COUNT DATE: 22/04/2021, (Day 53 of 53)

NO OBSERVATION

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: No observation due to low clouds that obscured the ridges all day, with snow off and on.

 

COUNT DATE: 21/04/2021, (Day 52 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:10 – End: 20:25, Day Total: 14:15hrs, (To Date: 570:28hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson, Cliff Hansen, Caroline Lambert

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was another beautiful day, clear sky to 1 pm, then variable cirrus and cirrostratus until “the system” began moving in very late in the day. Ground winds were mostly S to SW 5 to 10 km/h with gusts to 20 or occasionally around 40 km/h. Ridge winds were SW to WSW 10 to 30 km/h to about noon, then 30 to 50 gusting to 60 km/h.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -4, Max: +13

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The only migrants were 3 Golden Eagles in the west in a 15-minute period around 10:30, and 5 migrants (3 Bald Eagles and 2 Golden Eagles) in the east between 5 pm and 7 pm.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: Total: 5, (To Date: 1689)

– Bald Eagle: Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 1, Total: 3, (To Date: 143)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 1944)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Several sightings of one light calurus adult Red-tailed Hawk throughout the day, one sighting of a single Golden Eagle, and one sighting of a pair of Golden Eagles formation-flying and interacting in the south valley.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 5 Canada Geese, 3 Mallards, 1 Ruffed Grouse, 1 male Red-naped Sapsucker drumming on a power pole, 4 Northern Flickers, 1 American Pipit, 1 male Mountain Bluebird, 13 or so American Robins, 2 Varied Thrush, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 1 Boreal Chickadee, 1 Brown Creeper, 10 or so Common Ravens, 1 European Starling, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 1 Fox Sparrow, 1 Song Sparrow, 1 Dark-eyed Junco.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Comma, tortoiseshell, and mourning cloak butterflies..

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 13, (To Date: 873)

 

COUNT DATE: 20/04/2021, (Day 51 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:20 – End: 20:20, Day Total: 13:00hrs, (To Date: 556:13hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A pleasant day for the observers with temperatures between minus 7 to plus 10C and clear blue skies. Minimal ground wind with variable direction, very low ridge winds, and low winds aloft, resulting in poor flight dynamics for migration. Five migrants were observed (BAEA x 2, NOGO x 1, Merlin x 2), and no migrating GOEAs.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -7, Max: +10

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 12:00-13:00, NOGO x 1, BAEA x 1

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 140)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Merlin: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 5, (To Date: 1936)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Bald Eagle x 2, Red-tailed Hawk x 2, Golden Eagle x 1 (perched on notch by Olympic summit)

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose x 121 (one flock of 115), Mallard x 3, Common Raven x 5, Ruffed Grouse x 2 (drumming), Black-billed Magpie x 1, Pileated Woodpecker x 1, Northern Flicker x 2, Black-capped Chickadee x 1, Mountain Chickadee x 1, Boreal Chickadee x 1, Red-breasted Nuthatch x 3, Ruby-crowned Kinglet x 3, Violet-green Swallow x 1, American Robin x 51, Varied Thrush x 4, Northern Shrike x 1, European Starling x 5, American Pipit x 3, Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) x 9, Dark-eyed Junco x 2

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Red Squirrel x 2

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 4, (To Date: 860)

 

COUNT DATE: 19/04/2021, (Day 50 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:45 – End: 20:30, Day Total: 13:45hrs, (To Date: 543:13hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Caroline Lambert

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A nice sunny day with light northerly winds at ground and ridge level. Quite cold and some fresh snow on the ground. Cloud cover 20 – 80% cumulus/stratocumulus, ridges clear all day. A reasonable number of migrants were seen. Some migrants used the west ridges or flew overhead but most were seen over the Fisher range at or near ridge level. Both migrant and resident raptors were often seen soaring.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -3, Max: 4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 16:00-17:00 with 10 migrants.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 7, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 3, Unaged: 2, Total: 14, (To Date: 1684)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 6, Juvenile: 1, Total: 8, (To Date: 138)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 3

– Red-tailed Hawk: 3

– Rough-legged Hawk: 7

– American Kestrel: 1

– Prairie Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 38, (To Date: 1931)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 2, Bald Eagle: 3, Northern Goshawk: 2, Red-tailed Hawk: 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose: 8, Barrows Goldeneye: 4, Mallard: 2, Common Merganser: 1, Sandhill Crane : 6, Gull (sp.): 4, Ruffed Grouse: 1, Downy Woodpecker: 1, Northern Flicker: 4, Common Raven: 15, American Pipit: 1, Savannah Sparrow: 1, Black-capped Chickadee: 2, Mountain Chickadee: 1, Boreal Chickadee: 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 8, Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 1, Mountain Bluebird: 1, Varied Thrush: 16, American Robin: 30, Pine Siskin: 6, Dark-eyed Junco: 12, Northern Shrike: 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler: 1, Red-breasted Nuthatch 6.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 4, (To Date: 856)

 

COUNT DATE: 18/04/2021, (Day 49 of 53)

NO OBSERVATION

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Brian McBride

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: No count was conducted as snow fell all day and all ridges were obscured. The forecast showed the potential for clearing in the afternoon so we did visit the site later in the day, but the weather didn’t improve.

 

COUNT DATE: 17/04/2021, (Day 48 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:15 – End: 20:30, Day Total: 14:15hrs, (To Date: 529:28hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson and Annie Finch

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Beautiful sunshine and light winds, mostly 5 to 20 km/h, with occasional gusts to 30 or 40. Ridge winds were light (less than 10 km/h) to 15:00, then SW or WSW 20 to 45 km/h to the end. Conditions were excellent for spotting and aging raptors. All movement was in the west until 13:30. All movement was in the east after that, with the eagles either passing very high over Lorette or going straight to Skogan Pass. Due to the light winds, there was a fair amount of soaring.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2.9, Max: +16.7

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 10 migrants between 11:00 and 12:00 (8 Golden Eagles and 2 Northern Goshawks).

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 6, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 8, Unaged: 6, Total: 21, (To Date: 1670)

– Bald Eagle: Juvenile: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 130)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 3

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 26, (To Date: 1893)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Multiple sightings of one adult Golden Eagle, several of these being the male display diving; 1 white-belly Bald Eagle flying south low at the end of the count and landing on a spruce across the river; 1 Northern Goshawk; multiple sightings of a resident pair of Red-tailed Hawks, and 1 Prairie Falcon trying to convince us it was a migrant by flying to the north high up, then soaring while drifting south and getting higher still, and then dispelling all illusions by flying back south.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose 2, Mallard 2, Killdeer 1, Ruffed Grouse 2, Northern Flicker 2, Tree Swallow 2, Black-capped Chickadee 2, Boreal Chickadee 3, Mountain Chickadee 5, Golden-crowned Kinglet 2, Brown Creeper 1, Red-breasted Nuthatch 1, American Robin 5, Varied Thrush 4, European Starling 2, Pine Siskin 1, Song Sparrow 1, Red-winged Blackbird 1, Rusty Blackbird 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Nothing other than the above.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 40, (To Date: 852)

 

COUNT DATE: 16/04/2021, (Day 47 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:15 – End: 20:30, Day Total: 13:15hrs, (To Date: 515:13hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Kat Stack, Rosemary Power.

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: This cloudless day was marked by an absence of wind, or only slight breezes at the ridges averaging 4 km/h from all directions. I would call it “the day of the Lone Ranger”. The only Golden Eagle migrant today crossed the face of Lorette and soared in circles until it gained enough height to continue its journey northwards.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -3, Max: 14.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between 12:00- 15:00 and then again from 17:00- 20:00 there was one migrant per hour.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: Total: 1, (To Date: 1649)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 129)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 6, (To Date: 1867)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle 1 Adult, Northern Goshawk 1 Adult, Red-tailed Hawk (B. j. abeiticola) 2.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: American Robin 30, Common Raven 8, Varied Thrush 2, Mountain Chickadee 1, American Dipper 1, Canada Goose 14, Dark-eyed Junco 30, Northern Flicker 2, European Starling 30, Ruffed Grouse 1, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Mountain Bluebird 1, Savannah Sparrow 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) 1 male.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Down at hay meadow, it was a wonderful warm and sunny spring day full of activity. The air was filled with the song and dance of birds, bees and butterflies. The first bumble bees of the season were out and we saw about 6 Milbert’s Tortoiseshell butterflies.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 15, (To Date: 812)

 

COUNT DATE: 15/04/2021, (Day 46 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:45 – End: 20:00, Day Total: 13:15hrs, (To Date: 501:58hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Rick Robb, David Scott

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was warm and sunny with hardly any clouds. The wind was from the NE, generally light but sometimes gusting up to 30 in the afternoon. It was a slow day with more resident than migrant raptors counted.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -4, Max: 12

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The only two migrants were an adult Bald Eagle at 11:38 and a Merlin at 13:19, both over Olympic Summit

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 128)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Merlin: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 1861)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 2, Bald Eagle: 3, Northern Goshawk: 1, Red-tailed Hawk: 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose: 4, Common Merganser: 2, Ruffed Grouse: 3, Downy Woodpecker: 1, Northern Flicker: 2, Canada Jay: 1, Common Raven: 7, Black-capped Chickadee: 2, Mountain Chickadee: 3, Boreal Chickadee: 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 4, Pacific Wren: 1, European Starling: 8, Mountain Bluebird: 1, Varied Thrush: 6, American Robin: 20, Common Redpoll: 1, Pine Siskin: 1, Dark-eyed Junco: 17 (Oregon: 4, Cassiar: 1, Slate-colored/Cassiar: 1, unknown ssp: 11), Song Sparrow: 2, Red-winged Blackbird: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Milbert’s Tortoiseshell: 1, Comma sp: 1

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 7, (To Date: 797)

 

COUNT DATE: 14/04/2021, (Day 45 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:30 – End: 20:30, Day Total: 14:00hrs, (To Date: 488:43hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson and Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was a beautiful, sunny day with light ground winds. Unfortunately, ridge winds were from the NE, and these are bad for migration, so the day was slow. Only 5 Golden Eagles, and 14 raptors in total, were seen.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -6.7, Max: +10.6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 09:00-10:00 (4 migrants) and 13:00-14:00 (5 migrants).

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 1648)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Unaged: 1, Total: 3, (To Date: 127)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 4

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 14, (To Date: 1859)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 2 Bald Eagles, 2 Northern Goshawks, 2 Red-tailed Hawks (more than one sighting of each), and 3 sightings of a Golden Eagle.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 7 Canada Geese (non-migrants), 3 Northern Flickers, at least 28 American Robins ( 24 on the ground in Hay Meadow at one time), 2 Mountain Bluebirds, 2 Varied Thrush, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 1 Dark-eyed Junco, and 44 Common Ravens (largest single sighting = 7).

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Nothing of note.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 7, (To Date: 790)

 

COUNT DATE: 13/04/2021, (Day 44 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 19:30, Day Total: 12:30hrs, (To Date: 474:43hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Opening temperature of minus 16 warming to plus 6 C. The ground winds were minimal all day at 1-3 km/hr with variable direction, but predominantly from the NE. The site had approximately 10 cm of fresh snow from overnight flurries. The ridges winds were low, and winds aloft were light, resulting in poor flight dynamics for raptor migration. Cloud cover was minimal and all ridges were clear. A total of six raptor migrants of five species.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -16, Max: +6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 17:00-18:00, GOEA x 1A, PRFA x 1

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 0, Total: 2, (To Date: 1643)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 124)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Prairie Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 6, (To Date: 1845)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: GOEA x 2A, BAEA x 2A, NOGO x 2A, RTHA x 1A

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose x 4, Ruffed Grouse x 2, Northern Flicker x 2, Downy Woodpecker x 1, Black-billed Magpie x 1, Common Raven x 18, Black-capped Chickadee x 1, Mountain Chickadee x 5, American Robin x 32, Varied Thrush x 2, Dark-eyed Junco x 1, Song Sparrow x 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Red Squirrel x 1

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 10, (To Date: 783)

 

COUNT DATE: 12/04/2021, (Day 43 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 20:20, Day Total: 13:20hrs, (To Date: 462:13hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: 10 cm of fresh overnight snow lay on the ground. It continued snowing until mid-morning. From then the day was a mix of frequent snow showers with some blue sky in between although the higher ridges remained obscured until later in the day when there were some partial clearances. Winds were from the NE, mostly light at ground and ridge level with max. gusts of 40 km/h. The count was from Wasootch after 14:00. 8 migrant eagles were seen, 6 Bald Eagles and 2 Golden. All the Bald Eagles were flying low down river towards Barrier Lake

TEMPERATURE: Min: -6, Max: 1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 18:00 to 19:00 with 3 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 0, Total: 2, (To Date: 1641)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 6, Total: 6, (To Date: 123)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 11, (To Date: 1839)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Northern Goshawk 2, Red-tailed Hawk 1, Bald Eagle 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Mallard: 22, Canada Goose: 6, Common Merganser: 2, Canada Jay: 1, Black-billed Magpie: 1, American Crow: 3, Common Raven: 5, Black-capped Chickadee: 2, Mountain Chickadee: 4, European Starling: 4, American Robin: 26, Northern Flicker: 2, Dark-eyed Junco: 3, Northern Shrike: 1, Pacific Wren: 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 3, (To Date: 773)

 

COUNT DATE: 11/04/2021, (Day 42 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:50 – End: 15:39, Day Total: 08:49hrs, (To Date: 448:53hrs)

OBSERVERS: Ethan Denton Neil Denton

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The weather and conditions consistently made counting difficult, yet kept suggesting it may become better soon. Very low ridgetop winds did not encourage migration, although a brief push between 11:00 and 12:00 gave us the only Goldens of the day. After battling poor conditions for 5 hours, and with nothing flying, we decided to call the day at 17:30, with the sixth, and undoubtedly worst, snowstorm of the day moving in. We checked in at the site at 19:00 to see if anything had improved, but it was even worse than before.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -8, Max: 2

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Most migrants (5) between 11:00 – 12:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Total: 4, (To Date: 1639)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 117)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 12, (To Date: 1828)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Red-tailed Hawk (abeitacola) 1, Bald Eagle (ad) 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: https://ebird.org/canada/checklist/S85370241

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Avalanche bombing, weather balloon.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 26, (To Date: 770)

 

COUNT DATE: 10/04/2021, (Day 41 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:40 – End: 18:15, Day Total: 11:35hrs, (To Date: 440:04hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson and Annie Finch

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was a nice spring day, cloudy but light winds, until a squall blew in at 14:20 and migration shut down completely. Ridge winds were SW to W 20 to 40 km/h until 11:00, dropped to 5 to 20 km/h for three hours, then swung to the NE 15 to 25 km/h when the squall blew in. Migration was slow until 13:00, then picked up a bit during the hour and a quarter before the squall shut everything down. We left the site at 18:15 with snow falling and all mountains obscured or invisible, and no sign of improvement.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2, Max: +3.2

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 16 migrants between 13:08 and 14:19 (8 Golden Eagles, 5 Bald Eagles, 1 Cooper’s Hawk, and 1 dark “Harlan’s” Red-tailed Hawk, 1 unidentified raptor).

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 5, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 1, Total: 9, (To Date: 1635)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 112)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Rough-legged Hawk: 2

– Unidentified Raptor: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 21, (To Date: 1816)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 Golden Eagle, 1 Bald Eagle, 1 Northern Goshawk, 1 Rough-legged Hawk, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 unidentified falcon.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Snow Goose – high-flying flock of 60; Canada Goose – 2; Northern Flicker – 2; Northern Shrike – 1; American Robin – 110 (largest flock = 60); Varied Thrush – 3; Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 1; Black-capped Chickadee – 3; Common Raven – 18; Dark-eyed Junco – 3; Common Redpoll – 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: It was unusual to see a falcon flying the wrong way (south), finally lost against dark trees near the ski slopes. Not a Kestrel, but otherwise unidentified.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 22, (To Date: 744)

 

COUNT DATE: 09/04/2021, (Day 40 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:45 – End: 18:00, Day Total: 11:15hrs, (To Date: 428:29hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Cliff Hansen.

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The day began with a beautiful pink/red sunrise but as we have long known, this beauty comes with a price, a sailors warning perhaps. Even Shakespeare wrote, “Like a red morn that ever yet betokened, Wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field, Sorrow to the shepherds, woe unto the birds, Gusts and foul flaws to herdmen and to herds.” Today was marked by periodic strong winds that even tumbled the steel chair and forced me to hang on to my telescope, anchored to a stone.Winds at valley level, S/SW most of the time, 10-20 km/h and gusts of up to around 60km/h at times. At the ridges winds SW averaging 64 km/h with gusts of up to 138 km/h. The majority of the eagles seemed to originate from the Wedge far to the south and were subsequently found high in the sky over the centre of the valley. At 17:00, the conditions deteriorated and it began to snow more heavily. With no forecast of improvement, we were forced to end the days count early at 18:00.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2, Max: 4.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between 12:00-13:00 (3 GOEA) and 16:00-17:00 (3 GOEA).

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: 6, Unaged: 5, Total: 12, (To Date: 1626)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 12, (To Date: 1795)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle 2 adults, Bald Eagle 1 adult , Northern Goshawk 1 adult, American Kestrel 1.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: American Robin 119, Common Raven 8, Canada Jay 1, Varied Thrush 1, Mountain Chickadee 1, Canada Goose 8, Northern Shrike 1, Dark-eyed Junco 50, Northern Flicker 2, Common Merganser 2.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Droves of Robins flying and vocalizing everywhere. A flock of 50 landed in the pussy-willows to eat the catkins. One Robin even bullied a Varied Thrush when it was trying to peacefully drink from the river. A Dark-eyed Junco seemed to be planning to land on my coat. A Northern Goshawk and a Northern Shrike were found perching on many trees across from us along the river as they hunted.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 37, (To Date: 722)

 

COUNT DATE: 08/04/2021, (Day 39 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 20:00, Day Total: 12:30hrs, (To Date: 417:14hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The day started out with mild weather, clear ridges, and many songbirds singing all around. Mid-morning clouds came down and it snowed until late afternoon. After that, although there was plenty of blue sky, ridge winds were low, and clouds never cleared up completely from either ridge. No migrant raptors were seen.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2, Max: 2

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: No migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 1783)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: GOEA 1, MERL 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CANG 4, RUGR 1, NOFL 1, NSHR 1, CORA 4, BCCH 4, MOCH 4, RCKI 1, VATH 6, AMRO 30, GCRF 1, CORE 1, DEJU 40, SOSP 1, RWBL 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 15, (To Date: 685)

 

COUNT DATE: 07/04/2021, (Day 38 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:05 – End: 17:00, Day Total: 09:55hrs, (To Date: 404:44hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Glenn Webber, Rosemary Power

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: In typical fashion for this spring count it was extremely windy with gusts from the SW up 70 at ground level and up to 120 at ridge level. Most migrants were gliding and kiting very high from Patrick to Lorette or flying down the east side of the valley. The count was concluded at 17:00 as low clouds moved in bringing a mix of rain and snow.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 5, Max: 9

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 14:00 to 15:00 with 7 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 9, Total: 11, (To Date: 1614)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 5, Total: 5, (To Date: 107)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 9)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 4

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 22, (To Date: 1783)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose: 5, Mallard: 20, Wilson’s Snipe: 1, Northern Flicker: 1, Common Raven: 12, Black-capped Chickadee: 4, Mountain Chickadee: 3, Boreal Chickadee: 1, Tree Swallow: 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 1, Brown Creeper: 1, European Starling: 4, Mountain Bluebird: 4, Varied Thrush: 3, American Robin: 87, American Pipit: 1, Evening Grosbeak: 1, Common Redpoll: 11, Pine Siskin: 2, Dark-eyed Junco: 25 (10 Oregon, 3 Cassiar, 12 u), Savannah Sparrow: 1, Song Sparrow: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 21, (To Date: 670)

 

COUNT DATE: 06/04/2021, (Day 37 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:10 – End: 20:10, Day Total: 13:00hrs, (To Date: 394:49hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The morning temperature was -5C increasing to +10C in maid afternoon. The morning was calm at both ground and ridge levels. Ground winds increased in the afternoon from 5-20 km per hr with gusts to 28 km per hr. In the afternoon blowing snow was observed ar ridge levels with estimated speeds of 20-40 km per hr. Winds aloft were Northerly. A quiet day for migration, but in the early morning the meadow was alive with feeding robins, and bluebirds. The first migrating GOEA was at 14:20 hrs. A Northern Shrike was in evidence for most of the day and the afternoon brought a flock of 29 Dark-eyed Juncos.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -5, Max: +10

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 14:00-15:00 AND 19:00-20:00 with three GOEAs each hour

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 7, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 1, Total: 10, (To Date: 1603)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Total: 3, (To Date: 102)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 14, (To Date: 1761)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: One adult resident GOEA

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CNGO x 17, RUGR x1, CORA x 25, AMRO x 34, VATH x 5, BCCH x 5, BOCH x 2, NOFL x 2, TTWO x 1, NOSK x 1, RBNU x 1, EUST x 3, MOBL x 4 (M), SOSP x 1, DEJU (Oregon) x 29, RWBB x 1 (F)

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: One small butterfly (Unidentified), Several very small unidentified moth

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 27, (To Date: 649)

 

COUNT DATE: 05/04/2021, (Day 36 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 20:15, Day Total: 13:15hrs, (To Date: 381:49hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Brian McBride, Heinz Unger

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A beautiful sunny day. The sky was mostly cloudless apart from a few cirrus clouds in the early afternoon. Winds were calm / light SW at both ground and ridge level, max ridge gusts of 40km/h. Between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. some early movement of Golden Eagles observed flying low on the east side of Mt Kidd before disappearing between Ribbon Peak and Olympic Summit. Migration was very slow until between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. with 23 migrants flying over the eastern ridges. Most of these birds were gliding and soaring high over the ridges but it was notable how much height they lost during the glide across the valley towards Mt Lorette.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -5, Max: 8

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 16 migrants between 18:00 and 19:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 20, Sub-Adult: 3, Juvenile: 4, Unaged: 3, Total: 30, (To Date: 1593)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 3, Juvenile: 1, Total: 8, (To Date: 99)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 3

– Unidentified Accipiter: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– American Kestrel: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 44, (To Date: 1747)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Northern Goshawk 2, Golden Eagle 1, Bald Eagle 1, Red-tailed Hawk 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Common Merganser 2, Canada Goose 8, Mallard 7, Northern Shrike 1, Common Raven 28, Varied Thrush 8, Mountain Bluebird 2, American Robin 27, Common Redpoll 35, Pileated Woodpecker 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 12, (To Date: 622)

 

COUNT DATE: 04/04/2021, (Day 35 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:12 – End: 10:41, Day Total: 03:29hrs, (To Date: 368:34hrs)

OBSERVERS: Ethan Denton Neil Denton

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Arriving at sunrise, we were greeted by light rain and terrible viewing conditions. We watched diligently for several hours as the rain turned to snow and the clouds hung heavy, blocking any chance of migrating raptors. At 10:15 we decided the conditions were not going to change, so we called the day early and this proved to be correct. We checked back in the afternoon in the hopes that things had changed, but they had not.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 3, Max: 3

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: N/A

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 1703)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Northern Goshawk 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Northern Shrike 1 Brewers Blackbird 2 Puleated Woodpecker 1 Common Redhill 100

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 3, (To Date: 610)

 

COUNT DATE: 03/04/2021, (Day 34 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 20:30, Day Total: 13:30hrs, (To Date: 365:05hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Annie Finch, Cliff Hansen

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: In the morning cloud cover was 10-40% and winds were light. In the afternoon cloud cover increased to 60% and the wind picked up, gusting up to 60 at ground level and up to 80 at ridge level. Migration started slow but picked up after 16:00. Most of the eagles were kiting and gliding high from Patrick to Lorette, though a few used the western ridges from Bogart to Olympic Summit

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2, Max: 10

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 30 of the days 42 migrants were counted after 16:00. The highest hours were 16:00 to 17:00 and 18:00 to 19:00 with 9 migrants each

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 15, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: Unaged: 21, Total: 37, (To Date: 1563)

– Bald Eagle: Juvenile: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 91)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 41, (To Date: 1703)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 2, Bald Eagle: 1, Red-tailed Hawk: 1, Northern Goshawk: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Swan sp.: 8 (flying high up to the north), Canada Goose: 1, Common Merganser: 3, American Three-toed Woodpecker: 1, Downy Woodpecker: 2, Hairy Woodpecker: 1, Northern Flicker, Northern Shrike: 1, Canada Jay: 1, Common Raven: 20, Black-capped Chickadee: 2, Mountain Chickadee: 3, Boreal Chickadee: 2, Tree Swallow: 1, Golden-crowned KInglet, Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1, Pacific Wren: 1, American Dipper: 1, European Starling: 7, Mountain Bluebird: 4, Varied Thrush: 4, American Robin: 65, Dark-eyed Junco: 6, Song Sparrow: 2, Brewer’s Blackbird: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 21, (To Date: 607)

 

COUNT DATE: 02/04/2021, (Day 33 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 20:15, Day Total: 13:15hrs, (To Date: 351:35hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Patrick Farley, Patricia Farley, Rosemary.

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Movement started around noon and coincided with a change in direction and speed of ground winds from N/NE ˂ 5 km/h to W/SW ˂ 20 and gusts ˂ 30 km/h. Ridge winds averaged 42 km/h with gusts of up to 75 km/h throughout the afternoon. Most of the Eagles were found entering the face of Lorette at the pyramid, then disappeared around the west side or glided past McGillivray. Once again they they seemed to come from from Wasootch, far to the north of the observation site. An ominous sheet of white/gray altostratus covering the entire sky, made aging a difficult task.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -0.5, Max: 8.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 17:00-18:00 with 29 migrants counted.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 69, Sub-Adult: 9, Juvenile: 6, Unaged: 50, Total: 134, (To Date: 1526)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 89)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 136, (To Date: 1662)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Northern Goshawk -2, Golden Eagle – 2, Bald Eagle -1.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Common Raven -5, American Robin ≈ 50, Varied Thrush -2, Canada Goose -22, Mountain Chickadee -1, Black-capped Chickadee -2, Canada Jay -2, European Starling -12, Swan sp.-1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Nothing.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 72, (To Date: 586)

 

COUNT DATE: 01/04/2021, (Day 32 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:05 – End: 18:00, Day Total: 10:55hrs, (To Date: 338:20hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Rick Robb, Caroline Lambert

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Once again it was extremely windy with gusts exceeding 70 km/h. Most migrants were typically gliding high from Patrick to Lorette. Many lost much height along the way but caught an air current approaching Lorette which they used to kite over the mountain. 90-100% altostratus cloud cover made ageing difficult. The count was concluded at 18:00 due to snow.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 4, Max: 9

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 11:00 to 12:00 with 6 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 5, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: 15, Total: 20, (To Date: 1392)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 88)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 24, (To Date: 1526)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 1, Bald Eagle: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose: 12, Common Merganser: 2, Northern Flicker: 1, Canada Jay: 1, Common Raven: 5, Black-capped Chickadee: 2, Mountain Chickadee: 1, American Dipper: 1, European Starling: 1, Varied Thrush: 1 American Robin: 111 (most were flying north in the morning), Common Redpoll: 4, Pine Siskin: 1, American Tree Sparrow: 1, Dark-eyed Junco: 11 (10 Oregon, 1 u)

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 20, (To Date: 514)

 

COUNT DATE: 31/03/2021, (Day 31 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:40 – End: 20:15, Day Total: 13:35hrs, (To Date: 327:25hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson and Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Migration mostly slow, with a few faster periods. Ground winds SW to SSE 5 to 10 km/h gusting to 30 to 40 (or 60 later in the afternoon), with one sustained gust around 80 or 90 km/h at 19:45. I had to hold my tripod, feet planted against the wind like it must feel to hold a flag in the wind on the summit of Everest. Winds aloft SW to WSW 40 to 60 gusting to 70 to 90 km/h, but 100 gusting 130 in the hour when we had the big gust at ground level. No precipitation. 20 – 90% cumulus & altostratus, with lenticular forming at the end.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -8.6, Max: +6.9

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: First eagle 07:45 (half an hour after sunrise), last eagle 19:50 (20 minutes before sunset). Maximum movement 58 raptors) 12:00 to the end. Maximum hour16:00-17:00 (13 golden eagles)

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 34, Sub-Adult: 5, Juvenile: 7, Unaged: 17, Total: 63, (To Date: 1372)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Unaged: 2, Total: 3, (To Date: 86)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 69, (To Date: 1502)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 7 Golden Eagle sightings (2 X 2 + 3 X 1), 1 light calurus adult Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Northern Goshawk

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 10 Canada Geese in flight, 2 Common Mergansers, 4 American Robins, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 1 Canada Jay, 15 Common Ravens (largest grouping 8), 2 starlings.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Except for the wind gust noted above, nothing.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 11, (To Date: 494)

 

COUNT DATE: 30/03/2021, (Day 30 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 20:00, Day Total: 12:30hrs, (To Date: 313:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament, Graeme Dunlop, Cindy Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The morning opening temperature was minus 18 warming to plus 1 at 1600 hrs. The East ridges were clear all day and the West ridges 10-30 % obscured until 1500 hrs when the West ridges were 100 % obscured. Ground winds were low with a maximum of 15 km per hr with gusts to 20 km per hr. Ridge winds were WSW all day with starting at 20 with gusts to 35 km per hr, and increasing by 1700 hrs to 66 with gusts to 80 km per hr. Aloft winds were low from the west. Although the GOEA migration was primarily on the Patrick-Fisher and Lorette mountains there was no dominant pattern, with birds flying on the East ridges, coming from Wasootch behind Lorette, across the centre of the valley overhead, and either low in the face or extremely high across Patrick. A lot of flapping was observed on Lorette. The blue skies made location difficult. The extra observers were most welcome. The resident pair of GOEA were extremely active throughout the day in all sectors of the valley.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -18, Max: +1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 14:00-15:00 (23 migrants of which 18 were GOEA)

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 71, Sub-Adult: 5, Juvenile: 11, Unaged: 2, Total: 89, (To Date: 1309)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 5, Total: 5, (To Date: 83)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 3

– Red-tailed Hawk: 5

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

– Gyrfalcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 104, (To Date: 1433)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: BAEA Adult x 1, GOEA adults x 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: AMCR x 2, CORA x 13, CNGO x 2, SNGO x 25, AMRO x 1, VATH x 1, BCCH x 1, MOCH x 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: RUGR tracks x 2, Snowshoe Hare tracks, Red Squirrel tracks – Troll Falls parking lot closed for expansion

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 483)

 

COUNT DATE: 29/03/2021, (Day 29 of 53)

NO OBSERVATION

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Pat Farley

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The forecast of ‘partly cloudy’ turned out to be a weak sun shining through stratus clouds that kept the ridges obscured most of the day, with frequent light flurries of snow keeping the visibility limited.

 

COUNT DATE: 28/03/2021, (Day 28 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:20 – End: 13:30, Day Total: 06:10hrs, (To Date: 301:20hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop. Cliff Hansen

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The day began with light snow and low cloud obscuring all ridges. Light SW ground winds. ridge winds SW 50 km/h gusting up to 100 km/h. The days only partial clearance was from 09:00 to 10:00 when the cloud lifted from the eastern and northern ridges/peaks. 9 Golden Eagles were seen during this period, gliding over the Fisher Range at ridge level. All ridges were again obscured after 10:00 and with the weather closing in and a forecast for worsening conditions the count was ended at 13:30.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 2, Max: 5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 09:00 to 10:00 with 10 migrants.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 5, Total: 9, (To Date: 1220)

– Bald Eagle: Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 78)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 11, (To Date: 1329)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: BAEA 1, NOGO 1.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Varied Thrush 1, American Robin 8, Common Raven 9, Canada Goose 6, Snow Goose 1, Hairy Woodpecker 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 7, (To Date: 483)

 

COUNT DATE: 27/03/2021, (Day 27 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:20 – End: 20:00, Day Total: 12:40hrs, (To Date: 295:10hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Annie Finch

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was an extremely windy day with gusts up to 70 at ground level and 127 at ridge level. Cloud cover ranged from 60 to 90%. Flying conditions seemed inconsistent as migrants used various combinations of soaring, gliding, kiting and sometimes powered flight. Their altitude was similarly variable with may birds extremely high and others quite low. Most migrants used the eastern ridges and were detected at Patrick or Lorette, though some used the western ridges or just flew over the valley.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 0, Max: +9

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Peak migration was late morning and early afternoon with 40 migrants counted between 11:00 and 13:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 43, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: Unaged: 65, Total: 109, (To Date: 1211)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Unaged: 1, Total: 4, (To Date: 77)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 3, (To Date: 8)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Unidentified Raptor: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 117, (To Date: 1318)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 2, Northern Goshawk: 2, Red-tailed Hawk: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose: 9, Ruffed Grouse: 1, American-three Toed Woodpecker: 1, Hairy Woodpecker: 1, Canada Jay: 1, Black-billed Magpie: 1, American Crow: 3, Common Raven: 8, Black-capped Chickadee: 2, Boreal Chickadee: 2, Mountain Chickadee: 4, Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1, European Starling: 4, American Robin: 8 Dark-eyed Junco: 2

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 34, (To Date: 476)

 

COUNT DATE: 26/03/2021, (Day 26 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 20:00, Day Total: 13:00hrs, (To Date: 282:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Brian McBride.

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: At the onset of observation at 7:30 until 9:00, the winds were calm and a light snow fell. The ridges were between 80 – 100 % obscured. After 12:00 winds picked up. The ground winds blew mainly from the south up to 20 km/h with a few gusts every now and then, while SW Ridge winds were clocked at an average of 31 km/h. Throughout the day, we had about 80% Cumulous and Alto Cumulous and some Cirrostratus. Most of the birds appeared gliding high in the center of the valley between Patrick and Lorette or entering the face of Lorette at the pyramid, then disappearing around the west side. At 19:00 The winds and pressure suddenly changed. It was as though someone decided to let the menacing west winds fill the valley after having held them at bay all day.The sky above us was filled with beautiful ever changing mare’s-tail wisps of cirrus uncinus and the bird migration stopped. All in all we expected to have a better day in terms of numbers.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -5, Max: 5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between 15:00 and 17:00 we found 19.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 27, Sub-Adult: 3, Juvenile: Unaged: 17, Total: 47, (To Date: 1102)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Unidentified Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 48, (To Date: 1201)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: GOEA 2, NOGO 1.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CNGO 10, AMRO 3, DEJU 1, EUST 3, CORA 10, BBMA 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: A beautiful almost full moon came up from behind Patrick.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 14, (To Date: 442)

 

COUNT DATE: 25/03/2021, (Day 25 of 53)

NO OBSERVATION

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Light winds from the east, light snow, and clouds obscuring the ridges all day resulted in no count today.

 

COUNT DATE: 24/03/2021, (Day 24 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:45 – End: 20:15, Day Total: 13:30hrs, (To Date: 269:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson and Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A slow movement of raptors throughout the day. Above freezing but chilly because of the wind, often 10 – 30 km/h but gusting up to 40 or even 60 on occasion. Winds aloft mostly WSW to SW 20 – 45 gusting 40 – 80. Occasional scattered snowflakes but no significant precipitation. East ridges clear, west ridges mostly clear. Backlighting by clouds made aging of migrating raptors difficult.

TEMPERATURE: Min: +0.7, Max: +5.0

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: First raptor (GOEA) 09:12, last raptor (3 GOEA) 19:40. Greatest movement 29 migrating raptors between 11:00 and 15:00, greatest hour 12:00 – 13:00 (11 GOEA).

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 19, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 19, Total: 38, (To Date: 1055)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 73)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Peregrine Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 41, (To Date: 1153)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: GOEA (three sightings of one each time), BAEA (two sightings of a high-flying adult) and one sighting of the resident NOGO east of the river, flying south at treetop level.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: The most notable was a Varied Thrush heard singing somewhere near the pumphouses around 08:15 (yay, spring is here!). The only other non-raptors were 2 Canada Geese landing on the river, 2 Common Mergansers flying south along the river, 7 American Robins, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, and 35 Common Ravens (largest single group 6).

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: The Sharp-shinned Hawk noted above (an adult) briefly took its frustrations out on one of the migrating Golden Eagles, before letting it go on its way. Can a poor, migrating Golden Eagle have no peace?

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 7, (To Date: 428)

 

COUNT DATE: 23/03/2021, (Day 23 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 20:40, Day Total: 13:10hrs, (To Date: 256:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament, Cindy Parliament, Cliff Hansen, Lyn & Howard Heffler

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The ground winds were light from the SW from 3-10 km per hr and gusting to 15 on occasion. The ridge winds were good for migrants and classed as medium from the SW. The skies were clear until noon with the gradual development of Cumulus and Cumstratrus (20-70 %) in the afternoon. The migrants initially ran high and fast over Patrick. In the afternoon the migrants were observed on Lorette. The resident GOEA pair were observed over the West ridges.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -10, Max: +4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 19:00-20:00 (GOEA x 23)

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 116, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 4, Total: 122, (To Date: 1017)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 72)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 124, (To Date: 1112)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: GOEA x 2 (Resident)

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CNGO x 2, COME x 3 (M,F,U), RUGR x 2, CAJA x 1, CORA x 13, AMCR x 1, EUST x 1, BCCH x 4, MOCH x 1, AMRO x 5, Northern Shrike x 1, DEJU x 1, CORE x 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Snowshoe Hare x 5 (tracks), Red Squirrel x 1

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 43, (To Date: 421)

 

COUNT DATE: 22/03/2021, (Day 22 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 16:30, Day Total: 09:00hrs, (To Date: 242:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Pat Farley

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The day began quite sunny with light ground winds from the SW. Ridge winds were also SW gusting up to 70 km/h in the morning, decreasing to 10-40km/h in the afternoon. Cloud cover was about 30% cumulus and stratocumulus at sunrise but gradually increased to 90% by 15:00. Some intermittent light snow began around 13:00 and by 15:00 we were surrounded by ominous looking clouds so relocated to Wasootch Creek at 15:30 but heavy hail and approaching thunder forced an end to the days count at 16:30. Between 11:00 and 14:00 we did get some decent raptor movement including 37 Golden Eagles. Most of these birds were seen soaring near the SE side of Mt. Kidd before gliding behind Olympic Summit. 5 Golden Eagles were seen at Wasootch, gliding down the Creek and across to Mt. Lorette where they soared to regain height.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -1, Max: 4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 11:00-13:00 with 32 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 29, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 18, Total: 47, (To Date: 895)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 70)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 51, (To Date: 988)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Bald Eagle 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose 6, Northern Shrike 1, Canada Jay 2, American Robin 14, Red-winged Blackbird 1, Grey-crowned Rosy Finch 70.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 5, (To Date: 378)

 

COUNT DATE: 21/03/2021, (Day 21 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:20 – End: 19:25, Day Total: 12:05hrs, (To Date: 233:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament, Cindy Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The ground winds were from the North in the morning and changing to SW in the afternoon. Ground winds were light all day from 10-15 km per hr with several gusts to 18 km per hr. Ridge winds appeared low, resulting in poor conditions for migration. The West ridges were 40-80 % and the East ridges 0-10 % obscured. The resident pair of GOEA were together over Mt Lorette flying South along the East ridges. At various times one of the resident pair would perch on the pyramid of Mt Lorette or near the summit of the Little Smile.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -3.5, Max: +5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 17:00-18:00 x 3

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 9, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 0, Total: 9, (To Date: 848)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 68)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 11, (To Date: 937)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: GOEA x 2 (adult – resident)

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA x 12, CNGO x 17, AMRO x 16, AMDI x 1, PIWO x 1, GCRF x 145 ( 2 flocks 110 + 35), DEJU x 1, Northern Shrike x 1, CAJA x1 , BCCH x 2

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 34, (To Date: 373)

 

COUNT DATE: 20/03/2021, (Day 20 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:50 – End: 19:30, Day Total: 11:40hrs, (To Date: 221:45hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Annie Finch, Brian McBride

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It started snowing around 10 am which continued on and off for the rest of the day

TEMPERATURE: Min: +1, Max: +5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Highest hourly count was 12:00 to 13:00 with 6 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 11, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: 9, Total: 20, (To Date: 839)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 66)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 5)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 23, (To Date: 926)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 2, Bald Eagle: 3, Northern Goshawk: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose: 14, Hairy Woodpecker: 1, Northern Shrike: 1, Canada Jay: 1, Black-capped Chickadee: 4, Mountain Chickadee: 2, Boreal Chickadee: 5, Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1, American Robin: 1, Common Redpol: 4, Song Sparrow: 1, Red-winged Blackbird: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 19, (To Date: 339)

 

COUNT DATE: 19/03/2021, (Day 19 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 19:45, Day Total: 12:15hrs, (To Date: 210:05hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Kat Stack

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Three periods of snow, rain and strong winds marked this day. Although there were intervals of sun and calmer winds, I think the high council of Raptor wellness declared it a snow day, and most of the birds stayed at home in bed in pajamas. Winds at valley level, S/SW most of the time, 5-10 km/h and gusts of up to around 50km/h at times. At the ridges winds SW averaging 41 km/h with gusts of up to 87 km/h. Most of the raptors were found high in the sky over the valley centre/northeast or at Lorette/ Mcgillivray.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 1, Max: 7

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: About half of today’s birds passed us between 12:00 and 14:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 8, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: Unaged: 4, Total: 14, (To Date: 819)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 64)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Peregrine Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 17, (To Date: 903)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: BAEA1, GOEA 1, NOGO 2.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Rusty Blackbird 2, Canada Jay 1, American Robin 1, American Dipper 1, Northern Flicker 1, Canada Goose 1, Dark-eyed Junco 1, Grey-crowned Rosy-Finch in two flocks of 50 and 100, Northern Shrike 1, Common Raven 8.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Once again I had the pleasure of observing some breathtaking acrobatics as the resident Golden Eagle dive-bombed a local Bald. I hope it’s mate arrives soon.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 21, (To Date: 320)

 

COUNT DATE: 18/03/2021, (Day 18 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:45 – End: 19:45, Day Total: 12:00hrs, (To Date: 197:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A nice sunny day. Winds were SW-WSW at ground and ridge level, mostly light gusting to 60 km/h at ridges. Cloud cover around 10%, small cumulus and thin cirrus increasing in the afternoon. There was some early movement with 20 Golden Eagles seen before 12:00, often far to the south at The Wedge or on the south side of Mt Kidd. Steady movement continued until 15:00, mostly on the far side of the western ridges or at Lorette where birds seemed to be arriving from the Wasootch area. There was then a bit of a lull until between 17:00 and sunset at19:45 when 35 Golden and 14 Bald Eagles were seen, mostly flying quite high over the eastern ridges before gliding to Mt Lorette.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2, Max: 10

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 17:00 to 18:00 with 21 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 82, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 18, Total: 100, (To Date: 805)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 15, Sub-Adult: 3, Total: 18, (To Date: 62)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 3

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

– Merlin: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 125, (To Date: 886)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: NOGO 1, GOEA 2, BAEA 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Swan sp 7, American Robin 4, Dark-eyed Junco 4, Red-breasted Nuthatch 1, Boreal Chickadee 4, American Dipper 2, Canada Goose 8, Common Raven 18, Northern Pygmy Owl (calling) 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 15, (To Date: 299)

 

COUNT DATE: 17/03/2021, (Day 17 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:05 – End: 19:55, Day Total: 12:50hrs, (To Date: 185:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson, Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was a great spring day with mostly thin altostratus at the start and mostly thin cirrostratus in the afternoon. Ground winds were mostly light with windier periods of up to 20 or maybe 30 km/h. Ridge winds were SSW to WSW 20 to 30 gusting up to 45 km/h. Raptor movement was almost entirely in the east, light until noon and then in the range 15 to 24 each hour until an hour before sunset. The last two birds went through twenty minutes before sunset.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -5.5, Max: +8.1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 125 between 12:00 and 19:00, with the maximum hour being 24 between 18:00 and 19:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 90, Sub-Adult: 3, Juvenile: 3, Unaged: 38, Total: 134, (To Date: 705)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 1, Total: 8, (To Date: 44)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 145, (To Date: 761)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Norther Pygmy-owl 1, Hairy Woodpecker 1, Pileated Woodpecker 1, Canada Jay 2, Common Raven 7, American Robin 1, Common Redpoll 2, White-winged Crossbill 2, Gray-crowned Rosy-finch 30 (fast-flying flock)

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: An adult Sharp-shinned Hawk got rather upset at an adult Golden Eagle at Mt. Lorette, even making contact on one occasion.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 17, (To Date: 284)

 

COUNT DATE: 16/03/2021, (Day 16 of 53)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 20:00, Day Total: 12:00hrs, (To Date: 173:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Brian McBride, Rosemary Power, Dave Stewart, Ed McCullough

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was a beautiful, sunny day with 20 to 40% cloud cover and wind gusting up to 20 km/h in the afternoon and evening. In contrast to Sunday many migrants were soaring on thermals, making ageing easy in many cases. Most of the days unaged eagles were seen gliding from Mount Bogart to the other side Olympic Summit and didn’t re-emerge, or soared over the western ridges late in the day and were backlit by the setting sun.The day started slow with only 15 migrants counted at 15:00 but it picked up quickly from there. For most of the day migrants used the western ridges, with some birds seen soaring over Mt. Bogart before moving over to Olympic Summit. From 17:00 to 18:00 they were flying down both sides of the valley and after 18:00 had transitioned to primarily using the eastern ridges.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -5, Max: +7

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: There was a huge rush in the last few hours with 53 migrants between 17:00 and 18:00, 48 between 18:00 and 19:00, and 14 between 19:00 and 19:12

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 96, Sub-Adult: 8, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 63, Total: 168, (To Date: 571)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 36)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 172, (To Date: 616)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 1, Northern Goshawk: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose: 2, Northern Pygmy-Owl: 1, Hairy Woodpecker: 1, Canada Jay: 2, Common Raven: 9, Black-capped Chickadee: 4, Mountain Chickadee: 5, Boreal Chickadee: 1, Red-breasted Nuthatch : 1, American Dipper: 1, American Robin: 4, Bohemian Waxwing: 12, Common Redpoll: 3, White-winged Crossbill: 3, Dark-eyed Junco: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: A Northern Pygmy-owl was heard on and off throughout the day. One of the resident Northern Goshawks was in display flight and harassed a migrating Goshawk.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 15, (To Date: 267)

 

COUNT DATE: 15/03/2021, (Day 15 of 53)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 19:30, Day Total: 11:30hrs, (To Date: 161:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Pat Farley

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Winds were N-NE for much of the day, 5-30 km/h at both ground and ridge level. Cloud cover varied between 40% cumulus with sunny periods and up to 100% stratocumulus that brought some light snow flurries throughout the afternoon. Despite the northerly winds 61 migrant raptors were seen. Most migrants were observed during 2 periods of activity: between 12:00 and 14:00 with 28 Golden Eagles mostly using the western ridges flying quite low between Mt Kidd and Mt Allan, then between 16:45 and 18:00 when a sudden but short-lived change in wind direction from NE to SW produced a flurry of activity on the eastern ridges with 18 Golden Eagles, 4 Bald Eagles, 1 Northern Harrier and 1 Rough Legged Hawk. The majority of migrants were seen around ridge level often using flap-glide and soaring at every opportunity to try and gain some altitude. Birds gliding across the valley from Patrick to Lorette lost a lot of height and often disappeared behind Hummingbird Plume.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 0, Max: 4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 12:00 – 14:00 with 28 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 41, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 13, Total: 54, (To Date: 403)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 34)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 61, (To Date: 444)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle 1, Bald Eagle 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose 16, American Robin 1, Common Raven 17

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 26, (To Date: 252)

 

COUNT DATE: 14/03/2021, (Day 14 of 53)

TIME: Start: 09:05 – End: 19:45, Day Total: 10:40hrs, (To Date: 149:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Glenn Webber, Jim St Laurent

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A beautiful spring day, though somewhat windy with gusts up to 40 km/h in the afternoon. In the morning cloud cover was 30% but increased to 60-90% later in the day which helped to spot high-flying migrants. Most Golden Eagles were gliding extremely high and passed well over Mount Lorette on the north side of the valley without stopping to soar, making them impossible to age. All migrants used the eastern ridges or the east side of the valley. Before 18:00 they were usually detected over or just south of Patrick, after 18:00 they were seen only at Lorette and probably originated from the Wasootch Ridge area.

TEMPERATURE: Min: +2, Max: +11

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The first peak was 12:00 to 14:00 with 31 migrants. Migration was sporadic after that but picked up again near the end of the day with 20 migrants from 18:00 to 19:15

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 13, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: Unaged: 64, Total: 78, (To Date: 349)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 5, Total: 5, (To Date: 29)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 4)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 85, (To Date: 383)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose: 36, Ruffed Grouse: 1, Canada Jay: 3, Common Raven: 18, Black-capped Chickadee: 1, Mountain Chickadee: 1, Boreal Chickadee: 1, Brown Creeper: 2, American Dipper: 1, Bohemian Waxwing: 77, Common Redpoll: 1, White-winged Crossbill: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 27, (To Date: 226)

 

COUNT DATE: 13/03/2021, (Day 13 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 19:00, Day Total: 12:00hrs, (To Date: 138:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Annie Finch

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Another unusually warm day, starting with clear blue skies and ending with some cirrus clouds. Wind at ground level was mostly calm, and the ridge winds were around 30kph, but that was enough for the eagles to fly high and fast from the east ridge to Lorette. None were seen on the west ridge. A few were seen in the morning, then a trickle between 1pm and 2pm became a steady stream until the sun went behind the west ridge.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -5, Max: 11

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: There was a steady flow from 14:00 to 18:00, but the hour with the most was 15:00-16:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 95, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: 40, Total: 135, (To Date: 271)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 2, Total: 5, (To Date: 24)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 3)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 141, (To Date: 298)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: GOEA – 1 adult over Hummingbird Plume

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: HAWO – 1, CAJA – 3, CORA – 6, BCCH – 2, MOCH – 2, BOCH – 1, RBNU – 1, AMDI – 1, BOWA – 40, WWCR – 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 17, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 12/03/2021, (Day 12 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:45 – End: 18:45, Day Total: 12:00hrs, (To Date: 126:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Brian McBride.

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Migration is picking up. Today movement started really early at 8:00 and all day there was a steady flow, albeit slow. The winds originated in the S/SW- W/SW during most of the day and conditions were seemingly great for observing the normal route, but a large number of raptors appeared out of nowhere in front of McGillivray or popped out of nowhere near the pyramid on Lorette only to suddenly disappear behind. They seem to have been traveling through the east side of the Fisher Range and crossing over to Lorette far to the north of the observation site.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2.5, Max: 6.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between 17:00 and 18:00 we had 8 migrants but almost the same number at other times in the day.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 25, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: Unaged: 18, Total: 45, (To Date: 136)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 19)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 46, (To Date: 157)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: GOEA 1, BAEA 1.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORE 1, BCCH 1, AMDI 1, CAJA 2, AMRO 1, DOWO 1, CORA 10, BOWA 18

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: It struck a special chord within me hearing the voice again of my old friend the Robin. Early in the morning there was a huge snow devil churning up quite the storm on the southern slope of Mt. Allen. As we left the site there was a huge pink cotton-candy cloud above Lorette making it seem like a cartoon version of Mt. Vesuvius.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 32, (To Date: 182)

 

COUNT DATE: 11/03/2021, (Day 11 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:20 – End: 19:00, Day Total: 11:40hrs, (To Date: 114:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The day started cold and clear, but gradually warmed up and clouded over. The morning was quiet, with the highlight being the first robin of the season. Early in the morning a Golden Eagle was seen interacting with ravens in the notch on Nakiska, and then disappeared down behind the mountain. Later a Golden Eagle was seen hunting over Hummingbird Plume. Both these sightings suggest at least one of the residents has returned. The main migrant action started shortly after 3pm, with eagles popping up from behind the east ridge, gaining height rapidly, and then moving very quickly to Lorette. This action continued until almost sunset.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -16, Max: 3

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 16:00-18:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 36, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 9, Total: 46, (To Date: 91)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 5, Total: 5, (To Date: 18)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 2)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 52, (To Date: 111)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: GOEA 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: RUGR 1, CAJA 2, CORA 9, AMDI 1, AMRO 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Nothing

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 16, (To Date: 150)

 

COUNT DATE: 10/03/2021, (Day 10 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:15 – End: 12:30, Day Total: 05:15hrs, (To Date: 103:10hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Patrick Farley

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Snow started falling shortly after 8 am, which lasted for the rest of the day. There were a few moments of clearing in the morning when parts of the Fisher Range were visible, but they were short lived. Seeing no improvement in the forecast, we concluded the count at 12:30 but lingered in the area until 15:00.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -6, Max: -4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: No migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 59)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: N/A

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: American Three-toed Woodpecker: 2, Common Raven: 2, Mountain Chickadee: 1, Boreal Chickadee: 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 1, Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1, American Dipper: 1, Evening Grosbeak: 1, Pine Grosbeak: 4, White-winged Crossbill: 1, Red Crossbill: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 134)

 

COUNT DATE: 09/03/2021, (Day 9 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:55 – End: 17:55, Day Total: 10:00hrs, (To Date: 97:55hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The observers left early in the morning for the site, but ran into unexpected treacherous road conditions which delayed the opening time (heavy fog, glazed sheet ice suitable for curling, overturned transport truck resulting in traffic delay, 5 km per hr descent of the westbound Scott Lake Hill toboggan slope – otherwise a great day for a morning drive in the mountains !). Blue skies, warm temperatures (+4 C), and no wind made for a pleasant day for observation. Unfortunately, winds aloft were minimal resulting in poor conditions for migration. The drive home was uneventful.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -11, Max: +4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 13:00-14:00 x 2 GOEA

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 0, Total: 3, (To Date: 45)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 3, (To Date: 59)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: One adult BAEA flying South

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA x 8, BCCH x 5, MOCH x 6, DOWO x 1, TTWO x 1, CAJA x 1, resident BAEA x 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: RUGR tracks

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 13, (To Date: 134)

 

COUNT DATE: 08/03/2021, (Day 8 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:50 – End: 18:20, Day Total: 11:30hrs, (To Date: 87:55hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Sandy Graham

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A nice clear sunny day with light SW winds. A few small cumulus clouds and some thin cirrus clouds. Ridge winds SW 0 – 30 km/h. Despite the seemingly favourable conditions only 13 migrants were seen.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -8, Max: 3

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: First eagle seen at 13:10. 9 migrants between 15:00 to 18:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 9, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 11, (To Date: 42)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 13)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 13, (To Date: 56)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Bald Eagle 3, Golden Eagle 1.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Common Raven 15, Canada Jay 3, Mountain Chickadee 2, Pine Grosbeak 4.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 121)

 

COUNT DATE: 07/03/2021, (Day 7 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:10 – End: 18:28, Day Total: 11:18hrs, (To Date: 76:25hrs)

OBSERVERS: Ethan Denton, Neil Denton

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The day started off slow, but with good weather throughout we managed to spot 8 Golden Eagles, most in a burst around 2pm. Two adult Bald Eagles also made an appearance, flying low throught the valley. Although we were treated to excellent weather and mild temperatures for the majority of the day, a mist rolled in towards the end, killing visibility, and with just a few minutes left anyways, we decided to call it a day.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2.6, Max: +4.1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Most migrants passed through between 13:00-14:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: Unaged: 2, Total: 8, (To Date: 31)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 43)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Bald Eagle 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Pileated Woodpecker 1, Northern Flicker 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 17, (To Date: 113)

 

COUNT DATE: 06/03/2021, (Day 6 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 18:30, Day Total: 11:00hrs, (To Date: 65:07hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Annie Finch

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: I was greeted with moderate rain upon arrival to the site at 7 am, which I waited out until it turned to light rain at 7:30. The weather cleared throughout the morning resulting in a very nice day with good observing conditions, wind gusting from the SW to 20 km/h and a high of +6. The nice day was suddenly interrupted at 12:15 by north wind gusting to 40 km/h which was then followed by heavy snow and temperature retreating to +2. The snowstorm lasted until 14:00, when it cleared once again.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 2, Max: 6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 7 of the day’s 9 migrants passed between 11:00 and 12:30, and the other 2 between 15:00 and 16:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 5, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: 3, Unaged: 1, Total: 9, (To Date: 23)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 9, (To Date: 35)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Bald Eagle: 2, Northern Goshawk: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose: 6, Great Horned Owl: 2, Downy Woodpecker: 1, Hairy Woodpecker: 1, Canada Jay: 3, Common Raven: 7, Black-capped Chickadee: 3, Mountain Chickadee: 1, Boreal Chickadee: 2, Brown Creeper: 1, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Dipper: 1, European Starling: 1, Bohemian Waxwing: 1, Pine Grosbeak: 1, Common Redpoll: 2, Song Sparrow: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: One great Horned Owl was hooting from across the river in the afternoon. Another distant owl replied a few times. The song sparrow was nice to see.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 21, (To Date: 96)

 

COUNT DATE: 05/03/2021, (Day 5 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:15 – End: 18:30, Day Total: 11:15hrs, (To Date: 54:07hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Kat Stack

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A blustery but beautiful day! The temperature at 07:15 was 2.5C and the high at 14:00 was 10C. Ridge Winds came from the SW with speeds of 70-98 km/h and strong gusts between 97 and 138 km/h all day. The ridges were clear from dawn to dusk, but a constant layer of morphing altostratus created a backdrop that made it difficult to distinguish the plumage of the few migrating raptors that managed to sail the turbulent sky.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 2.5, Max: 10.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: To be exact, from 16:15 to 17:15 we had the highest count for the day, 1 adult Golden Eagle and 2 adult Bald Eagles.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: Total: 1, (To Date: 14)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 11)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 1)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 4, (To Date: 26)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 GOEA, 1 BAEA.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Common Raven 15+, Canada Jay 2, American Dipper 1, Black-billed Magpie 2, Mountain Chickadee 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: It was fun to watch the swooping and mirroring of 5 Ravens engaged in courtship joy flights. A healthy and brave vole surfaced from under the shelter and made its way across the path to the open snowfield.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 12, (To Date: 75)

 

COUNT DATE: 04/03/2021, (Day 4 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:25 – End: 18:20, Day Total: 10:55hrs, (To Date: 42:52hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Cliff Hansen

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Unusually warm for the beginning of March. While the weather was nice for humans, it did not appear that way for eagles. With little wind there was virtually no raptor movement all day.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -6, Max: 9

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 12:00-13:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Bald Eagle: Juvenile: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 9)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 1, (To Date: 22)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 2 adult Bald Eagles

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 1 DOWO, 3 CAJA, 4 CORA, 3 MOCH, 1 BOCH, 1 RBNU, 1 BRCR, 1 AMDI, 1 PIGR, 25 CORE, 8 PISI

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Nothing

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 14, (To Date: 63)

 

COUNT DATE: 03/03/2021, (Day 3 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:03 – End: 18:30, Day Total: 11:27hrs, (To Date: 31:57hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson, Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Nice but cool early spring day. Ground winds mostly 5-10 km/h but gusting to 20-30 km/h. 70-90% cumulus, no precipitation.

TEMPERATURE: Min: +0.6, Max: +6.6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 16 migrants beginning with 4 between 12:25 and 13:00 and ending with 7 between 17:00 and 17:30.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 11, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: Total: 11, (To Date: 13)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 8)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 16, (To Date: 21)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: NOGO – 1 adult hunting S part of Hummingbird.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: ATTW 1, AMDI 1, MOCH 1, BCCH 1, GRJA 2, CORA 46, PIGR 10, WWCR 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 14 ravens heading sw from behind Lorette at 17:40

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 21, (To Date: 49)

 

COUNT DATE: 02/03/2021, (Day 2 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 18:30, Day Total: 11:00hrs, (To Date: 20:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament, Cindy Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: We encountered warm temperatures, but the stiff West breeze gusting to 50 km/hr and overcast skies, resulted in high wind chills. The West ridges were obscured most of the day. A quiet day for both raptors (BAEA x2) and passerines.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 0, Max: 5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 12:00-13:00 (BAEA x1), 13:00-14:00 (BAEA x 1)

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 3)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 5)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA x 20, PIGR x 2, BCCH x 2, AMDI x 1, BBMA x 1, CAJA x 3

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Red Squirrel x 1

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 5, (To Date: 28)

 

COUNT DATE: 01/03/2021, (Day 1 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 17:00, Day Total: 09:30hrs, (To Date: 9:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Pat Farley

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A nice sunny morning with temperature 4C and SW winds gusting to 50 km/h at ground level. Some thicker clouds to the south and west and this plus the strong SW ridge winds over 120 km/h likely caused the low number of migrating birds. The wind speed gradually decreased through the day but cloud cover increased and light snow started falling intermittently around noon, becoming continuous by 15:00. The count ceased at 17:00 due to weather conditions. Only 3 migrating raptors were seen, 1 adult Bald Eagle and 2 adult Golden Eagles.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 4, Max: 8

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 14:00 to 15:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 0, Total: 2, (To Date: 2)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 1)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 3, (To Date: 3)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: None

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 12 Common Raven, 4 Black – capped Chickadee, 27 Pine Grosbeak.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 23, (To Date: 23)

2021 SPRING COUNT STARTED

COUNT DATE: 15/11/2020, (Day 57 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 15:30, Day Total: 07:30hrs, (To Date: 562:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Caroline Lambert, Jim St. Laurent.

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: For the first few hours, the skies were clear with good S/SW winds, but by 10:00 we got snowed out and moved our camp to Lusk Creek where we were greeted by a Golden Eagle as soon as we arrived. We had a few good hours there and managed to find 9 migrants before the end of this last day of the Count.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -0.5, Max: 1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: We had the most migrants (5) between 12:00 and 13:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: Unaged: 1, Total: 4, (To Date: 2620)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 207)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 2

– Unidentified Accipiter: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 9, (To Date: 3214)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA 33, NOSK 1, CAJA 3, CORE 50 (30,20,40), BOWA 8, AMDI 1, BBMA 1, PIGR 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: The Ravens were very active today everywhere.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 975)

 

COUNT DATE: 14/11/2020, (Day 56 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:15 – End: 16:40, Day Total: 08:25hrs, (To Date: 555:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Cliff Hansen, Annie Finch

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: In the afternoon wind gusted to 20 and west ridges were obscured up to 50%. Otherwise, ridges were mainly clear and observing conditions were very good.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -5, Max: -1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 14:00 to 15:00 and 15:00 to 16:00 each had 2 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: Unaged: Total: 5, (To Date: 2616)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 5, (To Date: 3205)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: N/A

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Mallard: 6, Downy Woodpecker: 1, Black-billed Magpie: 1, Common Raven: 11, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 6, American Dipper: 2, Bohemian Waxwing: 8, Pine Grosbeak: 1, Common Redpoll: 39, Dark-eyed Junco: 6 (2 Slate-colored, 1 Oregon, 3u)

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Grouse tracks

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 25, (To Date: 973)

 

COUNT DATE: 13/11/2020, (Day 55 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 16:30, Day Total: 08:30hrs, (To Date: 546:35hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Wind gusted to 40 in the morning but lowered to gusts of 20 in the afternoon. Light snow fell to 12:00 and started again around 16:00.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -4, Max: 0

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The days only migrant, and adult bald eagle, flew south down the valley at 13:14

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 205)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 1, (To Date: 3200)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: N/A

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Downy Woodpecker: 1, Canada Jay: 3, Black-billed Magpie: 1, Common Raven: 8, Black-capped Chickadee: 3, Mountain Chickadee: 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 2, Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1, Pine Grosbeak: 1, Common Redpoll: 23, Red Crossbill: 1, Pine Siskin: 3, American Tree Sparrow: 1, Dark-eyed Junco: 7

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 12, (To Date: 948)

 

COUNT DATE: 12/11/2020, (Day 54 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:15 – End: 16:45, Day Total: 08:30hrs, (To Date: 538:05hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A cold and windy day with a weak sun shining through altostratus and cirrus clouds. Ridge-level winds from the SW gusting up to 100km/h in the afternoon.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -10, Max: -3

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 13:00 – 14:00 (5 migrants)

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 2611)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 5, Total: 5, (To Date: 204)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 10, (To Date: 3199)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 Northern Goshawk

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 1 Black-billed Magpie, 14 Common Ravens

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 936)

 

COUNT DATE: 11/11/2020, (Day 53 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:10 – End: 17:20, Day Total: 09:10hrs, (To Date: 529:35hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Nice, light winds at the site and mostly quite sunny. Winds aloft were SW 10-15 km/h until close to 15:00, then SW 20-30 gusting to about 50. Migration followed the same pattern, only 3 migrants until the wind changed, then 11 from 14:58 to 17:05 (15 minutes after sunset).

TEMPERATURE: Min: -11, Max: -5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 9 migrants from 14:58 to 16:02, then 2 more at 16:55 and 17:05.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 7, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 9, (To Date: 2606)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Juvenile: 1, Total: 4, (To Date: 199)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 14, (To Date: 3189)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Skein of 47 COME going south very high up, 1 CAJA, 3 CORA, 2 PIGR, 4 CORE, plus 13 swans a-flying (high over the Fisher Range).

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: The RTHA was a dark juvenile Harlan’s.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 13, (To Date: 928)

 

COUNT DATE: 10/11/2020, (Day 52 of 57)

NO OBSERVATION

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Observer drove from Calgary to Cochrane and winter driving conditions with blowing snow and ice. Confirmed conditions near the site were snow and very low cloud. Forecasts for the day indicated continuing snow and low visibility, therefore no count was conducted.

 

COUNT DATE: 09/11/2020, (Day 51 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:10 – End: 17:15, Day Total: 09:05hrs, (To Date: 520:25hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Graeme Dunlop

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The sky was clear for once, but the winds were light. During the morning only Bald Eagles were seen, mostly flying low in front of the Fisher Range. As the ridge winds picked up, more Golden Eagles came into view, some actually making it above ridge level. Temperatures on the ground rose from a chilly -15 to close to 0.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -15, Max: -1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Mid-afternoon, from 15:00 to 16:00 yielded the most migrants.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 6, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 3, Unaged: 0, Total: 10, (To Date: 2597)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 7, Sub-Adult: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 9, (To Date: 195)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 26)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Buteo: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 23, (To Date: 3175)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: BAEA 1 (adult), NOGO 1 (adult)

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: SNGO 6, COME 1, CORA 6, MOCH 2, GCKI 1, AMDI 1, PIGR 1, GCRF 4, CORE 15, WWCR 4, PISI 2

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 915)

 

COUNT DATE: 08/11/2020, (Day 50 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 17:00, Day Total: 09:00hrs, (To Date: 511:20hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: As was forecast, it snowed all day with varying intensity and light to moderate winds blew from the north. The slopes of the surrounding mountains were faintly visible and some birds were migrating southwards, low over the river, so it turned out to be an interesting day after all.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -10, Max: -6.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Five eagles passed through the site between 13:00 and 14:00 after which there were none.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 7, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 3, Total: 11, (To Date: 186)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 11, (To Date: 3152)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: BAEA: 1 Adult, NOGO: 1 Adult.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Jay 3, American Dipper 1, Common Raven 8, Black-billed Magpie 1, Bohemian Waxwing 3, Ruffed Grouse 2, Common Merganser 4, Snow Bunting 3, Swan sp. 7, duck sp. 20, Song Sparrow 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: No

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 11, (To Date: 907)

 

COUNT DATE: 07/11/2020, (Day 49 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 16:30, Day Total: 08:30hrs, (To Date: 502:20hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Cliff Hansen

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Wind gusted up to 25 from the north. Ridges were mostly obscured (up to 90%) throughout the day. Light snow started around 13:00 followed by moderate snow by 15:00. As the weather deteriorated at Hay Meadow we moved sites to Wasootch Creek from 13:45-15:45 then to Lusk Creek from 16:10 to 16:30. Wasootch Creek yielded 1u Goshawk. The rest of the migrants were seen at Hay Meadow and mostly flew low down the valley or to the east behind Patrick.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -4, Max: -2

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 13:00-14:00 with 4 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: Total: 1, (To Date: 2587)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 2, Unaged: 2, Total: 7, (To Date: 175)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 25)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 11, (To Date: 3141)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: N/A

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Ruffed Grouse: 2, Northern Shrike: 1, Canada Jay: 3, Black-billed Magpie: 4, American Crow: 1, Common Raven: 15, Mountain Chickadee: 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 1, American Dipper: 2, Bohemian Waxwing: 15, Evening Grosbeak: 1, Pine Grosbeak: 4, Common Redpoll: 7, White-winged Crossbill: 1, Red Crossbill: 3 (at Wasootch Creek), Pine Siskin: 13

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 13, (To Date: 896)

 

COUNT DATE: 06/11/2020, (Day 48 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:50 – End: 16:50, Day Total: 09:00hrs, (To Date: 493:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A slow day for migration with light winds at ground and ridge level. West ridges were up to 80% obscured by low cloud in the afternoon.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -3, Max: 1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 10:00-11:00 with 2 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: Total: 1, (To Date: 2586)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 3, (To Date: 168)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 4, (To Date: 3130)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Northern Goshawk: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Ruffed Grouse: 1, Downy Woodpecker: 1, Hairy Woodpecker: 1, Northern Shrike: 1, Canada Jay: 4, Black-billed Magpie: 2, Common Raven: 71 (several flocks flying south), Black-capped Chickadee: 1, Mountain Chickadee: 1, Boreal Chickadee: 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 2, American Dipper: 1, European Starling: 2, American Robin: 3, Bohemian Waxwing: 1, American Pipit: 1, Pine Grosbeak: 5, Common Redpoll: 34, White-winged Crossbill: 2, Pine Siskin: 5, American Tree Sparrow: 1, Dark-eyed Junco: 2, Song Sparrow: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 9, (To Date: 883)

 

COUNT DATE: 05/11/2020, (Day 47 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 13:00, Day Total: 05:00hrs, (To Date: 484:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Light to moderate rain fell continuously with low cloud obscuring the ridges.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 8, Max: 10

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: N/A

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 3126)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: None

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 874)

 

COUNT DATE: 04/11/2020, (Day 46 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 17:00, Day Total: 10:00hrs, (To Date: 479:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson and Sandy Graeme

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Nice day, not too cold, not too windy, only some very, very light drizzle late in the afternoon (but increasing close to sunset). Winds aloft SW 30-50 km/h gusting 60-100 km/h, so pretty good for migration – except there was very little migration. Maybe migrants were getting cut off in Banff?

TEMPERATURE: Min: +8, Max: +12

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 5 migrants between 13:13 and 14:01, then 3 more 15:27 to 15:32 (an avalanche of Bald Eagles).

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: 1, Unaged: Total: 2, (To Date: 2585)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 5, Total: 5, (To Date: 165)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 3126)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 adult GOEA + 2 adult BAEA, all high and looking like migrants, but going the wrong direction (north or northwest).

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 1 female COME on the river, 99 BOWA in flocks of 9, 20, 20 and 50, 2 AMDI (one flying high towards Troll Falls late afternoon), 4 CAJA, 1 BBMA, 38 CORA, 4 PIGR and 52 CORE heading south in several flocks.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: The last migrant was an adult BAEA flying about 30 m above the river, heading unerringly south until it was out of sight. Nice sighting to end the day.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 26, (To Date: 874)

 

COUNT DATE: 03/11/2020, (Day 45 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:15 – End: 17:05, Day Total: 09:50hrs, (To Date: 469:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A warm day with temperatures from 10.5 to 15 C, moderated by SW winds averaging in the AM at 5-10 gusting to 40 km/hr, and in the PM averaging 10-20 gusting to 50 km/hr. A slow day with only 3 GOEA and no other raptors. The GOEA were unaged as they were flying very high and fast, and difficult to locate in an undifferentiated blue sky.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 10.5, Max: 15

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 13:00-14:00, with two unaged GOEA

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Total: 3, (To Date: 2583)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 3, (To Date: 3118)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA x 5, CAJA x 2, PISI x 111, CORE x 23, COME x 1F, BBMA x 1, BOWA x 20

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: In the late PM clouds in the northern part of the valley were flowing SW, and in the southern portion of the valley flowing NW and converging West of Patrick

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 12, (To Date: 848)

 

COUNT DATE: 02/11/2020, (Day 44 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:40 – End: 17:15, Day Total: 09:35hrs, (To Date: 460:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Graeme

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A disappointing day as excellent conditions (good visibility and strong winds) did not result in a significant movement of eagles. Perhaps the winds were too strong – even the ravens were not flying. Chinook conditions, however, resulted in balmy coat-shedding temperatures, and a glorious sunset.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 5, Max: 16

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Nearly half the migrants passed by between 10:00 and 11:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 6, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 3, Total: 11, (To Date: 2580)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 160)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 16, (To Date: 3115)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: None

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: PIGR 1, ATTW 1, CAJA 3, BBMA 1, CORA 4, BCCH 2, BOCH 1, BRCR 1, AMDI 1, BOWA 30, EVGR 3, PISI 30

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 7, (To Date: 836)

 

COUNT DATE: 01/11/2020, (Day 43 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 17:15, Day Total: 09:45hrs, (To Date: 450:25hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Patrick Farley.

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: At 7:30 the temperature was 4C reaching a high of 11.5C at 14:00 and lowering to 8C by the end of the count at 17:15. The ridge winds were mainly WSW all day with speeds between 50-73 and gusts 60-90 until 15:00 after which the winds calmed a bit. The ridges were clear all day but a light layer of altostratus remained throughout the day and layers of lenticular, cirrostratus, cirrocumulus, altocumulus, cirrus and cumulous created a picturesque backdrop that made finding the birds easy and complicated identification.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 4, Max: 11.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The maximum hourly count was 9 between 13:00 and 1400.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 12, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 11, Total: 26, (To Date: 2569)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 2, Total: 3, (To Date: 155)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 2, (To Date: 24)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Unidentified Buteo: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 33, (To Date: 3099)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Bald Eagle 1.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: American Robin: 2, Canada Jay: 3, European Starling: 2, American Dipper: 2, Common Raven: 9, Dark-eyed Junco: 3, Black-billed Magpie: 1, Brewer’s Blackbird: 1, Bohemian Waxwing: 60, Pine Grosbeak: 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: We were quite popular with the birds today as three Wisakedjaks kept us company with frequent visits. An adult Bald Eagle stayed with us for about an hour in tree on the other side of the river. Sixty bohemian waxwings in varying formations gave us precision flight shows throughout the day. A smaller group of ten buzzed us, flying about a meter above our heads. A Pine Grosbeak sang in a tree nearby at varying intervals. An American Dipper spent most of its time in the river just below the site. We observed the Dipper’s fishing skills as it dove under the water, swimming to chase something. It then jumped up onto a rock with a 2.5-inch trout fry in its beak, holding it until the fish stopped moving so it could safely proceed with its meal.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 51, (To Date: 829)

 

COUNT DATE: 31/10/2020, (Day 42 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:35 – End: 18:45, Day Total: 10:10hrs, (To Date: 440:40hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Annie Finch

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Ground winds were from the southwest gusting up to 30. Cloud cover varied from 0-60%. Ridges were unobscured all day.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2, Max: 6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 12:00-13:00, 13:00-14:00 and 15:00-16:00 each had 4 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 5, Sub-Adult: 3, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 4, Total: 14, (To Date: 2543)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 152)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2

– Northern Goshawk: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 24, (To Date: 3066)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Northern Goshawk: 1, Bald Eagle: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Mallard: 1, American Three-toed Woodpecker: 2, Hairy Woodpecker: 1, Downy Woodpecker: 1, Northern Shrike: 1, Canada Jay: 3, Common Raven: 8, Black-capped Chickadee: 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 6, Brown Creeper: 1, American Dipper: 2, European Starling: 2, American Robin: 1, Bohemian Waxwing: 35, Pine Grosbeak: 2, Common Redpoll: 65, Red crossbill: 3, White-winged Crossbill: 4, Pine Siskin: 5, American Tree Sparrow: 2, Dark-eyed Junco: 10

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 16, (To Date: 778)

 

COUNT DATE: 30/10/2020, (Day 41 of 57)

TIME: Start: 09:45 – End: 18:30, Day Total: 08:45hrs, (To Date: 430:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Sandy Graham

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Rainy conditions with low clouds over the mountains meant that the count started at Lusk Creek, where several migrants were seen. As the clouds cleared up to the west, the count moved accordingly, first to Barrier Lake, then Wasootch Creek until the Fisher Range cleared, and finally to Hay Meadows for the afternoon. The west ridge never cleared up, but the Fisher Range was clear until sunset. Strong ridge winds (up to 122km/h) gave rise to high flying raptors and sore necks.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 4, Max: 7

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 14:00-15:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 13, Sub-Adult: 3, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 11, Total: 29, (To Date: 2529)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 4, Unaged: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 147)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 2, (To Date: 22)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 37, (To Date: 3042)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: SSHA 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA 12, BRCR 1, CAJA 3, WEGR 2 (at Barrier Lake)

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: none

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 3, (To Date: 762)

 

COUNT DATE: 29/10/2020, (Day 40 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:30 – End: 17:00, Day Total: 08:30hrs, (To Date: 421:45hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Light rain fell on and off for much of the day. Light ground winds in the morning, gusts up to 30km/h from the north during the afternoon. Ridge-level winds were moderate from the SW. Western ridges were partially obscured most of the day. Most migrants flew low across the face of the eastern ridges. The observers moved to Wasootch in the afternoon.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 1, Max: 6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 11:00 to 12:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 10, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 10, Total: 24, (To Date: 2500)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 142)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Cooper’s Hawk: 2

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 31, (To Date: 3005)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 12 Bohemian Waxwing, 6 American Tree Sparrow, 8 Dark-eyed Junco, 3 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 3 European Starling, 10 American Robin, 12 Pine Siskin, 3 Canada Jay, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 13, (To Date: 759)

 

COUNT DATE: 28/10/2020, (Day 39 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:10 – End: 18:40, Day Total: 10:30hrs, (To Date: 413:15hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson and Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: There seemed to be great conditions for migration, with SW to WSW winds 25 to 70 km/s and mostly clear east ridges, less clear in the west. The migrants that we saw were easy to see, but there was only a trickle passing through.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -1, Max: +7.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 12:50 to 13:05 with 5 migrants (GOEA).

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 6, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: 3, Unaged: 1, Total: 10, (To Date: 2476)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Juvenile: 1, Total: 3, (To Date: 141)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 14, (To Date: 2974)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 BAEA high, heading north from Patrick

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 15 BOWA, 1 ATSP, 20 GCRF, 1 SNBU, 2 PIGR

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 3, (To Date: 746)

 

COUNT DATE: 27/10/2020, (Day 38 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:15 – End: 18:30, Day Total: 10:15hrs, (To Date: 402:45hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Initial conditions were blustery with wind gusts to 50 km/hr. By noon, wind conditions had moderated to 10-20 km/hr and with temps at +7C. A trickle of eagles throughout the day all on the Eastern ridges.

TEMPERATURE: Min: +5, Max: +8

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 13:00-14:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 10, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 8, Unaged: 1, Total: 19, (To Date: 2466)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 138)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 25, (To Date: 2960)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA x 22, AMDI x 1, COME x 2, SNBU x 1, BBMA x 1, AMTS x 2, PISI x 13, RCKI x1, BOWA x 31, HAWO x 1, WCSP x 2, CAJA x 2

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 27, (To Date: 743)

 

COUNT DATE: 26/10/2020, (Day 37 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:15 – End: 18:45, Day Total: 10:30hrs, (To Date: 392:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Cliff Hansen

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was a routine day at the count site. Perhaps a bit cooler than expected for this time of year, but it was tolerable when the wind wasn’t blowing. Apart from a break of a couple of hours in the middle of the day, there was a slow but steady stream of eagles, mostly flying low along the east ridge, often below ridge level.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -8, Max: 1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The hour 16:00-17:00 had a marginally higher raptor count.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 24, Sub-Adult: 6, Juvenile: 5, Unaged: 5, Total: 40, (To Date: 2447)

– Bald Eagle: Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 136)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 43, (To Date: 2935)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: GOEA 2, NOGO 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: COME 1, ATTW 1, CORA 6, AMRO 1, PISI 4, SNBU 1, ATSP 1, LISP 1, SOSP 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 11, (To Date: 716)

 

COUNT DATE: 25/10/2020, (Day 36 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 18:30, Day Total: 10:30hrs, (To Date: 382:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Patrick Farley

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The temperature at 08:00 was -23C and later reached a balmy -2C at 16:00. The sky was virtually cloudless for most of the day until around 15:00 when altocumulus and altostratus started forming. The morning was completely calm, then, at 11:53 some light wind began to move from the south. Due to the lack of wind, most of the birds flapped either low through the valley or across the face of the eastern ridges. Later in the day when the winds were stronger most were found approaching the Northern Fischer range.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -23, Max: -2

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between 16:00 and 18:00 we had the strongest movement of raptors with 36 birds taking advantage of the winds.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 43, Sub-Adult: 3, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 9, Total: 56, (To Date: 2407)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 2, Total: 5, (To Date: 134)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 20)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 64, (To Date: 2892)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: NOGO 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: American Robin: 10, Canada Jay 1, Ruffed Grouse 1, Snow Bunting 2, European Starling 7, American Dipper 1, Common Raven 8, Hairy Woodpecker 1, Gray-crowned Rosy Finch 260 (20/200/40), Chipping Sparrow 10, Tree Sparrow 2, Dark-eyed Junco 2, Black-billed Magpie 1, Brewer’s Blackbird 1, duck sp. 1, Northern Shrike 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: The dipper gave us a mini dusk concert as we made our way home.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 33, (To Date: 705)

 

COUNT DATE: 24/10/2020, (Day 35 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:50 – End: 18:40, Day Total: 09:50hrs, (To Date: 371:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Annie Finch

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Light snow fell on and off until 10:00. The western ridges were mostly obscured due to snow making at Nakiska and the eastern ridges were 10-20% obscured throughout the day. Wind was 5-10 gusting 15-20 from the N-NW. Most migrants flew low along the valley, though some golden eagles did fly above ridge level. Those that did were silhouetted by low cloud making them impossible to age.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -16, Max: -11

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 14:00-15:00 with 11 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 8, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: Unaged: 13, Total: 22, (To Date: 2351)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 6, Sub-Adult: 13, Juvenile: 2, Total: 21, (To Date: 129)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 45, (To Date: 2828)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose: 76, Mallard: 103, Lesser Scaup: 8, Wilson’s Snipe: 1, Hairy Woodpecker: 1, Northern Shrike: 1, Canada Jay: 3, Common Raven: 5, Black-capped Chickadee: 4, Mountain Chickadee: 2, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 7, Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1, Brown Creeper: 1, American Dipper: 1, American Robin: 15, Bohemian Waxwing: 30, Pine Grosbeak: 4, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch: 102, White-winged Crossbill: 19, Pine Siskin: 2, Snow Bunting: 5, American Tree Sparrow: 3, Dark-eyed Junco: 6

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 16, (To Date: 672)

 

COUNT DATE: 23/10/2020, (Day 34 of 57)

NO OBSERVATION

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: There was no count due to clouds below ridge level and light snow all day.

 

COUNT DATE: 22/10/2020, (Day 33 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:15 – End: 18:00, Day Total: 09:45hrs, (To Date: 361:40hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Quite cold (-9C to -13C) with light winds from the NE. Light snow early morning and early afternoon, some clear skies at other times but all the ridges were at least partially obscured throughout the day. Cloud cover was 100-60% stratocumulus and cumulus. The count was from Wasootch Creek. Raptor movement was slow and most eagles were seen flying low and slow, flapping and gliding between Mt Lorette and the lower flanks of Patrick / Wasootch Creek.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -13, Max: -9

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 11:00 to 12:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 7, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 0, Total: 11, (To Date: 2329)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 5, Total: 5, (To Date: 108)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 21, (To Date: 2783)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 4 Snow Bunting, 2 Lapland Longspur, 8 Ravens, 150+ Snow Geese, 200+ Canada Geese, 85 Mallard.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 656)

 

COUNT DATE: 21/10/2020, (Day 32 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:10 – End: 16:00, Day Total: 07:50hrs, (To Date: 351:55hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson and Cliff Hansen

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Snowing and mountains lost in cloud and falling snow most of the day. The snow more-or-less stopped by 14:00 but the ridges never cleared.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -5.5, Max: -4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 0 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 2762)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 1 Snow Bunting, 1 Song Sparrow, 1 Dark-eyed Junco, several ravens, 14 Canada Geese flying south high overhead

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 4, (To Date: 656)

 

COUNT DATE: 20/10/2020, (Day 31 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:30 – End: 19:10, Day Total: 10:40hrs, (To Date: 344:05hrs)

OBSERVERS: Dan Parliament, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A terrific day with a steady movement of birds averaging about 20 GOEA per hour commencing at 1035 hrs. Ground winds were calm all day from 0-5 km/hr in the AM increasing slightly to 5-10 km/hr in the PM. Temperatures commenced at opening from -4 C to +3C.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -4, Max: +3

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 13:00-14:00, with 27 GOEA

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 104, Sub-Adult: 9, Juvenile: 31, Unaged: 16, Total: 160, (To Date: 2318)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 103)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 166, (To Date: 2762)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 2, Adult BAEA that flew over the valley in front of the site, and briefly tangled before continuing to hunt

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA 18, CAJA 2, BBMA 1, COLO 5, AMDI 2, DEJU 1(Oregon), BCCH 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 11, (To Date: 652)

 

COUNT DATE: 19/10/2020, (Day 30 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:20 – End: 18:40, Day Total: 10:20hrs, (To Date: 333:25hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Graeme Dunlop

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Mostly a routine day, with the west ridge partially obscured nearly all day, and the east mostly clear. Some high level cross winds, evidenced by cumulus clouds seeming to cross each other as some moved to the NE while to bulk moved to the SE, resulted in some interesting and also aggravating flight behaviour from the eagles, as some were flying very high, some were low, some were close to overhead, and some were distant, with no consistent pattern.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -10, Max: 4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: There were 48 migrants from 13:00 to 15:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 56, Sub-Adult: 9, Juvenile: 4, Unaged: 17, Total: 86, (To Date: 2158)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 2, Total: 8, (To Date: 101)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 2

– Rough-legged Hawk: 3

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 100, (To Date: 2596)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: None

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: MALL 14, PALO 2, COLO 1, NOFL 1, NSHR 1, CORA5, BCCH 2, MOCH 2 GCKI 2 AMDI 1, MOBL 1, AMRO 2, LALO 2, DEJU 4

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: White-tailed Deer 1

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 4, (To Date: 641)

 

COUNT DATE: 18/10/2020, (Day 29 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 18:00, Day Total: 10:00hrs, (To Date: 323:05hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Patrick Farley

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was snowing at the Observation site so the day began at Wasootch. There was a glorious sunrise with the first rays of the sun casting an orange glow on the rocks of Lorette, but, it only lasted 10 minutes and the snow crept in from the south. Since it was snowing everywhere, it seemed best to head over to Hay meadow and wait for the weather to clear. The temperature at 08:00 was -11C and the high between 14:00 and 17:00 was -6C. At ground level, it was completely calm until 11:00 and the winds picked up blowing from the North all day. Ridge Wind direction was extremely variable all day, with low speeds of between 1-8 Km/h. For most of the day, it snowed with varying intensities. The eastern ridges were only completely clear from 11:00 to 13:00 and the western ridges were only partially clear between the the same time period.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -11, Max: 6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: We had six migrants between 12:00 and 13:15 after which the snow resumed.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: 4, Total: 6, (To Date: 2072)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 93)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Unidentified Buteo: 2

– Gyrfalcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 10, (To Date: 2496)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: BBMA 1, CORA 4, AMDI 2, AMOR 3, DEJU 1, WISN 1, MALL 5, NOSK 1, GWTE 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Today a very strange thing happened. A Wilsons Snipe came and hovered like a humming bird right beside me for a few seconds and then flew off. It was very close, less than a meter, and the sound of its wingbeats could be heard. About a half an hour later, it came again repeating its previous behavior. Later, a Dipper came up from the river and did the same thing as the Snipe, then went back to the river. If that isn’t enough to make you wonder, a few hours later a Shrike appeared and hovered above the site staring down at me. Then, to top it off, a Green-winged Teal flew beside me into the river then made its way back closer, fixing its gaze on me and vocalizing all the while. Amazing, right? I began to feel like the Goddess of the birds! Luckily, I have Patrick to testify the veracity of these events. My new coat must reflect UV light and maybe they think it’s a food source.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 12, (To Date: 637)

 

COUNT DATE: 17/10/2020, (Day 28 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:20 – End: 18:40, Day Total: 10:20hrs, (To Date: 313:05hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Snow fell until 10:30 and the ridges were mostly obscured until 13:00. Wind was from the N-NW all day. The few migrants seen in those poor conditions were flying low with much flapping.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -8, Max: -4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 15:00 to 16:00 with three migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: Unaged: 1, Total: 3, (To Date: 2066)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 92)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 2486)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Northern Goshawk: 1, Bald Eagle: 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Snow Goose: 41 (flying south down the valley), Canada Goose: 95, Mallard: 45, Common Merganser: 1, Hairy Woodpecker: 1, Pileated Woodpecker: 1, Northern Shrike: 2, Black-billed Magpie: 1, Common Raven: 6, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 15, Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 1, Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1, Brown Creeper: 2, European Starling: 6, American Robin: 21, Pine Siskin: 12, Lapland Longspur: 1, Dark-eyed Junco: 3 (Oregon: 1, Cassiar: 1 u:1)

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 15, (To Date: 625)

 

COUNT DATE: 16/10/2020, (Day 27 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:30 – End: 14:05, Day Total: 05:35hrs, (To Date: 302:45hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Cliff Hansen

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Nothing was seen at Hay Meadows in the morning, in spite of the east ridge being clear and strong westerly winds. The west ridge was mostly obscured, and a look at the radar map showed rain to the west and snow to the north. Around 11:00 the east ridge began to disappear, starting with the high point (McDougall), prompting a decision to change location. One observer went to Wasootch and saw no raptors, although it was relatively clear there for three hours, and the other went to Lusk Creek, where finally some migrants were found. The weather closed in at 14:00 and the count abandoned at 14:05.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 3, Max: 6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 12:00 – 14:00, at Lusk Creek

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 5, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 6, Total: 12, (To Date: 2063)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 2

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 16, (To Date: 2478)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: NOGO 1a (Hay Meadows parking lot), RTHA 1j (Lusk Ck)

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: At Hay Meadows: COME 2, CAJA 2, CORA 6, BCCH 3, RCKI 5, PISI 2; At Wasootch: CORA 2; At Lusk Ck: HAWO 1, CAJA 4, CORA 4

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Nothing!

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 610)

 

COUNT DATE: 15/10/2020, (Day 26 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 19:15, Day Total: 11:15hrs, (To Date: 297:10hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Quite sunny with 30 – 70 % cumulus cloud cover, ridges clear all day. Light ground winds SW 0 – 25 km/h, ridge winds WSW 30 – 40 km/h gusting up to 75 km/h. Good number of migrant raptors, first birds observed at sunrise (08:10) were 5 Golden Eagles soaring together over Fisher Range. Many of the eagles flew very high over the Fisher Range after approaching from Skogan / Lorette or unseen from the north east. Highlights included 4 Trumpeter Swans flying low over Wasootch Peak (Patrick) that seemed to panic when 2 Golden Eagles flew quite close overhead.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -5, Max: 3

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 35 raptors seen between 13:00 – 14:00 and again between 17:00 – 18:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 103, Sub-Adult: 16, Juvenile: 30, Unaged: 54, Total: 203, (To Date: 2051)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 5, Sub-Adult: 3, Unaged: 1, Total: 9, (To Date: 87)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Osprey: 1

– Cooper’s Hawk: 3

– Northern Goshawk: 3

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Rough-legged Hawk: 5

– Prairie Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 226, (To Date: 2462)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Northern Goshawk displaying over Skogan Pass

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Common Merganser 1, Common Raven 38, American Dipper 1, American Robin 22, Pine Siskin 5, Trumpeter Swan 4.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: There was a noticeable wind shear throughout the day with valley and ridge winds from the SW but the cumulus clouds were moving from the NW. This might explain why so many Golden Eagles were flying high as these birds may have benefitted from both horizontal and vertical air currents.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 16, (To Date: 610)

 

COUNT DATE: 14/10/2020, (Day 25 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:10 – End: 19:15, Day Total: 11:05hrs, (To Date: 285:55hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson and Caroline Lambert

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Snowy, overcast, and ridges obscured until about 14:00, then a mix of sun and cloud to the end. 11 cm of fresh snow at the site. Mostly light winds at the site. Ridge winds light to 14:00 but then quickly changing to SW 20-30 gusting to 40-60 km/h to the end. First raptor (2 GOEA) at 13:58, last (2 GOEA) at 19:00, ten minutes after sunset.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 0, Max: +1.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 14:00-15:00 (23 GOEA, 27 total), 16:00-17:00 (20 GOEA), and 18:00-19:00 (22 GOEA)

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 47, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 11, Unaged: 28, Total: 88, (To Date: 1848)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Juvenile: 2, Total: 3, (To Date: 78)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 3

– Unidentified Accipiter: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Raptor: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 97, (To Date: 2236)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 GOEA crossed the valley from Patrick

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 2 GHOW duetting 19:00, 1 CAGU, 1 MOCH, 5 AMRO, 2 AMPI, 1 PISI, 3 DEJU (2 Oregon, 1u), 3 YRWA, assorted ravens (or possibly unsorted).

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 594)

 

COUNT DATE: 13/10/2020, (Day 24 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:45 – End: 14:00, Day Total: 05:15hrs, (To Date: 274:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: West ridges initially partially obscured to obscured by 1030 hrs. East ridges low overcast and reduced visibility commencing from 1030 hrs to completely obscured by about noon. By 1300 hrs visibility restricted to views across the meadows, and tree top level. Heavy snow by 1300 hrs. Wind calm 0-3 km/hr.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -1, Max: 1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 10:00-11:00, Four GOEAs

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 0, Total: 4, (To Date: 1760)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 4, (To Date: 2139)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA 7, PISI 1, DOWO 1, AMDI 1, MOBL 2, MOCH 1, GCKI 1, AMRO 18, NOFL1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 592)

 

COUNT DATE: 12/10/2020, (Day 23 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 18:00, Day Total: 10:00hrs, (To Date: 269:35hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Light snow fell most of the day. Dark cumulus and stratocumulus obscured the ridges. Light winds from a northerly direction. Moved to Lusk Creek at 15:30 but conditions there were the same. No Golden Eagles were seen.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 0, Max: 4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 08:00 – 09:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 75)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 3, (To Date: 2135)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Common Merganser 4, Common Raven 6, Red-breasted Nuthatch 3, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5, Yellow-rumped Warbler 2, Mountain Bluebird 2, Mountain Chickadee 5, Black-capped Chickadee 8, American Robin 12, American Dipper 1, Greater White-fronted Goose 20.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 592)

 

COUNT DATE: 11/10/2020, (Day 22 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 19:00, Day Total: 11:00hrs, (To Date: 259:35hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Patrick Farley, Patricia Farley, Jim St. Laurent.

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was another windy day and instead of rain, we had snow, yes snow, finally after a warm and prolonged autumn. Luckily, it only lasted for an hour at the site between 11:00 and 12:00. The storm hovered over Mount Bogart, Mount Kidd, and the valley southward, threatening to move in all day on strong SW/WSW winds. It was almost as though there was an invisible shield keeping it at bay. Luckily, the east ridges were clear and allowed us to observe.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 3, Max: 7.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between 16:00 and 17:00 we had the highest number of migrants. Eighteen raptors flew over the valley at that time.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 29, Sub-Adult: 4, Juvenile: 8, Unaged: 24, Total: 65, (To Date: 1756)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 4, Total: 4, (To Date: 74)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 6, (To Date: 19)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

– Merlin: 1

– Unidentified Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 79, (To Date: 2132)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: NOGO 3.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: BCCH 2, AMRO 2, AMDI1, CAJA 2, CORA 6, COLO 1, PISI 20, GULL sp. 6.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: At around 10:00 a loon flew over the valley seemingly lost and trying to find direction. It finally decided head off towards the south west.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 40, (To Date: 584)

 

COUNT DATE: 10/10/2020, (Day 21 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 18:20, Day Total: 10:20hrs, (To Date: 248:35hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Sandy Graham, Heinz Unger, Annie Finch

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was quite windy but fairly warm. Clouds lingering to the west threatened rain all day, but didn’t move in until there was a brief shower around 17:00. We left the site around 18:00 as the rain moved in permanently. Eagle migration kicked off around 10:00 and remained fairly steady until 17:00 when the rain started. The large number of unaged birds was a result of poor light conditions and eagles gliding/kiting high and fast over the ridges with almost no soaring or flapping.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 10, Max: 16

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Both 13:00-14:00 and 14:00-15:00 had 19 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 10, Sub-Adult: 6, Juvenile: 9, Unaged: 70, Total: 95, (To Date: 1691)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 70)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 2, (To Date: 13)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 3

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 102, (To Date: 2053)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Northern Goshawk: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Belted Kingfisher: 1, Canada Jay: 3, Black-billed Magpie: 1, Common Raven: 8, Mountain Chickadee: 1, Boreal Chickadee: 1, Cedar Waxwing: 1, Pine Siskin: 8, Dark-eyed Junco: 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler: 2

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 41, (To Date: 544)

 

COUNT DATE: 09/10/2020, (Day 20 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:15 – End: 19:00, Day Total: 10:45hrs, (To Date: 238:15hrs)

OBSERVERS: Joel Duncan, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: There was not the big movement of raptors we had hoped for but still found enough birds to keep us busy.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 3, Max: 14

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 11 migrants passed between 14:00 and 15:00 for our highest hourly count.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 27, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 15, Total: 45, (To Date: 1596)

– Bald Eagle: Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 69)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 2, (To Date: 11)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 52, (To Date: 1951)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Song Sparrow: 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler: 1, Red-breasted Nuthatch: 2, Common Raven: 15, Gray Jay: 2, Pine Siskin: 2

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 0

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 25, (To Date: 503)

 

COUNT DATE: 08/10/2020, (Day 19 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:45 – End: 19:00, Day Total: 11:15hrs, (To Date: 227:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Joel Duncan

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A promising morning in terms of Golden Eagle numbers but unfortunately numbers dwindled as the day progressed, likely a result of deteriorating weather conditions as dark rain clouds gradually closed in all around us. 70% to 100% stratocumulus cloud cover, some intermittent light rain in the afternoon. Ground winds mostly 10 – 30 km/h, mostly SW but veering NW later in the day. Ridge winds SW with gusts up to 80 km/h. Some smoke.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 11, Max: 18

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 10:00-11:00 (47 migrants)

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 62, Sub-Adult: 13, Juvenile: 3, Unaged: 74, Total: 152, (To Date: 1551)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 6, (To Date: 68)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 5

– American Kestrel: 1

– Unidentified Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 167, (To Date: 1899)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle 1, Northern Goshawk 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: American Dipper 3, American Robin 12, Belted Kingfisher 1, Common Raven 35, Clark’s Nutcracker 2, Pine Siskins 14, group of 5 Jaegers flew south over Fisher Range – probably Long-tailed.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Most migrants took the eastern route, usually flying quite high. During the peak hour between 10:00-11:00 Golden Eagles were streaming off Mt. Lorette and forming kettles of up to 12 birds.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 17, (To Date: 478)

 

COUNT DATE: 07/10/2020, (Day 18 of 57)

TIME: Start: 06:55 – End: 19:05, Day Total: 12:10hrs, (To Date: 216:15hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson, Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Mostly light ground winds. Ridge winds mostly SSW to WSW, light (2 to 15 km/h) except for 20 gusting to 45 at 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00. Continuous light rainshower for 2 hr around noon. 70% to 100% cloud all day, variable obscuration of summits (up to 100%) until about 13:00, the all summits clear for the rest of the day.

TEMPERATURE: Min: +7, Max: +14

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 106 migrants (92 GOEA) between 14:00-17:00. Maximum hour 15:00-16:00 with 50 migrants (43 GOEA). Nice kettle of 12 GOEA over Skogan Pass at 15:07.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 66, Sub-Adult: 4, Juvenile: 14, Unaged: 22, Total: 106, (To Date: 1399)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 2, Total: 5, (To Date: 62)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 3, (To Date: 9)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 3

– Cooper’s Hawk: 2

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

– Rough-legged Hawk: 3

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 125, (To Date: 1732)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 BAEA sa3 gliding north over Patrick at 16:25

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 4 DCCO high towards SW, 40 CAGO, 1 GHOW calling east of observation site early morning, 49 AMRO, 1 VATH, 1 BCCH, 4 BBMA, 9 CORA.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 3, (To Date: 461)

 

COUNT DATE: 06/10/2020, (Day 17 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:45 – End: 19:30, Day Total: 11:45hrs, (To Date: 204:05hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament, Cindy Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A pleasant day with moderate breeze of 2-15 km/hr with occasional gusts to 15 km/hr. On arrival, the clouds were ominously dark and low, but cleared to the East along Patric, the West ridges remaining largely obscured. Persistent drizzle until late afternoon. A steady movement of raptors throughout the day.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 15.5, Max: 18

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 12:00-13:00, 49 GOEA

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 206, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 22, Unaged: 26, Total: 255, (To Date: 1293)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 57)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 5

– Northern Goshawk: 5

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

– Merlin: 1

– Gyrfalcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 272, (To Date: 1607)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA 29, CAJA 3, MOCH 1, BCCH 2, RCKI 4, AMRO 28, AMDI 2, PIWO 1, CLNU 1, YRWA 3

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 30, (To Date: 458)

 

COUNT DATE: 05/10/2020, (Day 16 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 19:50, Day Total: 11:50hrs, (To Date: 192:20hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Graeme Dunlop, Ethan Denton

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was another balmy day, and for once the fierce afternoon wind was welcome to keep us cool. Upper level winds were already strong in the morning and increased as the day went by, giving rise to the new term: eagle neck. A constant stream of eagles coming from high over Lorette to the Fisher Range kept us looking east all day, but the occasional search to the west yielded a number of non-eagle raptors. Highlights were a beautiful dark Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawk and a juvenile Prairie Falcon, both of which flew low over us.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 3, Max: 19

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: There was a late push with 48 eagles in the hour 18:00 – 19:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 129, Sub-Adult: 22, Juvenile: 16, Unaged: 108, Total: 275, (To Date: 1038)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 55)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 6)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 3

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Unidentified Accipiter: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 6

– Merlin: 2

– Prairie Falcon: 1

– Unidentified Falcon: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 295, (To Date: 1335)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: NOGO 3, GOEA 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: AMRO 1, DECW 4, PISI 4, RIGR 1, CAFI 1, MOCH 2, RBNU 1, BBMA 1, CORA 10, GCKI 2, AMDI 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: One bull elk in the meadow, two white-tailed deer crossing the river.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 428)

 

COUNT DATE: 04/10/2020, (Day 15 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 19:30, Day Total: 12:00hrs, (To Date: 180:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Patrick Farley.

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The day started out quite calm and clear but after 9:00 the clouds quickly covered the sky and gave us a bright grey backdrop for the rest of the day. With these lighting conditions, it was exceedingly difficult to identify the exact plumage and it is likely that many immature birds appeared to us as adults. The ridge winds blew SW/WSW all day with gusts between 40-70 km/h. The light ground winds came from the south and there were a few strong gusts but it was generally quite calm. A light rain fell intermittently after 17:00 and the birds poured in.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 4, Max: 18

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between 17:00 and 19:00 thirty four Goldens appeared.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 62, Sub-Adult: 4, Juvenile: 5, Unaged: 21, Total: 92, (To Date: 763)

– Bald Eagle: Unaged: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 53)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 2, (To Date: 5)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 3

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 100, (To Date: 1040)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: GOEA 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CAJA 2, AMDI 2, CORA 15, DEJU 7, AMRO 1, BBMA 1, YRWA 7.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: First thing in the morning I found two dippers together at the river near the path. One of them started singing energetically and beautifully near the observation site and then again later in the day.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 80, (To Date: 428)

 

COUNT DATE: 03/10/2020, (Day 14 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:50 – End: 19:20, Day Total: 11:30hrs, (To Date: 168:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Heinz Unger, Chris Unger, Annie Finch, Patrick Farley

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It started off cool with a high of +1 but rose to a high of +21. It was almost windless with slow migration until 13:00, at which point the wind picked up and migration was steady for the rest of the day.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 1, Max: 21

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The highest hourly count was 17:00 to 18:00 with 14 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 25, Sub-Adult: 9, Juvenile: 12, Unaged: 17, Total: 63, (To Date: 671)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 52)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Osprey: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 70, (To Date: 940)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 1, Bald Eagle: 1, Northern Goshawk: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Common Merganser: 1, Belted Kingfisher: 1, Hairy Woodpecker: 1, Common Raven: 11, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 4, Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1, Brown Creeper: 1, Pacific Wren: 1, American Dipper: 1, American Robon: 7, Pine Siskin: 17, American Tree Sparrow: 1, Dark-eyed Junco: 2, Song Sparrow: 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler: 3

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: White-tailed Deer: 2, Grey Wolf: 5 (crossed the meadow in the evening)

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 49, (To Date: 348)

 

COUNT DATE: 02/10/2020, (Day 13 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 19:00, Day Total: 11:30hrs, (To Date: 157:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Joel Duncan, Caroline Lambert

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was another lovely, atypically warm fall day in the meadow with blue skies and light winds from the NE at ground level. The winds at ridge level were variable but generally light and from the NE which is not usually conducive to raptor migration.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2, Max: 19

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 14:00-15:00 comprised of 15 Goldens and 1 Bald eagle.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 15, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 6, Unaged: 4, Total: 27, (To Date: 608)

– Bald Eagle: Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 50)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Raptor: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 32, (To Date: 870)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 Resident Northern Goshawk heard calling from its nesting site about 200 meters north of the Stoney Trail parking lot.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: In order of appearance: Ruffed Grouse -1, Pine Siskin -1, American Dipper -2, Common Raven -79, American Robin – 3, Black-capped Chickadee -3, Black-billed Magpie -1, Common Merganser -8, American Crow -1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet -1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: All but two of the days migrants used the eastern route and were fairly close to the ridge but with several Goldens were seen flying quite high. The clear blue sky made finding and tracking the migrants rather challenging! Half of the migrant raptors likely came via Wasootch. A spectacular, swirling kettle of 58 Common Ravens appeared over Mt. Lorette at 14:15 which gradually dispersed after 10 minutes. Quite a sight it was! A smaller group of 15 Common Ravens appeared over Nakiska about an hour later. Unlike last fall, the aspens were dressed in brilliant shades of yellow with one notable aspen near the pumphouses glowing red.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 27, (To Date: 299)

 

COUNT DATE: 01/10/2020, (Day 12 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 19:30, Day Total: 12:00hrs, (To Date: 145:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Joel Duncan

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A nice warm day, 100% altostratus gradually clearing to a cloudless afternoon. Some light smoke haze. Light ground winds 5 – 15 km/h from SW most of the day. Good raptor movement with 214 birds of 9 different species including 159 Golden Eagles.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 8, Max: 19

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 13:00 – 15:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 119, Sub-Adult: 4, Juvenile: 11, Unaged: 25, Total: 159, (To Date: 581)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 9, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 11, Unaged: 1, Total: 23, (To Date: 49)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 3)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Osprey: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 6

– Cooper’s Hawk: 2

– Northern Goshawk: 4

– Red-tailed Hawk: 13

– Rough-legged Hawk: 4

– Prairie Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 214, (To Date: 838)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: None

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: AMDI 3, AMPI 1, AMRO 23, BBMA 2, CLNC 1, COME 4, DEJU 2, RBNU 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 15, (To Date: 272)

 

COUNT DATE: 30/09/2020, (Day 11 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 17:20, Day Total: 10:20hrs, (To Date: 133:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson, Cliff Hansen

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: 100% cloud, summits socked in until almost noon, then rapid clearing to clear blue sky (except for a few small clouds in the west). Ground winds mostly 5 – 10 gusting 15 or 20 km/h. Winds aloft mostly SW 2 – 10 km/h. Raptors started moving around noon, then good gliding with some soaring. Some long pauses with no evident raptors. Last raptor 18:00.

TEMPERATURE: Min: +7.5, Max: +15

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 14 raptors of 5 species between 16:00 and 17:00. Maximum GOEA movement 22 between 15:00 and 18:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 15, Sub-Adult: 6, Juvenile: 9, Unaged: 2, Total: 32, (To Date: 422)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Total: 3, (To Date: 26)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 6

– Cooper’s Hawk: 2

– Northern Goshawk: 3

– Red-tailed Hawk: 5

– Rough-legged Hawk: 2

– Peregrine Falcon: 1

– Unidentified Falcon: 1

– Unidentified Raptor: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 56, (To Date: 624)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: One young Northern Shrike seen three times. Also a”V” of 35 CAGO, 3 COME, 1 AMDI, 67 AMRO heading south, 1 VATH near the site, 16 CORA and 15 PISI.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 20, (To Date: 257)

 

COUNT DATE: 29/09/2020, (Day 10 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 19:45, Day Total: 12:15hrs, (To Date: 123:10hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament, Michael Woertman, Cindy Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A beautiful sunny day, with some clouds in a general blue sky. Enough clouds to ensure reasonable spotting conditions. Winds from the SW generally 10-15 km/hr until 1800 hrs with a switch to the NE accompanied with a substantial drop in temperature and more windy conditions. Gorgeous fall colors !!

TEMPERATURE: Min: 12, Max: 20

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 14:00-15:00 and 16:00-17:00 with 11 raptors each hour

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 25, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 3, Unaged: 7, Total: 35, (To Date: 390)

– Bald Eagle: Unaged: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 23)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 5

– Northern Goshawk: 5

– Red-tailed Hawk: 6

– Merlin: 4

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 56, (To Date: 568)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: None

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA 41, BBMA 1, PISI 303, RBNU 3, BCCH 3, AMRO 10, COME (Female) 7, AMDI 1, DOWO 1, RCKI 15, YRWA, 9, CEWA 1, GCKI 2, CLNC 1, HOFI 25, BLJA 1, NOFL 1, CNGO 122

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: One Red Fox, Wolf Howling to SW at approx 1100 hrs

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 22, (To Date: 237)

 

COUNT DATE: 28/09/2020, (Day 9 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:40 – End: 19:20, Day Total: 11:40hrs, (To Date: 110:55hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Graeme Dunlop, Ethan Denton

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The morning was calm and cool with high clouds making things gloomy, though it was warmer than average. Then a chinook blew in, raising the temperature to balmy levels. Strong upper level winds allowed a steady trickle of eagles through the morning, but it petered out in the afternoon. Looking at radar, it appears there was a weather system holding them back north of Jasper. However, there was a good variety of other raptors (11 species total), plus bears and elk on the ski slopes and a wolf to entertain. Someone from Canmore came out to put varnish on Ruthie’s bench.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 2, Max: 14

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 12:00-13:00 had the most, but not by much.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 7, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 10, Total: 19, (To Date: 355)

– Bald Eagle: Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 22)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 2)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 2

– Unidentified Accipiter: 1

– Broad-winged Hawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

– Peregrine Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 33, (To Date: 512)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: AMKE 1, RTHA 1, NOGO 3

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: RBNU 1, CLNU 1, BOCH 1, BCCH 1, RCKI 7, BEKI 1, NOFL 2, CAJA 1, BBMA 1, CORA 8, GCKI 4, BRCR 1, AMDI 1, AMRO 44, PISI 20, DEJU 1, YRWA 4

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: One grizzly bear, a black bear, and an elk on the ski slopes, and a black wolf crossed the river downstream.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 17, (To Date: 215)

 

COUNT DATE: 27/09/2020, (Day 8 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:15 – End: 19:45, Day Total: 12:30hrs, (To Date: 99:15hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Patrick Farley, Jim St. Laurent.

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The day began with very low winds and I thought it was doomed but the winds eventually picked up and we had a moderate count. The temperature at 07:15 was -3C and the high at 17:00 was 9C. Ridge Winds were SW to WSW all day, low in the morning until 12 then moderate to strong for the rest of the day, 30-60 gusting 40-70 km/h. The sky was virtually cloudless for most of the day with only small cumulous clouds forming throughout the day behind the west ridges. After 14:00 some very interesting altocumulus and lenticular cloud formations formed over the valley but only ever reached 20% coverage.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -3, Max: 9

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between the hours of 15:00 – 16:00 and 17:00 and 18:00 that we had the highest number of migrants.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 25, Sub-Adult: 3, Juvenile: 12, Unaged: 5, Total: 45, (To Date: 336)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 20)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 2

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Broad-winged Hawk: 3

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 59, (To Date: 479)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Goshawk 2, Red-tailed Hawk 2,

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: American Crow 34, Common Raven 25, Pine Siskin 30, Common Merganser 5, Belted Kingfisher 1, American Robin 80, Dark-eyed Junco 2, Yellow-rumped Warbler 1, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Ruffed Grouse 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: The crows migrated westward. A number of mourning cloak butterflies fluttered by.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 75, (To Date: 198)

 

COUNT DATE: 26/09/2020, (Day 7 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 19:40, Day Total: 12:10hrs, (To Date: 86:45hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Heinz Unger

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was a cloudy day with occasional sunny breaks and a few rain showers

TEMPERATURE: Min: 4, Max: 8

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 16:00-17:00 (9 migrants)

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 6, Sub-Adult: 6, Juvenile: 5, Unaged: 9, Total: 26, (To Date: 291)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 1, Total: 4, (To Date: 18)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 6

– Northern Goshawk: 2

– Merlin: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 39, (To Date: 420)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 2, Bald Eagle: 1, Northern Goshawk: 3

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Northern Flicker: 1, Clark’s Nutcracker: 3, Common Raven: 11, Mountain Chickadee: 2, Boreal Chickadee: 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 7, Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 3, Red-breasted Nuthatch: 3, Mountain Bluebird: 4, American Robin: 541, American Pipit: 17, Red Crossbill: 4, Pine Siskin: 80, Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon): 1, Dark-eyed Junco unk ssp: 5, Savannah Sparrow: 2, Lincoln’s Sparrow: 1, Orange-crowned Warbler: 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler: 6

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: White-tailed Deer: 1

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 26, (To Date: 123)

 

COUNT DATE: 25/09/2020, (Day 6 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:50 – End: 19:30, Day Total: 11:40hrs, (To Date: 74:35hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Patrick Farley, Patricia Farley

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Thick dark clouds obscured the sun most of the day, making conditions quite dark and identifying the birds difficult all day. A few drops of rain were inconsequential, but the strong wind made it feel much colder than it was.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 8, Max: 10

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 13:00 – 15:00 had the highest number, but the flow was reasonably steady all day

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 38, Sub-Adult: 7, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 29, Total: 76, (To Date: 265)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 14)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 3

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Buteo: 1

– Merlin: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 86, (To Date: 381)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: NOGO 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: COLO 8, NOFL 1, CAJA 3, CORA 10, BCCH 2, MOCH 1, RCKI 1, RBNU 1, PAWR 1, AMRO 40, PISI 50, DEJU 2, YRWA 10

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: The Pacific Wren was nice to find.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 11, (To Date: 97)

 

COUNT DATE: 24/09/2020, (Day 5 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:15 – End: 19:30, Day Total: 12:15hrs, (To Date: 62:55hrs)

OBSERVERS: G. Dunlop, R. Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Mostly sunny but with a strong wind. Ridge gusts of over 130 km/h were recorded for much of the day. Cumulus and Stratocumulus gradually thickened during day with some very heavy looking rain showers just to the S and SW.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 6, Max: 14

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 18:00 – 19:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 17, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 3, Total: 23, (To Date: 189)

– Bald Eagle: Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 12)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 4

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 3

– American Kestrel: 1

– Merlin: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 34, (To Date: 295)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA 20, AMRO 48, COME 5, NADI 2

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 2 Grizzly Bears at Nakiska early morning

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 16, (To Date: 86)

 

COUNT DATE: 23/09/2020, (Day 4 of 57)

TIME: Start: 06:50 – End: 19:25, Day Total: 12:35hrs, (To Date: 50:40hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson, Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A nice day, not too cold, not too hot, 80% to 100% altostratus & cumulus but we could actually see our shadows at times. Very light ground winds until 10:00, then light winds with occasional stronger gusts. One resident adult NOGO seen hunting several times through the day. One adult GOEA hover-hunting on Patrick, talons out & head down, moved a bit south, repeated this several times. Assumed resident despite southward trend.

TEMPERATURE: Min: +1.5, Max: +13.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Maximum official hour, 08:00-09:00 with 14 GOEA and 1 NOHA. However, the first migrants (3 GOEA) were at 08:26, so the day actually began with a bit of an eagle-burst.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 25, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 10, Unaged: 29, Total: 65, (To Date: 166)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 11)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2

– Northern Goshawk: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 72, (To Date: 261)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Five sightings of a hunting NOGO, one sighting of a GOEA hover-hunting.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 2 COME, 1 BEKI, 12 AMPI, 55 AMRO flying south, low, 2 VATH on trail to site, 1 AMCR, 26 CORA, 1 PISI

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 14, (To Date: 70)

 

COUNT DATE: 22/09/2020, (Day 3 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:40 – End: 20:00, Day Total: 12:20hrs, (To Date: 38:05hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Beautiful Day – with high cirrus for good observing conditions, and sunshine. Heard wolves howling North of the site about 1400 hrs

TEMPERATURE: Min: -1, Max: 14

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 13:00-14:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 11, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 7, Unaged: 0, Total: 20, (To Date: 101)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 2, Total: 6, (To Date: 9)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Osprey: 1

– Northern Harrier: 3

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 33

– Cooper’s Hawk: 3

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 5

– Peregrine Falcon: 4

– Prairie Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 77, (To Date: 189)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA 25, AMRO 69, BBMA 2, CNGO 7, AMCR 2, CAJA 2, YRWA 9, DEJU 1, LISP 2, BEKI 1, NOFL 1, VATH 1, RCKI 23, PISI 6, BLJA 1. BCCH 3, BOCH 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Wolves howling from the North at approx 1400 hrs, Bull Moose heard snorting in bushes across the river

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 6, (To Date: 56)

 

COUNT DATE: 21/09/2020, (Day 2 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 19:45, Day Total: 12:45hrs, (To Date: 25:45hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Cliff Hansen

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Temperature at 07:00 was 7C, high temp at 16:00 was 15C. Winds were SW 5 to 15 km/h. There was 50% cirrus cloud cover at 07:00, decreasing to 10% at 12:00 before gradually increasing to 100% at 18:00 with cumulus and altostratus. A fairly steady movement of eagles throughout the day including 50 Golden Eagles and 2 Bald Eagles with all but 2 birds using the eastern route. Most birds flew high over Mt Lorette from Skogan Peak and continued high over Fisher Range.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 7, Max: 15

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Most migrants flew past between 16:00 and 17:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 32, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 16, Total: 50, (To Date: 81)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 3)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Osprey: 2

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 7

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 5

– Unidentified Accipiter: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 70, (To Date: 112)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: None

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: American Dipper, 300+ American Robins, 45 Pine Siskins, 25 Common Ravens, 3 Mallard

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: A Grey Wolf was seen crossing the river 100m from the watch site. An elk was grazing on the grassy slopes at Nakiska.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 14, (To Date: 50)

 

COUNT DATE: 20/09/2020, (Day 1 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 20:00, Day Total: 13:00hrs, (To Date: 13:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Caroline Lambert

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was a beautiful warm clear day and especially wonderful after a week of thick smoky air.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 7, Max: 19

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: It was between 17:00 and 18:00 that we had the highest number of migrants. Fifteen raptors passed through the valley at that time with eleven of those being Golden Eagles.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 18, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 9, Total: 31, (To Date: 31)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 1)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 1)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Unidentified Accipiter: 2

– Swainson’s Hawk: 2

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 42, (To Date: 42)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: BAEA 1, NOGO 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Common Ravens 30+, Canada Jays 2, Boreal Chickadees 3, Mountain Chickadees 4, America Robins 20+, Canada Geese 70, Northern Flicker 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglets 7, Red-breasted Nuthatch 1, Brown Creepers 2, Pine Siskins 2, Dark-eyed Juncos 4, Orange-crowned Warblers 2, Yellow-rumped Warblers 10, Savannah Sparrows 6, Pine Siskin 5, Gulls sp. 5, and at Lorette Ponds, Mallards 2, Hooded Merganser 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: There was an unusually high number of Ravens in the Area, seen continually throughout the day in groups of up to twenty. In the morning a Northern Goshawk was seen fighting with a few of them.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 36, (To Date: 36)

COUNT DATE: 22/04/2020, (Day 53 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 18:00, Day Total: 11:00hrs, (To Date: 526:15hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Heinz Unger, Eric Langshaw

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was warm but cloudy and windy fot the last day of the count. Many migrants were flying high over the valley to Mt. Lorette making them difficult to age. The highlight of the day was an adult dark morph Ferruginous Hawk that soared over Hummingbird Plume Hill then flew to Skogan Pass around 11 am

TEMPERATURE: Min: 4, Max: 11

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 8 Migrants passed between 15:15 and 15:45

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Total: 9, (To Date: 1529)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 1, Unaged: 2, Total: 4, (To Date: 170)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Ferruginous Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 17, (To Date: 1859)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 2, Bald Eagle: 1, Northern Goshawk: 1, Red-tailed Hawk: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Ruffed Grouse: 1, Ruby Kinglet: 1, Mountain Bluebird, Varied Thrush: 4, Bohemian Waxwing: 60, American Pipit: 1, Dark-eyed Junco: 26

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 21/04/2020, (Day 52 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:55 – End: 20:50, Day Total: 13:55hrs, (To Date: 515:15hrs)

OBSERVERS: Dan Parliament, Caroline Lambert

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A beautiful sunny day ! GOEAs were flying high to very high and very fast. Conditions were reasonable for locating, but due to the height and speed of the birds aging was very difficult

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2, Max: +13

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 10:00-11:00, 14:00-15:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 5, Juvenile: 4, Unaged: 12, Total: 25, (To Date: 1520)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 2, Total: 6, (To Date: 166)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 34, (To Date: 1842)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: RTHA 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose x 2, Mallard x 5, VATH x 5, AMRO x 11, NOFL x2, BCCH x 2, MOCH x 2, BOCH x 2, RCKI x 2, GCKI x 1, CORA x 10, AMDI x 1, PIWO x1, DEJU x 2 BOWW x 56, TRSW x 3

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 20/04/2020, (Day 51 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 20:45, Day Total: 13:45hrs, (To Date: 501:20hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Joseph Walters

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Warm and sunny weather with steady migration for most of the day. Spotting was sometimes difficult because of the lack of cloud cover, but the birds were usually moving slowly which was helpful for ageing

TEMPERATURE: Min: -3, Max: 12

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Highest hourly count was 15:00 to 16:00 with 11 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Total: 45, (To Date: 1495)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 5, Sub-Adult: 4, Total: 9, (To Date: 160)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Osprey: 1

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Cooper’s Hawk: 5

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Unidentified Accipiter: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

– Merlin: 2

– Prairie Falcon: 1

– Unidentified Raptor: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 69, (To Date: 1808)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 2, Bald Eagle: 1, Red-tailed Hawk: 2, Northern Goshawk: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Common Goldeneye: 1, Common Merganser: 2, American Crow: 3, Tree Swallow: 1, Violet-green Swallow: 7, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 2, Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 1, Varied Thrush: 4, Bohemian Waxwing: 20, American Pipit: 4,

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Red Fox close to the road as I was leaving

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 19/04/2020, (Day 50 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:30 – End: 21:00, Day Total: 14:30hrs, (To Date: 487:35hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Joseph Walters.

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Finally we had a sunny day and many immature Goldens were found making their way north. The winds picked up around noon and brought a steady movement of raptors throughout the rest of the day. The preferred flight path seemed to be over the center of the valley towards Skogan pass and quite a few first appeared at Lorette and quickly made their way north. Clear skies made them difficult to locate.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -6, Max: 9.2

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: From 13:00-14:00 we found 7 and from 18:00-19:00 we found 8.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 8, Juvenile: 15, Unaged: 7, Total: 31, (To Date: 1450)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 151)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 4

– Unidentified Accipiter: 2

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 43, (To Date: 1739)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: RTHA:3, NOGO: 2, GOEA: 2, BAEA: 2, SSHA: 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: American Crow: 14, American Robin: 12, Common Raven: 12, Canada Goose: 4, Northern Flicker: 1, Tree Swallow: 1, Pileated Wood-pecker:1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 5 Big Horn Sheep at the very top of the notch on Olympic Summit. Fresh Wolf tracks crossing the path near the site towards the river. Many Snowshoe Hare tracks.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 18/04/2020, (Day 49 of 53)

TIME: Start: 09:00 – End: 20:35, Day Total: 11:35hrs, (To Date: 473:05hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Joseph Walters

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: I started at 9 to avoid some of the snow in the morning. After 11 the continuous snow stopped, but there were flurries on and off all day. The ridges remained almost totally obscured. A handful of migrants flew over the valley to Skogan Pass

TEMPERATURE: Min: 0, Max: 2

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: All but one of the days migrants passed between 14:00 and 16:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: Total: 3, (To Date: 1419)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 146)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Rough-legged Hawk: 3

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 1696)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 1, Bald Eagle: 1, Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1, Red-tailed Hawk: 2, Northern Goshawk: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Mallard: 3, Ruffed Grouse: 1, Pileated Woodpecker: 1, Brown Creeper: 1, Bohemian Waxwing: 21, American Pipit: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Wolf tracks crossing the trail into Hay Meadow

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 17/04/2020, (Day 48 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:30 – End: 21:00, Day Total: 14:30hrs, (To Date: 461:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Blake Weis

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The count was lower due to storms around the valley. It was forcast to rain but we only had light sprays throughout the day. A good thing was the abundance of insects appearing. It was so odd to see a black caterpillar crossing the snow. Spring is trying very hard to break through the ice.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -4, Max: 7.6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: From 14:00-15:00 we had 4 migrants.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Total: 5, (To Date: 1416)

– Bald Eagle: Sub-Adult: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 144)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Osprey: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Buteo: 1

– Merlin: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 13, (To Date: 1688)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 1, Bald Eagle: 2, A Bald Eagle in its first adult plumage perched in a tree in front of me across the river for several hours. The drama of the day happened when a beautiful eastern Red-tailed Hawk decided to camp out in the area and tried to perch in many places. For hours the local Ravens and Red Tails showed their displeasure by attacking, vocalizing and displaying. Northern Goshawk: 2, Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1, Red-tailed Hawk: 3, UF 1.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Common Raven 8, Boreal Chickadee 1, American Robin 36, Dark-eyed Junco 1, Rough grouse 1, Bohemian Waxwing 60, American Dipper 1, Downy Woodpecker 1, Canada Goose 6, Common Merganser 1, Common Goldeneye 1, Brown Creeper 1, Mountain Bluebird 1, Northern Flicker 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Red Squirrel, A variety of insects and moths.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 16/04/2020, (Day 47 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:30 – End: 20:00, Day Total: 13:30hrs, (To Date: 447:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Sunny, calm in the morning, wind increased in the afternoon from the NW. The vast majority of raptor activity (both migrants and residents) occurred between 1200 and 1400.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -13, Max: +6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 12:00-14:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 8, Unaged: 1, Total: 11, (To Date: 1411)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 4, Total: 9, (To Date: 142)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Osprey: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 3

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 5

– Rough-legged Hawk: 2

– American Kestrel: 2

– Merlin: 1

– Unidentified Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 36, (To Date: 1675)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 3 GOEA, 4 BAEA, 1 NOGO, 4 RTHA

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 2 Killdeer, 2 Common Goldeneye

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 15/04/2020, (Day 46 of 53)

NO OBSERVATION

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Joseph Walters

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: No observation – low clouds and snow all day

 

COUNT DATE: 14/04/2020, (Day 45 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:15 – End: 19:45, Day Total: 12:30hrs, (To Date: 433:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Dan Parliament, Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A calm and still day with ground winds of 0-5 km/hr. Mostly overcast, but ridges were clear until about 1700 hrs, when dark clouds moved in from the North threatening snow and rain. When we departed ridges were obscured. A SSHA was swooshing around the site several times during the day, chasing BOWW

TEMPERATURE: Min: -4, Max: +6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 13:00-14:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 8, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 4, Total: 15, (To Date: 1400)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 2, Total: 6, (To Date: 133)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 3

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 26, (To Date: 1639)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: One SSHA – hunting around the site – seen perched several times, and flying down river or between the trees in pursuit of prey

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose x 2, CORA x 7, AMRO x 7, AMCR x 2, NOFL x 5, BCCH x 1, Killdeer x 2, BOWW x 55, COGE x 1, Swallow sp x 1, Gull sp x 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: At 0835 – wolves heard howling in the far distance – South down the valley

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 13/04/2020, (Day 44 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:50 – End: 20:30, Day Total: 13:40hrs, (To Date: 421:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Joseph Walters

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A pleasant day with sunshine, temperatures reaching above zero and a decent variety of raptors

TEMPERATURE: Min: -15, Max: 4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The hours of 12:00-13:00 and 19:00 to 20:00 had 8 migrants each

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 3, Juvenile: 7, Unaged: 5, Total: 18, (To Date: 1385)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 4, Unaged: 1, Total: 9, (To Date: 127)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 4

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 5

– Unidentified Accipiter: 2

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

– American Kestrel: 1

– Unidentified Raptor: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 44, (To Date: 1613)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 4, Bald Eagle: 3, Northern Goshawk: 1, Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1, Red-tailed Hawk: 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Common Goldeneye: 2, Killdeer: 2, American Crow: 3, Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1, Brown Creeper: 1, American Robin: 10, Dark-eyed Junco: 2

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 12/04/2020, (Day 43 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:30 – End: 20:50, Day Total: 14:20hrs, (To Date: 407:20hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Blake Weis.

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Once again poor weather conditions affected the count. There was heavy snow in the morning and periods of light snow throughout the day with a few semi-sunnier periods interspersed. The winds blew from the N/NE and grew stronger throughout the day.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -16, Max: -3

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between 11-12 we had 5 migrants.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 3, Juvenile: Unaged: 4, Total: 10, (To Date: 1367)

– Bald Eagle: Juvenile: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 118)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 16, (To Date: 1569)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Northern Goshawk 1, Bald Eagle 1, Golden Eagle 1, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Sharp-shinned Hawk 1.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: American Crows 1, Common Raven 7, 3 Boreal Chickadee 6, American Robin 37, Dark-eyed Junco 1, Rough grouse 1, Bohemian Waxwing 60, American Dipper 1, 1 Downy Woodpecker,  Canada Goose 10,  American Wigeon 2,  Hooded Merganser 1, Killdeer 2, Common Goldeneye 4.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: As we were leaving we noted fresh wolf tracks crossing the path towards the river.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 11/04/2020, (Day 42 of 53)

TIME: Start: 15:45 – End: 20:15, Day Total: 04:30hrs, (To Date: 393:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Because of the was a snowfall warning in the morning I tried to avoid hazardous road conditions and most of the snow by coming out later in the day. I was planning on arriving before the forecast showed clearing around 3 pm, but there was an accident blocking Hwy 40 just south of the Casino which held me up by about another hour. Eventually I arrived at 3:45 pm. The rest of the day had on and off flurries and mostly obscured ridges. There east ridges occssionaly cleared by about 40%, which was just enough to tease the possibility of migration, but nothing came of it.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -6, Max: -5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: N/A

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 1553)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: N/A

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Hooded Merganser: 2, Killdeer: 1, Northern Shrike: 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 4, American Tree Sparrow: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 10/04/2020, (Day 41 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:00 – End: 16:30, Day Total: 10:30hrs, (To Date: 388:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The morning was bursting with non-raptor spring activity. Small birds were singing and flying everywhere. It seemed like a perfect day but the winds blew from the north and two fronts came in from the north and west covering all the ridges to halfway down the mountains. The wind picked up with gusts of up to 35km and the snow began. We moved to the bridge and saw blue sky farther south down highway 40 so we relocated to try our luck. We did find an additional 4 migrants and breathtaking scenery but the front from the north arrived and covered everything. We tried Lusk Creek just in case but to no avail.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2, Max: 5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between 10-11 we had 3 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: Total: 4, (To Date: 1357)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 117)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2

– Unidentified Accipiter: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

– Unidentified Buteo: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 11, (To Date: 1553)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 3 GOEA, 1 RTHA.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 4 Tree Swallows, 3 Varied Thrush, 1 Northern Flicker, 3 Mountain Bluebirds, 14 American Crows, 12 Common Ravens, 3 Black-capped Chickadees, 44 American Robins, 5 European Starlings, 50 Dark-eyed Juncos, 1 Rough grouse, 1 Cedar Waxwing, 1 American Dipper, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 1 Great Horned Owl, 2 Canada Geese.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Red Squirrel

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 09/04/2020, (Day 40 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 20:00, Day Total: 13:00hrs, (To Date: 378:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Joseph Walters

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Quite a warm, sunny day with light to moderate WSW winds at ground and ridge level. Decent variety of raptors seen. Eagles were often flying high overhead towards Skogan Pass.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -1, Max: 11

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 12:00 to 13:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 5, Sub-Adult: 5, Juvenile: 5, Unaged: 9, Total: 24, (To Date: 1353)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 7, Juvenile: 1, Total: 8, (To Date: 116)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 4

– Gyrfalcon: 1

– Prairie Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 42, (To Date: 1542)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 3 GOEA, 2 BAEA, 1 NOGO, 2 RTHA

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 6 Varied Thrush, 5 Northern Flickers, 8 Dark – eyed Juncos, 25 Bohemian Waxwings, 4 Mountain Bluebirds, 1 Kildeer, 1 Northern Shrike

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None observed

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 08/04/2020, (Day 39 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:05 – End: 20:20, Day Total: 13:15hrs, (To Date: 365:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Joseph Walters

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Mostly clear skies and light winds at ground level made it a relatively pleasant day, despite all the snow still on the ground. There was a steady movement of birds, first on the west ridge, then after 14:00 high over the east ridge.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -10, Max: 6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Most migrants occurred from 11:00 to 13:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 9, Sub-Adult: 6, Juvenile: 7, Unaged: 8, Total: 30, (To Date: 1329)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 9, Juvenile: 1, Total: 14, (To Date: 108)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 3

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 48, (To Date: 1500)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 3 GOEA, 1 NOGO, 2 RTHA

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 1 RBNU, 25 BOWA, 3 CANG, 1 KILL, 1 NOPO, 1 ATTW, 1 NOFL, 19 AMCR, 12 CORA, 2 MOCH, 4 BOCH, 1 EUST, 3 VATH, 8 AMRO, 2 DEJU

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: A mink was seen where the river cuts in to the trail, and a couple of wolves were heard howling from the youth hostel.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 07/04/2020, (Day 38 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:50 – End: 19:15, Day Total: 12:25hrs, (To Date: 351:45hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Nice day with sun, breezy, good wind on ridges, but no eagles. Quiet day over all.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -1, Max: +5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between 17:00 – 18:00 hrs = 4

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 7, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 10, (To Date: 1299)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 94)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– American Kestrel: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 18, (To Date: 1452)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: BAEA-2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CNGO-4,COGO-1,CORA-12,AMCR-1,NOFL-1,EUST-1,AMDI-1,BCCH-6,AMRO-24,BOWA-7,DEJU-2,SOSP-2.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Red Squirrels-2, WTDeer-2. Cougar tracks.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 06/04/2020, (Day 37 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:10 – End: 20:00, Day Total: 12:50hrs, (To Date: 339:20hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was a slow day despite a clear sky and favorable wind

TEMPERATURE: Min: -6, Max: +3

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The highest hourly count was 11:00-12:00 with 6 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 6, Juvenile: Unaged: 6, Total: 16, (To Date: 1289)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 3, (To Date: 89)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

– Unidentified Raptor: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 23, (To Date: 1434)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle:1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: American Wigeon: 1, White- headed Gull sp: 50, Northern Flicker: 1, European Starling: 1, Townsend’s Solitaire: 1, Dark-eyed Junco: 4

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 3, (To Date: 199)

 

COUNT DATE: 05/04/2020, (Day 36 of 53)

TIME: Start: 06:30 – End: 17:30, Day Total: 11:00hrs, (To Date: 326:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Joseph Walters

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The day started out completely calm with no wind at the ground level and low winds at the ridges. All day the sky was covered with a layer of stratus and often ice crystals fell. A nice sun dog appeared at one point. There was a damp foggy coldness in the air. The first migrants appeared after 11:00 and things picked up a bit after 12:00 but with much low-level flapping and soaring to achieve height. Most of the birds ended up soaring over Hummingbird plume near Colombola or near Lorette before disappearing over Skogan pass. We got completely snowed in between 16:00-16:30 and had to abandon the site. We went to Lusk Creek but the conditions there were the same so we called it a day.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -14, Max: 0

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between 12:00 and 14:00 we found 16 migrants. That´s 16/25.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 12, Sub-Adult: 4, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 3, Total: 20, (To Date: 1273)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 86)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Raptor: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 25, (To Date: 1411)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 3

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 1 Rough-legged grouse sitting on a bush and eating at 6:30. 1 Dark-eyed Junco, 11 Canada geese, 4 Common Goldeneye, 9 Common Ravens, 1 Northern Flicker, 1 Pine Grosbeak, 1 American Crow, 3 Townsend´s Solitaire, 1 Great Blue Heron flying north along the river.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Red Squirrel, Wolf footprints.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 196)

 

COUNT DATE: 04/04/2020, (Day 35 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:15 – End: 19:50, Day Total: 12:35hrs, (To Date: 315:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Karen Anderson

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Migration was a bit sporadic, with slow periods interspersed with quick bursts of activity. In the morning all migrants used the west ridges, but as the day progressed the routes became highly variable, with everything between very high over the valley and low in front of the ridges on both sides. At about 15:30 one of the resident pair was displaying over Mt. Lorette. Below, in front of the mountain face what I think was the other resident was circling. A third, migrating golden eagle flew in front of Lorette and the displaying bird started flying lower. Then I noticed a gull flying erratically close to one of the lower eagles. At first I thought the gull was harassing one of the eagles, but after some commotion where I lost track of which eagle was which, one of them had caught the gull and flew down behind Hummingbird Plume hill with the other two in pursuit. Another interesting observation was two resident sub-adults who flew low to the south over the site around 16:00.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -16, Max: -1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Highest hours were 11:00-12:00 and 16:00-17:00 with 8 migrants each

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 21, Sub-Adult: 5, Juvenile: 3, Unaged: 10, Total: 39, (To Date: 1253)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 84)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 2

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

– Merlin: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 46, (To Date: 1386)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 4 (2 adult, 2 sub-adult), Northern Goshawk: 1, Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Hairy Woodpecker: 1, Brown Creeper: 1, European Starling: 1, American Robin: 1, Bohemian Waxwing: 1, American Tree Sparrow: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Bighorn Sheep: 10 on Olympic Summit

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 196)

 

COUNT DATE: 03/04/2020, (Day 34 of 53)

NO OBSERVATION

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: No observation – low clouds, poor visibility, and snow

 

COUNT DATE: 02/04/2020, (Day 33 of 53)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 20:15, Day Total: 12:15hrs, (To Date: 302:55hrs)

OBSERVERS: Joel Duncan, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was a cold day (-19.5C at 0800) made less pleasant by the persistent and piercing north wind at ground level that averaged around 12 kph for the day. Nevertheless the raptors starting moving at 11 a.m. and moved along the western route but then switched to the eastern route after 3 p.m. The last raptor of the day was un undifferentiated Golden Eagle at 1941 above the bumps and last seen heading towards Mt Lorette.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -19.5, Max: -9

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 19 migrants moved between 13:00-14:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 33, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 15, Total: 52, (To Date: 1214)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Juvenile: 1, Total: 4, (To Date: 82)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 17)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 58, (To Date: 1340)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Pine Grosbeak calling from the willow/aspen woods, a few Mountain and Black-capped Chickadees, 6 Common Ravens, 4 American Crows

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: A pair of lovely Coyotes galloped across the meadow in the morning.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 196)

 

COUNT DATE: 01/04/2020, (Day 32 of 53)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 15:30, Day Total: 07:30hrs, (To Date: 290:40hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Joel Duncan

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Light snow most of the day with a gusting northerly wind and a wind chill of -35, snowfall heavier after 1500. Poor visibility. Moved from Ribbon Creek to Lusk Creek at 1200. No migrants seen. We left early due to worsening weather conditions.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -17, Max: -11

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: None observed

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 1282)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: None observed

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: None observed

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None observed

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 196)

 

COUNT DATE: 31/03/2020, (Day 31 of 53)

NO OBSERVATION

OBSERVERS: GEORGE HALMAZNA, DAN PARLIAMENT

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Snowy conditions and low clouds ceiling cancelled day in Kananaskis.

 

COUNT DATE: 30/03/2020, (Day 30 of 53)

NO OBSERVATION

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Low clouds and snow all day. No observation possible.

 

COUNT DATE: 29/03/2020, (Day 29 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:15 – End: 19:45, Day Total: 12:30hrs, (To Date: 283:10hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: We had Intermittent precipitation all day with wind gusts up to 30 at times. The sky was covered with varied combinations of fog, stratus, altostratus, cumulous, cirrostratus and altocumulus. A squall threatened all day from the south and finally, near the end of the day it moved in and the snow became continuous. Despite the volatile weather and poor seeing conditions, we managed to locate and identify 36 migrants. Our reward for the day was a glorious moment when an adult golden flew north along the river about 20 meters above us. The pair of resident goldens were very active displaying at the notch and in front of Lorette. There was possibly a territorial fight/display between a bald and a golden in front of Lorette. I observed a golden land on a tree on Hummingbird plume after being harassed by a raven, and then later a golden landing twice on Patrick just below Tony’s peak. A great horned owl started calling early in the afternoon just beyond the pump houses and later there was a pair calling out to each other continuously in front of us on the other side of the river. I must give a special mention to the lone robin who kept us company all day with its constant conversation.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 3, Max: 6.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between 9:00 and 10:00 we had the high count of 7 for the day.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 15, Sub-Adult: 3, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 9, Total: 28, (To Date: 1162)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 78)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 2, (To Date: 16)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Buteo: 1

– Unidentified Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 36, (To Date: 1282)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 2 or 3 Golden Eagles,

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 5 Black-Capped Chickadees,1 Robin, 12 Ravens, one came down to the river to collect nesting material, A flock of 30 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches flying north, European Starlings in groups of 3 and 10, one Canada Goose calling just south of the site. 3 Great-horned Owls, 1 Killdeer, 1 Hairy Woodpecker.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 1 Red Squirrel chattering.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 196)

 

COUNT DATE: 28/03/2020, (Day 28 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 20:00, Day Total: 12:30hrs, (To Date: 270:40hrs)

OBSERVERS: Graeme Dunlop, Heinz Unger

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Due to new restrictions on vehicular access to provincial parks, the count was conducted from the southern edge of Kananaskis Village from 0730 then relocated at 1200 to near Ribbon Creek Hostel. The temperature at 0730 was 3C and the high was 8C at 1400 and it was 4C at 2000. Wind readings were unavailable but ground winds were S-SW with moderately strong gusts throughout the day while ridge winds were SW moderate to strong all day. Cloud cover was initially 90% with stratus to the east, nimbostratus to the south and cirrus and stratocumulus and lenticular clouds to the north. Clouds gradually thickened throughout the day from the south with light snow falling sporadically from 1300 to 2000. The western ridges were occasionally partially obscured by cloud from 1300 onwards. Viewing conditions deteriorated from late afternoon and at 1830 we relocated to Lusk Creek where cloud level was higher with improved viewing conditions. Most birds were seen flying from The Wedge/Evan Thomas Creek to the north end of Mt Kidd until 1300 after which birds glided high from the Fisher Range to Mt Lorette. At Lusk Creek birds were seen soaring over Lusk Ridge before gliding over Horton Hill and continuing westward. The higher numbers seen from Lusk Creek suggest that birds had been flying east of the Fisher Range throughout the day.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 3, Max: 8

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The highest hourly count was 18 between 19:00-20:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 15, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 3, Unaged: 25, Total: 43, (To Date: 1134)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Total: 3, (To Date: 77)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 46, (To Date: 1246)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: A resident Goshawk was seen hunting at 1420, resident pair of golden eagles were seen soaring over Olympic Summit at 1400.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 2 American Robins, 6 European Starlings, 4 American Crows, 12 Common Ravens, 8 Canada Geese.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 4 Bighorn Sheep were seen near Olympic Summit.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 3, (To Date: 196)

 

COUNT DATE: 27/03/2020, (Day 27 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:35 – End: 20:15, Day Total: 12:40hrs, (To Date: 258:10hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Mostly cloudy with strong upper levels winds that enabled the few eagles we saw to fly high without needing the ridges.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -1, Max: 5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 15:00 to 16:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 12, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 9, Total: 22, (To Date: 1091)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 74)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 2, (To Date: 14)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 26, (To Date: 1200)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Two Bald Eagles, two Golden Eagles

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 8 CANG, 1 BBMA, 12 CORA, 1 BCCH, 3 AMRO

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Early in the day a pair of Golden Eagles was seen on the right side of Lorette. One appeared to be displaying. Next they were seen flying over the summit. One landed on the left shoulder spur of the mountain, and the other landed on top of the first. An intimate moment ensued. The male then flew west towards Olympic. I tracked it for a while, and then noted that the female was no longer on Lorette. Switching to scan Patrick, I noted an eagle flying south towards it – most likely the female. So that was interesting to see.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 4, (To Date: 193)

 

COUNT DATE: 26/03/2020, (Day 26 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 20:30, Day Total: 13:00hrs, (To Date: 245:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Joel Duncan, Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY:

COUNT DATE: 26/03/2020, (Day 26 of 53)___TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 20:15, Day Total: 12:40hrs, (To Date: 245:10hrs)___OBSERVERS: Joel Duncan, Rick Robb___DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Strong SW winds at ridge level created impressive plumes of snow off of most peaks from 0730 hrs until they subsided noticeably after 1800 hours. Cloud cover was 10% Cu/Ci upon arrival but increased to 80% AS/Cu by 1500 hrs. Coverage decreased gradually to 40% by 2000 hours with sleek lenticular formations overhead with patches of cumulus over the western peaks until dusk.___It was -7C at 0730 hrs and rose to only +3.5 by 1700 hrs dropping back to 0C by dusk. Winds at ground level were from the SW from 10 to 20 kph with frequent gusts to 50 kph. A 15 cm layer of snow covered the valley with drifts up to 70 cm in some places. ___Thirty per cent of the GOEA originated from valley south and went straight overhead of us while 40% used the eastern route (most appearing high over Patrick) and 30% flew the western route, almost all eventually passing over Mr. Lorette..Three Goldens passed to the east at 0742 but then nothing until fifty-four migrants passed between noon and 1600 hours with the remainder spread out in small numbers until sunset.______TEMPERATURE: Min: -7, Max: 3.5C

TEMPERATURE: Min: -7, Max: +3.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Fifty-four migrants between 1200 and 1600 hrs, by far the majority.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 41, Sub-Adult: 3, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 16, Total: 61, (To Date: 1069)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 3, Total: 5, (To Date: 73)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 3, (To Date: 12)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Unidentified Buteo: 1

– Prairie Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 71, (To Date: 1174)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: GoEa: 1, BaEa: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 0

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: An adult Mountain Goat appeared on the south shoulder of Mt. Patrick in the late evening.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 9, (To Date: 189)

 

COUNT DATE: 25/03/2020, (Day 25 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:00 – End: 20:20, Day Total: 13:20hrs, (To Date: 232:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson, Joel Duncan

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A mix of sun and clouds, winds light in the morning, maximum gust 35 km/h in the afternoon. Ridge winds mostly SW moderate. Eagles moving both in the west and east most of the day, but dominantly in the east late in the day and mostly high above the Fisher range.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -9, Max: +2

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Fairly strong movement from 14:30 to the end, with the strongest hour being 37 GOEA between 19:00-20:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 82, Sub-Adult: 5, Juvenile: 11, Unaged: 46, Total: 144, (To Date: 1008)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 68)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 149, (To Date: 1103)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 GOEA

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: N/A

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 180)

 

COUNT DATE: 24/03/2020, (Day 24 of 53)

TIME: Start: 09:10 – End: 15:40, Day Total: 06:30hrs, (To Date: 219:10hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Snowy day. Light snow till noon, thicker after 13:00 hrs. All mountains not visible in afternoon. West ridges 100% obscured all day. Only 1 migrating Bald Eagle flew north over the valley . We left earlier due to deteriorating weather condition.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -4, Max: -2

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: One migrating BAEA at 13:31 hrs.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Bald Eagle: Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 63)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 1, (To Date: 954)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 NOGO

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CNGO-5,MALL-1,PIWO-1,CORA-3,AMCR-1,CORE-1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 1 Coyote crossing meadow, Tracks of Red Squirrels, Snowshoe Hare.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 3, (To Date: 178)

 

COUNT DATE: 23/03/2020, (Day 23 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 19:30, Day Total: 12:00hrs, (To Date: 212:40hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Patrick Farley

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Snow flurries throughout the day which became quite persistent towards the end wasn’t favorable weather for migration. Despite that, we had a reasonable count of 66 migrating eagles. It was also a tough day for ageing, earlier on many birds were only seen gliding from a side angle, and later in the day they were often flying into snow.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -4, Max: +4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The hour of 12:00 to 13:00 produced 20 migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 37, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: Unaged: 18, Total: 57, (To Date: 864)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 2, Total: 5, (To Date: 62)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 4, (To Date: 9)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 66, (To Date: 953)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 2, Northern Goshawk- 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Hairy Woodpecker: 1, Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1, European Starling: 1, American Robin: 3, Pine Grosbeak: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 175)

 

COUNT DATE: 22/03/2020, (Day 22 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 20:20, Day Total: 12:50hrs, (To Date: 200:40hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Blake Weis

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Movement started early with the first bird recorded at 07:38 and grew in intensity throughout the day as the winds grew stronger. It was a great day with strong raptor migration. Many birds were located at Lorette and age identification was difficult because of the poor lighting conditions due to a layer of stratus clouds that formed later in the day.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -12, Max: 3

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: We had the highest count between 13:00-14:00 but it was almost non-stop between 13:00-19:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 103, Sub-Adult: 7, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 57, Total: 168, (To Date: 807)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 6, Sub-Adult: 1, Unaged: 2, Total: 9, (To Date: 57)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 3, (To Date: 5)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 3

– Red-tailed Hawk: 3

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Buteo: 1

– Unidentified Raptor: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 189, (To Date: 887)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 5

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 1 KILL, 15 CORA, 1 AMRO heard singing, 1 BCCH, 20 EUST, 2 Gulls, 1 GHOW, 1 CAJA, and a few inderminate chicadees.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: A Great Horned Owl Owl was heard singing across the river at sunset. A nice way to end this busy day!

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 15, (To Date: 173)

 

COUNT DATE: 21/03/2020, (Day 21 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:50 – End: 16:30, Day Total: 08:40hrs, (To Date: 187:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Cliff Hansen

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The day started well enough with 8 migrants counted by 11 am, though migration slowed in the afternoon. We left Hay Meadow around 16:30 when a snow storm moved in from the north.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -10, Max: +5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Highest hourly count was 10-11 am with 6 golden eagles

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 13, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: 3, Total: 16, (To Date: 639)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Juvenile: 1, Total: 4, (To Date: 48)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Unidentified Buteo: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 23, (To Date: 698)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 1 male Red-winged Blackbird stopped by the site in the afternoon, 1 Dark-eyed Junco

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Cliff photographed a lynx crossing the river while I had the misfortune to be off on a walk

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 34, (To Date: 158)

 

COUNT DATE: 20/03/2020, (Day 20 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:50 – End: 19:45, Day Total: 11:55hrs, (To Date: 179:10hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Graeme Dunlop, Rosemary Power

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: No clouds and strong winds, but these good conditions resulted only in light raptor movement throughout the day. Eagles were first seen on the west ridge, but after noon most appeared over the east ridge, with only a few on the west ridge. Later in the day the eagles on the east side appeared small and distant, as if they were flying high above Wasootch Creek. When they reached Lorette they were passing well behind the peak.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -16, Max: 5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: There were two peaks, from 12:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 16:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 35, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 2, Total: 37, (To Date: 623)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 6, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 7, (To Date: 44)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 2, (To Date: 2)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 46, (To Date: 675)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: NOGO – 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 2 CANG, 2 GHOW, 1 HAWO, 1 PIWO, 2 CAJA, 1 BBMA, 2 AMCR, 9 CORA, 3 MOCH

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Two Great Horned Owls were calling to each other close to sunset

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 124)

 

COUNT DATE: 19/03/2020, (Day 19 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:45 – End: 19:45, Day Total: 12:00hrs, (To Date: 167:15hrs)

OBSERVERS: Cliff Hansen & Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The weather, although not particularly cold (-9 to -4 degrees), was non-the-less felt cold because of high humidity and a persistent surface north wind that rose to 5-15 gusting to 20 kph. A very light snow fell through the day to 18:00. The ridges both east and west were draped with cloud and often totally obscured until 17:00 and not fully clear until 19:00. Yet a surprising number of migrating raptors found a way through the cloudy maze.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -9, Max: -4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Most migrants (7 x GOEAs) flew by between 16:00 and 17:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 18, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: 5, Total: 23, (To Date: 586)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 26, (To Date: 629)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: One x BAEA (A).

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 6 x CORA, 1 x NOFL (RS) & 1 x PIGR

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Nil

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 116)

 

COUNT DATE: 18/03/2020, (Day 18 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:10 – End: 20:10, Day Total: 13:00hrs, (To Date: 155:15hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson, Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: 95% As St at the start, E ridges 20% obscured, W ridges 30% obscured. Both E & W ridges clear most of the day, but both becoming very obscured beginning after 18:00. Sky 10% clouds or less from 09:00 to 15:00, lots of blue sky. Winds aloft L-M from SW or so, swinging to NNW-NNE in the afternoon. Ground winds light in the morning, north gusting to 25-35 km/h in the afternoon.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -11, Max: +2

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 14:00-15:00 but good movement to 19:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 78, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 4, Unaged: 30, Total: 113, (To Date: 563)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 7, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 8, (To Date: 37)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 121, (To Date: 603)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: GOEA: 4 single birds and one pair

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 2 GRJA, 4 EUST, 1 PIWO, 15 CORA

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 19 Bighorn Sheep on the south ridge of Olympic Summit

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 9, (To Date: 114)

 

COUNT DATE: 17/03/2020, (Day 17 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:15 – End: 17:30, Day Total: 10:15hrs, (To Date: 142:15hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Beautiful and clear morning till noon, when weather was starting to change. Snow was slowly moving in and we were loosing visibility on ridges. By 16:00 all summits were obscured. Very limited bird activity today. 5 GOEA observed flying low on west side of valley after 14:00 hrs. They were only migrating raptors today.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -11, Max: +4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 4 GOEA between 15:00-16:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 450)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 5, (To Date: 482)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA-8,AMDI-1,CAJA-2,BBMA-1,BCCH-2,DEJU-Oregon-1,BOWA-32

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 30 Big Horn Sheep, 9 Elk, 3 Red Squirrels

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 14, (To Date: 105)

 

COUNT DATE: 16/03/2020, (Day 16 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:55 – End: 19:55, Day Total: 12:00hrs, (To Date: 132:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Patrick Farley

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Migrants were flying fairly steadily between 11:00 and 19:15. The sky was cloudless almost all day, but thankfully eagles were flying low and slow which usually made them easy to spot and age. All migrants used the western ridges until 13:00. Between 13:00 and 16:00 flight paths were variable and they were showing up everywhere. After 16:00 most migrants were seen as they approached Mt. Lorette, probably flying in from the Wasootch Creek area.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -19, Max: 4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 29 eagles flew between 16:00 and 17:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 151, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: Unaged: 20, Total: 173, (To Date: 445)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 4, Juvenile: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 29)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 178, (To Date: 477)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: N/A

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Canada Goose- 2, Northern Flicker- 1, Brown Creeper- 1, Bohemian Waxwing- 20

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 6 elk and 32 bighorn sheep were feeding on the south side of Olympic Summit

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 9, (To Date: 91)

 

COUNT DATE: 15/03/2020, (Day 15 of 53)

TIME: Start: 09:00 – End: 19:50, Day Total: 10:50hrs, (To Date: 120:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Lynn Anderson, Blake Weis

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: After two days of bad weather we were able to resume the count but with poor conditions. The slow wind blew from the north and the eagles struggled, flapping, gliding and soaring, to gain altitude. Most made their way low across the face of the mountains. The day started with a balmy -27°C

TEMPERATURE: Min: -27, Max: -4.4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: We had the highest numbers of migrants between 15:00-16:00 and from 17:00-18:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 15, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 5, Total: 21, (To Date: 272)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 24)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 23, (To Date: 299)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 5 CORA, 3 CAJA, 1 COME, 1 BCCH, 1BOCH

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: A herd of Bighorn Sheep grazed on the left flank of the Olympic summit. 1 Red Squirrel. On my way home a Great Horned Owl flew across the road in front of me and landed at the top of a tree right beside the road. I stopped and listened to it´s calls for awhile.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 82)

 

COUNT DATE: 14/03/2020, (Day 14 of 53)

NO OBSERVATION

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Low cloud all day and falling snow prevented observation

 

COUNT DATE: 13/03/2020, (Day 13 of 53)

NO OBSERVATION

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: No count was conducted due to inclement weather. Mountain ridges were obscured by clouds all day.

 

COUNT DATE: 12/03/2020, (Day 12 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:50 – End: 18:00, Day Total: 10:10hrs, (To Date: 109:10hrs)

OBSERVERS: Cliff Hansen & Rick Robb (Shared)

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: On arrival, the sky was clear, wind calm, and -12 degrees. The air temperature warmed to an acceptable -2 degrees by 14:00, but as the day progressed, cloud cover increased to 100% by 15:00, western ridges began to obscure and were 100% by 16:00. Eastern ridges remained open longer but were also obscured by 16:00. We moved to Wasootch at 16:15 which was much clearer but it too weathered in and we moved to Lusk at 18:00 but it was now also weathered in and based on the dismal forecast and being close to sunset, the count was terminated. The move to Wasootch was rewarded by doubling our GOEA count from four to eight.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -12, Max: -2

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Our best hour was between 12:00 – 13:00 when we counted three GOEAs.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: 4, Total: 8, (To Date: 251)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 9, (To Date: 276)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Other birds seen were CORA x 7, CAJA x 4 and PIGR (f) x 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Bighorn Sheep x 7 and Red Squirrels x 2.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 74)

 

COUNT DATE: 11/03/2020, (Day 11 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 20:10, Day Total: 12:40hrs, (To Date: 99:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson, Glenn Webber

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Snow ending about 10:00 then only two brief afternoon flurries. East ridges mostly clear after 10:00, west ridges clearing after 10:00 but increasing obscuration again after 15:00. Ground winds mostly west-ish light to moderate, ridge winds mostly SW-ish light-ish to moderate.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2, Max: +1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: All 19 migrants were GOEA that passed over Patrick, and all were between 15:22 and 17:20.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 13, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: 6, Total: 19, (To Date: 243)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 19, (To Date: 267)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: UE – 1 u

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 1 GRJA, 24 CORA, 6 CAGO

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: A lynx stopped by the observation site to observe the observer and then continued north along the path into the woods by the pumphouses.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 10, (To Date: 74)

 

COUNT DATE: 10/03/2020, (Day 10 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:15 – End: 17:45, Day Total: 10:30hrs, (To Date: 86:20hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Very windy day with gusts 50+ km. Snowing on west side of the valley all day. Lot of snow flakes in the air was making observation very challenging and difficult in times. Still 50 migrating eagles moved through.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -6, Max: +1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Most migrants between 14:00 -15:00. 12 eagles.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 29, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 18, Total: 47, (To Date: 224)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Juvenile: 1, Total: 3, (To Date: 22)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 50, (To Date: 248)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: RUGR-1,BCCH-3,CORA-6,DEJU-1,BOWA-9,GRJA-1,EUST-2,CNGE-5

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Strong gusting SW wind all day.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 64)

 

COUNT DATE: 09/03/2020, (Day 9 of 53)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 19:30, Day Total: 11:30hrs, (To Date: 75:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Joseph Walters

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The first migrant wasn’t seen until 12:25, but it picked up quickly after 13:00. Most migrants first appeared over Old Baldy or Mt McDougall and flew extremely high, usually at least one binocular field of views above the fisher range, the east side of the valley or even directly over the site. Excellent viewing conditions helped to find the birds on what otherwise would have been a very tough day for spotting

TEMPERATURE: Min: -18, Max: -2

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The highest hourly count was 14:00-15:00 with 52 migrants. Around 15:30 we counted 24 Golden Eagles going over Patrick in a span of about 5 minutes

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 132, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 3, Unaged: 28, Total: 164, (To Date: 177)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 2, Total: 5, (To Date: 19)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 169, (To Date: 198)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Golden Eagle: 2

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: American Dipper: 1, Bohemian Waxwing: 20

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 16, (To Date: 62)

 

COUNT DATE: 08/03/2020, (Day 8 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:50 – End: 19:30, Day Total: 11:40hrs, (To Date: 64:20hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Pat Farley

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: I started out the day walking through a fresh 20 cm layer of white powder and a very cold temperature of -21°C. The count for the day consisted of 5 migrating eagles and was probably low because of the storm that passed through the region yesterday.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -21, Max: -3.6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between 11:30-12:30 we had 2 migrants.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: 1, Total: 4, (To Date: 13)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 14)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 5, (To Date: 29)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 2 BAEA, 2 GOEA

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 20 CAGO, 9 CORA, 1 AMDI, 3 BCCH

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: We discovered that Venus is brightly visible above Tony´s peak a while after sunrise. If you look carefully you can observe the half lit planet.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 4, (To Date: 46)

 

COUNT DATE: 07/03/2020, (Day 7 of 53)

NO OBSERVATION

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: No count was conducted due to the snowfall warning and forecast for snow all day

 

COUNT DATE: 06/03/2020, (Day 6 of 53)

NO OBSERVATION

OBSERVERS: Elly Weisbrot, Arnie Weisbrot

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A snowfall warning was showing on the Environment Canada forecast for Nakiska and Canmore. At the Troll Falls parking area at 0745, visibility of the ridges was non-existent and heavy snow was falling. At least two cm of snow had already fallen. We checked visibility at the Nakiska ski area base lodge where we could see the bottoms of the lower ski runs but no ridges whatsoever. Checked the alternate viewing locations with the same result. Considering that we had no hope of seeing any eagles, and with the forecast predicting worsening visibility through the day and overnight, we departed the area at 0830.

 

COUNT DATE: 05/03/2020, (Day 5 of 53)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 17:30, Day Total: 09:30hrs, (To Date: 52:40hrs)

OBSERVERS: Elly Weisbrot, Arnie Weisbrot, Caroline Lambert

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: This was an exciting day! We had two major incidents to cause all the excitement. First, Arnie saw a rock fall over. Don’t laugh – when was the last time you saw a rock fall over totally of its own volition? The excitement was palpable for about six seconds. Arnie, the geology lover, became so excited that he appeared to be having a heart attack. Elly was about to call the emergency number when Arnie pulled out of it and we both returned to a state of bored numbness. Second, later in the day when Caroline had joined us, Elly started to shriek in anguish and bang her head on a tree. Arnie was about to call the emergency number but Caroline convinced us that dying of boredom does not constitute a medical emergency. Oh, we also saw two chickadees. Having had our fill of excitement, we departed an hour early to avoid another attack of dying of boredom.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2, Max: +4.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The single Golden Eagle flew by at 11:30

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 9)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Unidentified Accipiter: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 24)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: none

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Two chickadees.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: A rock fell over all by itself!

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 4, (To Date: 42)

 

COUNT DATE: 04/03/2020, (Day 4 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:10 – End: 18:35, Day Total: 11:25hrs, (To Date: 43:10hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Start -4C, high 0 at 1400 & 1500, -2C at the end. Ground winds gusty, SW 5-15 with maximum gust 45 km/h. 7 cm fresh snow but no snow fell during the day. Ridge winds mostly SW 50-60 gusting to 80-100. Eastern ridges mostly clear. Variable obscuration on western ridges.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -4, Max: 0

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: One migrant per hour from 11:00 to 14:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: Total: 1, (To Date: 8)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 13)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 3, (To Date: 22)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 3 x BAEA

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 1 NOFL, 3 GRJA, 18 CORA, 1 BBMA, 2 MOCH

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Nothing else of note.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 4, (To Date: 38)

 

COUNT DATE: 03/03/2020, (Day 3 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 17:40, Day Total: 10:10hrs, (To Date: 31:45hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Very slow day, but this is beginning of Spring migration. Very windy with some gusts 40+ km. Snowing on west side of valley most of the day. No migrating GOEA.

TEMPERATURE: Min: +1, Max: +4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: One migrant only – NOGO at 10:55 hrs.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 1, (To Date: 19)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: BAEA -1 adult

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA-13, BCCH-1, GRJA-2, BOWA-28

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Red Squirrels – 5, Bighorn Sheep – 3

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 34)

 

COUNT DATE: 02/03/2020, (Day 2 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 18:00, Day Total: 10:30hrs, (To Date: 21:35hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Pat Farley

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Conditions were good for migration, with strong northwest winds and a clear east ridge. However, the west ridge was partly obscured much of the time, and the poor visibility on that side seemed to extend to the south, possibly impacting any raptor movement. One Golden Eagle was seen, but it flew south from Lorette and disappeared over the Fisher Range after pausing on the side of Patrick briefly. This was considered a non-migrant.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -1, Max: 5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The only two migrants passed by at 11:50 and 12:50

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 11)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 18)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: One adult Golden Eagle

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 6 CORA, 2 CANG, 2 BCCH

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None – it was a quiet day for any kind of wildlife, even birds were in short supply

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 18, (To Date: 32)

 

COUNT DATE: 01/03/2020, (Day 1 of 53)

TIME: Start: 07:25 – End: 18:30, Day Total: 11:05hrs, (To Date: 11:05hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Joseph Walters

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was a great day with good migrating conditions but a little too blustery for us humans down below with constant wind gusts of 20-30+ during parts of the day. I think 15 eagles on the first day is pretty good.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -9, Max: -0.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: We found 9 migrants between 11:00-13:00 which was the highest count for the day.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 6, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: 1, Total: 7, (To Date: 7)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 6, Sub-Adult: 3, Total: 9, (To Date: 9)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 16, (To Date: 16)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 NOGO

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 2 MOCH, 1 BBMA, 1 CAGO

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: No

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 14, (To Date: 14)

2020 SPRING COUNT STARTED

COUNT DATE: 15/11/2019, (Day 57 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:05 – End: 15:35, Day Total: 07:30hrs, (To Date: 269:25hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Eric Langshaw, Rosemary Power

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Today was the last day of the autumn 2019 count. We left at 3:35 – no raptors had been seen during the previous 4 hours despite what appeared to be excellent conditions.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 0, Max: +5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 9 – 10

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Total: 2, (To Date: 472)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 98)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 3, (To Date: 628)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Northern Goshawk

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Common Raven 6, Mountain Chickadee 5, Black-capped Chickadee 5, Canada Jay 2, Killdeer 1, American Dipper 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: wolf tracks, pine marten tracks, a morning cloak butterfly and a vole (species ?)

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 5, (To Date: 336)

 

COUNT DATE: 14/11/2019, (Day 56 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 17:00, Day Total: 09:00hrs, (To Date: 261:55hrs)

OBSERVERS: Cliff Hansen and Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The day began with a temperature of -7 degrees, calm to very light surface winds, 100% thin cirrus cloud cover and all ridges clear. Ridge wind seemed to be light from the west. Temperatures warmed to +2 by 15:00 hours. By noon, surface winds increased to 5-10 kph with some gusts to 15 and remained so until sunset. A chinook was expected but chinook clouds did not form until after 15:00.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -7, Max: +2

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 14:00 – 15:00 produced 1 x BAEA, 1 x RLHA, and 2 x GOEA.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 470)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 97)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 7, (To Date: 625)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 x BAEA

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 11 x CORA, 3 x CAJA, 1 x RUGR.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 1 x White-tailed Deer (M), 3x Red Squirrels, & fresh Pine Marten tracks.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 331)

 

COUNT DATE: 13/11/2019, (Day 55 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 17:10, Day Total: 09:40hrs, (To Date: 252:55hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Caroline Lambert, Rosemary Power

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Clear and calm day. 7 migrating raptors only. Closing on last day of observation for this Fall migration.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -5, Max: +3

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 15-16:00 ( 3 GOEA )

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 4, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 0, Total: 5, (To Date: 465)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 96)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 7, (To Date: 618)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: HAWO-1, CAJA-3, CORA-23, KILL-1, BCCH-3, MOCH-1, PIGR-1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Red Squirrels-3, Tracks ( fresh ) – Moose-1, WTD-3.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 28, (To Date: 329)

 

COUNT DATE: 12/11/2019, (Day 54 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:10 – End: 17:10, Day Total: 10:00hrs, (To Date: 243:15hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson and Sandy Graham

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Mountains obscured in light to occasionally moderate snow, ending around 11:00. Ridges still partially and variably obscured most of the afternoon, but clear by the end of the day. Ground winds mostly 5 – 10 km/h, maximum gust 20 km/h. Ridge winds SW 13 to 30 km/h.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -3, Max: 0

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: No migrants.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 611)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 1 Northern Pygmy-owl (highlight of the day!), 2 Mallards, 2 Common Goldeneye, 1 Killdeer, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 2 American Dippers, 10 raven sightings, 3 Canada Jays, 1 starling.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Nothing of note.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 7, (To Date: 301)

 

COUNT DATE: 11/11/2019, (Day 53 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:25 – End: 16:45, Day Total: 08:20hrs, (To Date: 233:15hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament, Graeme Dunlop

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Clear day with Cs developing in afternoon. Strong SSW winds on Kananaskis Ridge, with gusts up to 104 km. Snow was blowing off from all ridges around. Raptors were migrating between 12 and 15:00 hrs only.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -17, Max: -3

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 12-13:00 and 14-15:00 ( 3 raptors in each hour )

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 1, Total: 4, (To Date: 460)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Total: 2, (To Date: 94)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 7, (To Date: 611)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CAJA-4, CORA-16, BCCH-2, DEJU-1, EUST-2.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Red Squirrels – 2 and more tracks, WTD-3 ( tracks )

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 29, (To Date: 294)

 

COUNT DATE: 10/11/2019, (Day 52 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:50 – End: 17:15, Day Total: 09:25hrs, (To Date: 224:55hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Snow until about 11:00, with the mountains very hazy to completely invisible. After that, it cleared off surprisingly quickly. Wind generally 5 to 10 sometimes gusting to 15 or 20 km/h.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -12, Max: -10

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: All six migrant eagles were seen between 12:30 and 15:10

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: Total: 1, (To Date: 456)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Total: 5, (To Date: 92)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 6, (To Date: 604)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Swan – flock of 12 with 3 Canada Geese; one late flock of 50 Canada Geese; one flock of 35 Mallards (all of the above flying south high up); 1 Common Merganser flying north; 3 Canada Jays; 1 magpie; 5 Common Ravens; 1 starling; 1 Pine Grosbeak; 1 Snow Bunting.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Nothing of note.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 9, (To Date: 265)

 

COUNT DATE: 09/11/2019, (Day 51 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:20 – End: 13:45, Day Total: 05:25hrs, (To Date: 215:30hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Sandy Graham

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: At the start of observation it was -1 with wind gusting up to 25 from the north. Thick fog hung over the north side of the valley but the sky was clear above the site. The fog moved in over the course of the morning. By 13:00 it had cooled to -4, and fog obscured all ridges for the rest of the day. We left the site at 13:45 but I lingered in the area until 16:30 in case it cleared up. No migrant raptors were seen.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -4, Max: -1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: No migrants

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 598)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: N/A

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Common Merganser: 3, Ruffed Grouse: 1, Killdeer: 1, American Dipper: 1, Pine Siskin: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: White-tailed Deer: 2

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 256)

 

COUNT DATE: 08/11/2019, (Day 50 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:10 – End: 17:20, Day Total: 09:10hrs, (To Date: 210:05hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Cliff Hansen

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was unusually warm (9C) all day and very windy. The ridges were clear, and with the wind from the west, migration conditions were excellent. Our expectations were high, but reality fell far short with just four migrants.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 7, Max: 9

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Half of the four migrants passed by at 12:55.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 0, Total: 2, (To Date: 455)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 87)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 4, (To Date: 598)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: One Bald Eagle, one Common Goshawk

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: We were entertained by an American Dipper that caught a small fish, a Hairy Woodpecker that pecked at the driftwood in front of us, and a Killdeer that complained loudly. Four Canada Jays came to check us out. Other than that, there were the usual Common Ravens (at least 5), a Black-billed Magpie, a Black-capped Chickadee, a couple each of Mountain and Boreal Chickadees, a few Pine Siskins, and a half dozen Bohemian Waxwings.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: A moth was flying around.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 256)

 

COUNT DATE: 07/11/2019, (Day 49 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:50 – End: 17:20, Day Total: 09:30hrs, (To Date: 200:55hrs)

OBSERVERS: Cliff Hansen and Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Cloud cover varied from 90% Ac with a high thin Ci to 100% Cu and high thin Ci to noon then reducing to 30% cover at sunset. Temperatures warmed from a low of -8 at 9:00 to +2 at 15:00 then cooled to -1 at sunset. Ground wind were light and variable all day increasing from calm to a max of 5-10 kph with only one gust before 14:00 to 15 kph. A chinook arch became apparent after 15:00. Ridge winds prior to the arch appeared to be light from the west. After the arch, ridge winds strengthened to moderate from the southwest as indicated by the pluming snow.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -8, Max: +2

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 16:00 – 17:00 produced 5 GOEAs.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 7, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 3, Total: 13, (To Date: 453)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 14, (To Date: 594)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: One adult BAEA that perched on a tree near the pump houses and remained there for much of the afternoon.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA x 9, BBMA x 1, CAJA x 3, RUBL x 1 and ATSP x 1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: White-tailed Deer x 2 and Red Squirrel x 1.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 6, (To Date: 254)

 

COUNT DATE: 06/11/2019, (Day 48 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 17:00, Day Total: 09:30hrs, (To Date: 191:25hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Brian McBride

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Clear and sunny day with morning temperature -18C and highest -6C.Calm in the valley, mild wind on ridges ( up to 27 km from WSW on Nakiska Ridge ). 8 migrating raptors mainly between 13-15 hrs over Fisher Range.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -18, Max: -6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 13:00-14:00 and 14:00-15:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 2, Total: 5, (To Date: 440)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Total: 2, (To Date: 86)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 580)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CNGO-10, DOWO-1, CORA-6, CAJA-3, CORE-4

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Tracks of 2 WTD, Red Squirrel-5,

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 248)

 

COUNT DATE: 05/11/2019, (Day 47 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:30 – End: 13:10, Day Total: 05:40hrs, (To Date: 181:55hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Both sides of the valley were almost invisible in cloud and falling snow all morning, and the forecast was for this to continue into the night. Wind generally NNE 5 to 10 km/h with maximum gust 26 km/h. I left the site at noon and left the area at 13:00, checking Lusk Creek on the way out (also socked in). Brian McBride was staying overnight in the area and said if the weather improved he’d monitor any migration. (Thanks, Brian!)

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2, Max: -1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: No migrants.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 572)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: None.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 1 American Dipper, 4 Common Ravens, 3 Starlings, 1 American Tree Sparrow.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Nothing of note.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 1, (To Date: 240)

 

COUNT DATE: 04/11/2019, (Day 46 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 16:50, Day Total: 08:50hrs, (To Date: 176:15hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Relatively calm day in valley with lot of Stratus / fog on ridges. West and east was completely covered in morning hours and in late afternoon. Observed 8 GOEA only. All were migrating over Fisher Range.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -8, Max: +1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Between 14-15:00 hrs – 5 migrating GOEA

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 7, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 1, Total: 8, (To Date: 435)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 572)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA-12, BCCH-13, BOCH-1, MOCH-2, RUGR-1, CAJA-3, DOWO-1, PIWO-2, RCKI-1, EUST-1, PIGR-3, SNBU-8.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Wolf tracks, Coyote 1 and 2 sets of tracks, Elk and WTD tracks.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 20, (To Date: 239)

 

COUNT DATE: 03/11/2019, (Day 45 of 57)

TIME: Start: 06:50 – End: 13:00, Day Total: 06:10hrs, (To Date: 167:25hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Eastern ranges clear at sunrise, but both sides of the valley were obscured in snow by about 09:00 and remained so. With the snow forecast to continue into the night, I packed it in at 13:00.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -2, Max: 0

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: No migrants.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 564)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: None.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: The only birds were one American Dipper (twice), five ravens and one vocal flyover that was either a Pine Siskin or a redpoll.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Nothing of note.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 0, (To Date: 219)

 

COUNT DATE: 02/11/2019, (Day 44 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:35 – End: 17:50, Day Total: 09:15hrs, (To Date: 161:15hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Eric Langshaw, Rosemary Power

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was a slow day despite what seemed like good flying conditions

TEMPERATURE: Min: -3, Max: 5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 8 of the day’s 10 migrants passed between 13:00 and 15:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 5, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: Unaged: Total: 5, (To Date: 427)

– Bald Eagle: Juvenile: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 84)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 12)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Merlin: 1

– Unidentified Raptor: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 10, (To Date: 564)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Bald Eagle: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: European Starling: 1, American Robin: 1, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch: 10, Common Redpoll: 3, Pine Siskin: 1, American Tree Sparrow: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Bull Moose: 1

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 219)

 

COUNT DATE: 01/11/2019, (Day 43 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:35 – End: 18:35, Day Total: 10:00hrs, (To Date: 152:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Pat Farley

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The day started out cold, but with clear skies and no ground wind. Snow was blowing off the ridges, though, making good conditions for migration right from the start. A steady trickle of birds was seen throughout the day.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -13, Max: 1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Although there were migrants passing through every hour, the period from 13:00 to 16:00 was slightly busier than at other times.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 10, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 4, Unaged: 6, Total: 21, (To Date: 422)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 5, Juvenile: 2, Total: 7, (To Date: 83)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 11)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 30, (To Date: 554)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: None

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 4 CAJA, 15 CORA, 2 BCCH, 2 MOCH, 2 PISI, 5 SNBU

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Nothing

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 5, (To Date: 211)

 

COUNT DATE: 31/10/2019, (Day 42 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:20 – End: 18:20, Day Total: 10:00hrs, (To Date: 142:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: Cliff Hansen, Rick Robb and Graham Dunlop

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was a cold but rather pleasant day. Ground winds were light increasing to 5-15 kph by 17:00 then decreasing. Cloud cover increased from 30% Sc and Cu to about 70% Cu by noon and remained so until sunset. Ridge winds appeared to be light as there was no apparent drifting of the fog generated by snow making on the ski hill but the Cu above drifted at a moderate rate from the NW. the first migrant, a GOEA appeared at 10:45 on the west side of the valley. GOEA migration increase steadily until 15:00 (18 seen between 14:00 & 15:00) then decreased with the last GOEA passing at 15:37. After that three BAEAs passed by. Most used the traditional route from Lorette – Patrick – Fisher Range. The the winds did present problems for them. Many did glide by high (difficult to age against bright cloud) but many others flapped by low across the face of the Fisher Range. Rick and I appreciated the able assistance provided by Graham Dunlop whose amazing eyes first spotted many of the high fliers.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -8, Max: 0

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Most migrants passed by between 14:00 – 15:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 30, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: Unaged: 14, Total: 45, (To Date: 401)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Total: 3, (To Date: 76)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 48, (To Date: 524)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: GOSH

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CORA x 10, CAJA x 2, DOWO, HAWO, COME x 3 (m), and AMDI x 2.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Red Squirrels x 2

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 4, (To Date: 206)

 

COUNT DATE: 30/10/2019, (Day 41 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 18:10, Day Total: 10:10hrs, (To Date: 132:00hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Eric Langshaw

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Clear with increasing and thickening of Cirrus. No strong wind on rigges till late afternoon. From -16C to -2.5C. Ground wind mainly from SW up to 20 km/hr. Very quiet from birds activity point of view. Migrating eagles after 14:20 hrs.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -16, Max: -2.5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 2 raptors between 14-15 hrs and 16-17 hrs.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 1, Total: 4, (To Date: 356)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 10)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 6, (To Date: 476)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CAJA-3, CORA-11

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: WTD-2, BHS-2,

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 17, (To Date: 202)

 

COUNT DATE: 29/10/2019, (Day 40 of 57)

TIME: Start: 09:00 – End: 18:35, Day Total: 09:35hrs, (To Date: 121:50hrs)

OBSERVERS: Dan Parliament, Cliff Hansen

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A bone chilling start to the day at minus 23 C. Fortunately for the observers minimal ground wind and full sunshine mitigated against the cold. Unfortunately for migrant raptors, the low winds resulted in poor flying conditions. The first GOEA migrant was at 1420 hrs, and tracked low across Patrick. The Grade 8 class from John Ware School in Calgary stopped for a brief orientation as part of their 3 day outdoor education class.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -23, Max: -5

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 16:00-17:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 11, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: Total: 14, (To Date: 352)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 4, Total: 4, (To Date: 73)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 19, (To Date: 470)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Adult BAEA 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Mall 5, BCCH 2, MOCH 1, CORA 8, CAJA 3, DOWO 1, HAWP 1, DEJU (Slate) 1, EUST 2

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Coyote 1, Red Squirrel 1

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 51, (To Date: 185)

 

COUNT DATE: 28/10/2019, (Day 39 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:20 – End: 16:15, Day Total: 07:55hrs, (To Date: 112:15hrs)

OBSERVERS: George Halmazna, Dan Parliament

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Cold, windy, snowing all day. Reduced visibility. 8 migrating raptors only. 100% Stratus / snow. Left early after increasing of snow and loosing visibility in late afternoon.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -18, Max: -10

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 11:00-12:00 and 13:00-14;00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 338)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: 3, Total: 5, (To Date: 69)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 451)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CNGO-104, MALL-327, COGO-33, CAJA-4,CORA-9, BCCH-3, MOCH-3, GCKI-1, BOWA-52, PIGR-1.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: WTDeer-3, Red Squirrel-4, Meadow Vole-1.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 134)

 

COUNT DATE: 27/10/2019, (Day 38 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:45 – End: 19:00, Day Total: 11:15hrs, (To Date: 104:20hrs)

OBSERVERS: Bill Wilson, Lori Anderson

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: 90% to 100% altostratus, often with weak to moderate sun showing through. Winds generally less than about 10 km/h. Only eleven raptors were seen up to 4:25 pm, but then things picked up nicely.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -7, Max: 0

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 26 of the 37 migrant raptors were seen in the hour and three-quarters from 16:26 to 18:11.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 16, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 3, Unaged: 1, Total: 22, (To Date: 337)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 7, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 1, Total: 12, (To Date: 64)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Rough-legged Hawk: 2

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 37, (To Date: 443)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: CAGO 311, MALL 100, HAWO 1, AMDI 2, BCCH 3, MOCH 5, GCKI 2, CAJA 4, CORA 6, PISI 1, PIGR 3.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 3 White-tailed Deer.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 14, (To Date: 132)

 

COUNT DATE: 26/10/2019, (Day 37 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:40 – End: 18:20, Day Total: 09:40hrs, (To Date: 93:05hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Karen Anderson

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It snowed starting around 11 am. When we noticed some clearing to the north we moved to Lusk Creek from 16:00 to the end of the day.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -4, Max: -1

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: Seven migrants were counted at Hay Meadow between 9:00 and 11:00, before the snow arrived. No others were seen until late in the day when 14 migrants were recorded at Lusk Creek between 16:00 and 18:00

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 2, Total: 5, (To Date: 315)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 5, Juvenile: 2, Unaged: 4, Total: 11, (To Date: 52)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 9)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 3

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 21, (To Date: 406)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Rough-legged Hawk: 1

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Pileated Woodpecker: 1, Hairy Woodpecker: 1, American Dipper: 1, Bohemian Waxwing: 12, Pine Grosbeak: 1, Common Redpoll: 1, Pine Siskin: 1,

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: N/A

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 1, (To Date: 118)

 

COUNT DATE: 25/10/2019, (Day 36 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:40 – End: 19:00, Day Total: 10:20hrs, (To Date: 83:25hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Brian McBride

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The day started with warm and exceptionally strong winds at ground and presumably ridge level. Nearly half the day’s birds passed by before 11am. But then a cold front came in bringing some light rain and a negative temperature gradient. We were undecided about packing it in – the wind at ground level was swirling around so there was no good shelter from the rain. However, we stuck it out and were rewarded with 10 more eagles between when the rain ended and before it got dark.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 3, Max: 11

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: After the rain ended around 17:00 to about 18:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 9, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 9, Total: 18, (To Date: 310)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 8)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 19, (To Date: 385)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 2 Golden Eagles flew north along the Fisher Range and then crossed the valley to Collembola where they disappeared in the low clouds.

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 2 RUGR, 4 CAJA, 5 CORA, 4 MOCH, 2 AMDI, 10 BOWA, 2 PISI

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 4, (To Date: 117)

 

COUNT DATE: 24/10/2019, (Day 35 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:45 – End: 18:45, Day Total: 10:00hrs, (To Date: 73:05hrs)

OBSERVERS: Cliff Hansen and Rick Robb

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Chinook conditions prevailed all day. Ground wind were light from generally the south until noon then gradually increased and changed to the southwest and were 5 to 20 gusting to 40 kph at sunset. Ridge winds were strong from the west. Most raptors were high and often difficult to age against bright clouds. Rick and I thank Graham, Jim and Denis for invaluable assistance in spotting many very high birds.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 2, Max: 10

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 16:00 – 17:00 with 16 GOEA and one SSHA.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 62, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 3, Unaged: 22, Total: 89, (To Date: 292)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 6

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 95, (To Date: 366)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 0

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: DEJU x 2, AMDI x 1, CAJA x 4, CORA x 5, BBMA x 1, BOWA x 30, NOSK x 1, HAWO x 1 and one “V” of migrating geese, probably CAGO.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: White-tailed Deer x 2.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 10, (To Date: 113)

 

COUNT DATE: 23/10/2019, (Day 34 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:30 – End: 18:40, Day Total: 10:10hrs, (To Date: 63:05hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Brian McBride

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: It was a slow day with almost nothing moving, in spite of apparently strong ridge winds. Perhaps winds from the northwest do not suit them for migration, although the few raptors we saw didn’t seem to be having much trouble moving south. The flock of Bohemian Waxwings, which was in the vicinity all day, was a nice distraction from the lack of raptors.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -3, Max: 4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The few migrants that passed by were scattered throughout the day.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 5, Sub-Adult: 0, Juvenile: 0, Unaged: 0, Total: 5, (To Date: 203)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 2, Sub-Adult: 1, Total: 3, (To Date: 41)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 2

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 11, (To Date: 271)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 NOGO

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 60 Canada Geese flying south, 1 HAWO, 4 CAJA, 1 BBMA, 8 CORA, 2 BCCH, 4 MOCH, 1 BOCH, 2 AMDI, 30 BOWA, 6 ATSP, 6 DEJU

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Brian saw an American Mink scamper by while I was checking out the tree sparrows

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 2, (To Date: 103)

 

COUNT DATE: 22/10/2019, (Day 33 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:15 – End: 18:50, Day Total: 10:35hrs, (To Date: 52:55hrs)

OBSERVERS: Dan Parliament, Sandy Graham

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: A quiet day for migration with 11 Golden Eagles and one Bald Eagle. Conditions were somewhat blustery with low cloud and occasional brief snow flurries.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 6, Max: 8

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 16:00-17:00, three GOEAs

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 5, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: 1, Unaged: 4, Total: 11, (To Date: 198)

– Bald Eagle: Juvenile: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 38)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– None observed

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 12, (To Date: 260)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Adult Bald Eagle, Unaged Northern Goshawk

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: COME 2, CORA 7, MOCH 3, CAJA 4, BOWA 25, DEJU 1, AMDI 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 17, (To Date: 101)

 

COUNT DATE: 21/10/2019, (Day 32 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:00 – End: 19:00, Day Total: 11:00hrs, (To Date: 42:20hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson, Cliff Hansen

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: This was a very odd day. My first bird was like a bad omen. It was a single Raven kiting over the summit of Mt. Lorette in a frozen standstill staring west . The count for the day indeed ended up being extremely low. It may be that the upper WNW winds were not favorable for southerly flying. The Ravens seemed very happy though to have free reign of the valley and formed in endless murders of up to 13 throughout the day. Ravens were everywhere and in every direction. One even flew over us showing off it´s imitation Pygmy Owl call. If it weren´t for them, the large flock of Bohemian Waxwings that spent the day flying to and fro, and the 4 friendly Canada Jays that kept us entertained, the day would have passed very slowly.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -3, Max: 4

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The period between 11:00 and 12:00 gave us a high count for the day of 3 migrants.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 1, Juvenile: Unaged: 2, Total: 6, (To Date: 187)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Total: 1, (To Date: 37)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Harrier: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 248)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: None

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 1 Northern Shrike, 4 Canada Jays, 30 Bohemian Waxwings,1 Mountain Chickadee, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 1 American Dipper and 20 Common Ravens.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 1 Red Squirrel.

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 8, (To Date: 84)

 

COUNT DATE: 20/10/2019, (Day 31 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:15 – End: 19:00, Day Total: 10:45hrs, (To Date: 31:20hrs)

OBSERVERS: Lori Anderson and Rosemary Power

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Today was a very interesting day with quite a diverse selection of raptors and other birds with activity from sunrise to sunset. At the break of dawn the first four Goldens appeared and made their way south and there was a steady flow of migrators all day except for a lull from 3-4 when none appeared. A large number seemed to come up from Wasootch and appeared north of the Fisher range. The Goshawks were unusually vocal and active today.

TEMPERATURE: Min: -5, Max: +3

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The largest number of migrants appeared between 12:00 and 15:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 38, Sub-Adult: 6, Juvenile: 7, Unaged: 6, Total: 57, (To Date: 181)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 1, Sub-Adult: 2, Juvenile: 3, Total: 6, (To Date: 36)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 3, (To Date: 7)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2

– Cooper’s Hawk: 1

– Northern Goshawk: 1

– Unidentified Accipiter: 1

– Red-tailed Hawk: 2

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

– Prairie Falcon: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 75, (To Date: 240)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 GOEA, 2 NOGO

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 4 Canada Jays, 3 Common Mergansers, 2 Hairy Woodpeckers, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 3 Boreal Chickadees, 3 Golden Crowned Kinglets, 1 American Dipper, 30 Bohemian Waxwings, 11 Common Ravens, 2 Dark-eyed Juncos, 5 European Starlings.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 2 White-Tailed Deer, 1 Red Squirrel

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 40, (To Date: 76)

 

COUNT DATE: 19/10/2019, (Day 30 of 57)

TIME: Start: 07:55 – End: 18:45, Day Total: 10:50hrs, (To Date: 20:35hrs)

OBSERVERS: Blake Weis, Ruth Morrow

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: Snow was threatened to blow in from the north and west before 10 AM and after 17:00 but only a few flakes fell at Hay Meadow. Migration was slow much of the day despite decent conditions, most raptors moved through in the last few hours. Most migrants were on the eastern ridges, a few bald eagles flew above the valley and none used the western ridges. There was a surprisingly high number of bald eagles relative to the total count.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 0, Max: 6

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: 20 of the day’s 50 migrants passed between 17:00 and 18:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 8, Sub-Adult: 4, Juvenile: 3, Unaged: 6, Total: 21, (To Date: 124)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 14, Sub-Adult: 4, Juvenile: 6, Total: 24, (To Date: 30)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 1, (To Date: 4)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 3

– Rough-legged Hawk: 1

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 50, (To Date: 165)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: Bald Eagle: 3

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: Ruffed Grouse: 2, Northern Shrike: 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet: 16, Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 1, American Dipper: 1, American Robin: 2, Bohemian Waxwing: 65, Pine Grosbeak: 3, Pine Siskin: 1, Lapland Longspur: 1, American Tree Sparrow: 1, Rusty Blackbird: 1

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: 1 Mountain goat on top of Mt. Lorette, 1 least chipmunk

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 24, (To Date: 36)

 

COUNT DATE: 18/10/2019, (Day 29 of 57)

TIME: Start: 08:55 – End: 18:40, Day Total: 09:45hrs, (To Date: 9:45hrs)

OBSERVERS: Caroline Lambert, Cliff Hansen, Jim St. Laurent

DESCRIPTION OF DAY: The day started with both ridges obscured, and with some drizzle, and ended with most of the ridges obscured and sleet. In between it was cool and windy, but the ridges were clear. The eagles flew from when the drizzle stopped shortly after sunrise until the clouds closed in again, just before sunset, all above the eastern ridge, and many very high.

TEMPERATURE: Min: 3, Max: 7

PERIOD WITH MOST MIGRANTS: The flow was mostly steady throughout the day, with slightly more from 15:00 to 16:00.

MIGRANT EAGLE COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Golden Eagle: Adult: 67, Sub-Adult: 4, Juvenile: 6, Unaged: 26, Total: 103, (To Date: 103)

– Bald Eagle: Adult: 3, Sub-Adult: 1, Unaged: 2, Total: 6, (To Date: 6)

– Unidentified Eagle: Total: 3, (To Date: 3)

MIGRANT RAPTOR COUNT BY SPECIES:

– Northern Goshawk: 3

TOTAL MIGRATORY RAPTORS: Daily: 115, (To Date: 115)

NON MIGRANT RAPTORS: 1 GOEA

OTHER BIRDS OF NOTE: 1 Mountain Chickadee, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Dark-eyed Junco, 3 Canada Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 10 Common Ravens, 2 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 20 Bohemian Waxwings, 1 Northern Shrike

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: None

NUMBER OF VISITORS: Daily: 12, (To Date: 12)