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0645 was 4C, reached a high of 12C at 1500 and 1600 and was still 8.5C at 2045. Winds were strong W-WSW all day, 30-45 gusting to 80 km/h, and it was initially cloudless with 30% cumulus developing at 0800 after which cloud cover was variable 30-80% cumulus, cirrus and cirrocumulus to late in the day when it was again cloudless. There was sporadic very light flurries or light rain to 1100, but observing conditions were excellent all day. A total of 25 migrant raptors of 6 species moved between 0755 and 1629 comprising 3 Bald Eagles (1a, 1sa, 1u), 4 Northern Harriers (2a females, 1j male, 1u), 5 Sharp-shinned Hawks (2a, 3u), 5 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks, 5 Golden Eagles (2a, 3j) and 3 American Kestrels (2 females, 1 male). Movement was slow but steady to 1629 with a maximum hourly count of 5 between 1200 and 1300 and again between 1600 and 1629 after which no further migrants were seen although there was no change in the weather conditions. Resident birds were a pair of Northern Harriers, and 2 pairs of Red-tailed Hawks that were seen regularly to 1651 when they also disappeared until 2015 when a single bird was seen hunting high above the valley and at 2032 a single bird soared high above the centre of the valley just below the full moon before flying north, presumably to roost. Other birds seen were a pair of Canada Geese on the creek and 2 that flew very high to the north, 2 male and 1 female Wood Ducks on a flooded pasture adjacent to the creek at 1956 which were the first ever seen here, a pair of Mallards, 1 Ruffed Grouse, 16 Rock Pigeons, 1 Sandhill Crane that fed briefly in the valley at 1003 before flying low to the SW, and 3 single birds that flew high above the ridge at 1008, 1325 and 1328, 3 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Northern Flicker, 5 Blue Jays, 2 Black-billed Magpies, 19 Common Ravens, 3 Black-capped Chickadees, the first Ruby-crowned Kinglet of the year, 4 American Robins, 252 European Starlings, 31 Evening Grosbeaks, 12 Pine Siskins and 8 male Red-winged Blackbirds.

14 hours (559.5) BAEA 3 (210), NOHA 4 (25), SSHA 5 (27), RTHA 5 (103), GOEA 5 (584), AMKE 3 (5) TOTAL 25 (1045)

Wednesday, April 17 Steeples (Vance Mattson) NO OBSERVATION. It was a clear day but unfortunately work commitments prevented Vance from observing.