Beaver Mines and Steeples, March 2
Monday, March 02 Beaver Mines [Day 9] 0730-1900 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0730 was 0C, the high at 1500 and 1600 was 5C and it was 4C at 1800. Winds were strong WSW-W all day, 30-50 gusting 80 km/h and cloud cover was 10-30% cumulus to 1100, 50-70% cumulus and altostratus to 1500 and 80-100% cumulus, altostratus, altocumulus and cirrostratus for the rest of the day. Observing conditions were excellent all day but movement was a rather disappointing 9 birds: 6 Bald Eagles (3a, 3j) and 3 adult Golden Eagles, which were seen between 0816 and 1418. Non-migrants were an adult Northern Goshawk flying to the SW at 1444 and 2 light morph Rough-legged Hawks that perched and hunted in the valley at 1435. Other birds seen were 2 Rock Pigeons, 1 Eurasian Collared Dove, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 2 Hairy Woodpeckers, 1 Blue Jay, 20 Common Ravens, 6 Black-capped Chickadees, 14 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 3 European Starlings, 7 Evening Grosbeaks and 48 Pine Grosbeaks.
10.5 hours (87.75) BAEA 6 (61), GOEA 3 (67) TOTAL 9 (155)
Monday, March 02 Steeples [Day 2] 1515-1715 (Vance Mattson). The temperature was 8C, cloud cover was 60% cumulus and altostratus that gave sunny conditions, winds were W light to moderate and the ridges were clear. The only migrant seen was an adult Golden Eagle at 1626, and an adult resident Golden Eagle was seen hunting that included one stoop.
2 hours (7) GOEA 1 (3) TOTAL 1 (5)
| SUMMARY COUNTS, SPRING 2020 | |||
| MOUNT LORETTE March 1-April 22 | BEAVER MINES Feb. 23-April 22 | STEEPLES March 1-April 22 | |
| DAYS | 2 | 9 | 2 |
| HOURS | 21.5 | 87.75 | 7 |
| TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) | |||
| OSPREY (OSPR) | |||
| BALD EAGLE (BAEA) | 11 | 61 | 2 |
| NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) | |||
| SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) | |||
| COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) | |||
| NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) | 4 | ||
| Accipiter sp. (UA) | |||
| BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) | |||
| SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) | |||
| RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) | |||
| FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) | |||
| ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) | 23 | ||
| Buteo sp. (UB) | |||
| GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) | 6 | 67 | 3 |
| Eagle sp. (UE) | |||
| AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) | |||
| MERLIN (MERL) | |||
| GYRFALCON (GYRF) | |||
| PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) | |||
| PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) | |||
| Falco sp. (UF) | |||
| Unidentified Raptor (UU) | |||
| TOTALS | 17 | 155 | 5 |
Beaver Mines and Steeples, March 1
Sunday, March 01 Beaver Mines [Day 8] 0730-1830 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson, assisted by Gord Petersen). There was an overnight snowfall of 5 cm that ceased around 0600 and by 0730 the ridge was completely clear. The temperature at 0730 was -5C, the high at 1300 and 1500 was 2C and it was 0C at 1830. It was calm to light ENE winds to 1000 when SW winds of 20-30 gusting 50 km/h started that persisted to 1530 after which they were 40-50 gusting 70-80 km/h that resulted in extensive blowing snow in the valley. Cloud cover was initially 90% cumulus that dwindled to 10% at 1400; it was 100% cirrostratus at 1500, 10% cirrus at 1600 but after 1630 it was 90-100% altostratus. Observing conditions were generally good and a total of 22 migrant raptors comprising 8 Bald Eagles (6a, 1sa, 1j), 2 light morph Rough-legged Hawks and 12 adult Golden Eagles were seen between 1148 and 1747. The maximum hourly counts were 6 between 1400 and 1500, and 1500 and 1600. Other birds seen were 12 Canada Geese flying to the NE at 1223, Mallard 12 (6 pairs), again on the floodplain pool adjacent to the creek before they flew low to the SW at 1415, 3 Rock Pigeons, 1 Eurasian Collared Dove, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 2 Steller’s Jays, 2 Blue Jays, 28 Common Ravens, 6 Black-capped Chickadees, 20 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Evening Grosbeaks, 35 Pine Grosbeaks and 1 male hyemalis Dark-eyed Junco.
11 hours (77.25) BAEA 8 (55), RLHA 2 (23), GOEA 12 (64) TOTAL 22 (146)
Sunday, March 01 Steeples [Day 1] 1200-1700 (Vance Mattson, assisted by Virginia Rasch, Daryl Calder and Marianne Kahm). The temperature at 1200 was 4C under sunny skies with 30% cumulus cloud cover, which increased to 100% grey altostratus with a temperature of 6C by 1600. Winds were S moderate to light throughout. Four migrants, 2 adult Bald Eagles and 2 adult Golden Eagles were seen between 1502 and 1549. Resident raptors were 4 Bald Eagles (3a, 1j), the resident pair of Golden Eagles, and an adult calurus Red-tailed Hawk seen at 1630,
5 hours BAEA 2, GOEA 2 TOTAL 4
| SUMMARY COUNTS, SPRING 2020 | |||
| MOUNT LORETTE March 1-April 22 | BEAVER MINES Feb. 23-April 22 | STEEPLES March 1-April 22 | |
| DAYS | 11 | 8 | 1 |
| HOURS | 66.25 | 5 | |
| TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) | |||
| OSPREY (OSPR) | |||
| BALD EAGLE (BAEA) | 9 | 55 | 2 |
| NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) | |||
| SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) | |||
| COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) | |||
| NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) | 4 | ||
| Accipiter sp. (UA) | |||
| BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) | |||
| SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) | |||
| RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) | |||
| FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) | |||
| ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) | 23 | ||
| Buteo sp. (UB) | |||
| GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) | 6 | 64 | 2 |
| Eagle sp. (UE) | |||
| AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) | |||
| MERLIN (MERL) | |||
| GYRFALCON (GYRF) | |||
| PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) | |||
| PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) | |||
| Falco sp. (UF) | |||
| Unidentified Raptor (UU) | |||
| TOTALS | 15 | 146 | 4 |
Beaver Mines and Steeples, Feb 23—March 1
BEAVER MINES and STEEPLES RAPTOR COUNTS
SPRING 2020
www.eaglewatch.ca
PETER SHERRINGTON
Introduction 2020 will be the 29th consecutive year that a spring raptor count has been conducted at the Mount Lorette site. Last year saw the third complete (55 days) spring count at Beaver Mines which produced a disappointing total of 1216 migrants of 18 species: 6 Turkey Vultures, 2 Ospreys, 225 Bald Eagles, 35 Northern Harriers, 47 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 7 Cooper’s Hawks, 33 Northern Goshawks, 5 Broad-winged Hawks, 3 Swainson’s Hawks, 120 Red-tailed Hawks, 5 Ferruginous Hawks, 30 Rough-legged Hawks, 642 Golden Eagles, 8 American Kestrels, 16 Merlins, 6 Gyrfalcons, 6 Peregrine Falcons, and 10 Prairie Falcons. This year will be the sixth consecutive and fourth complete count at the site which is conducted from Peter Sherrington’s house in Beaver Mines.
Vance Mattson’s 2019 42-day reconnaissance count at the Steeples site on the western flanks of the Rocky Mountains near Cranbrook, BC produced 699 birds of 8 species, including a record count of 455 Golden Eagles. This year will be his tenth consecutive count at the site.
As with the fall 2019 count, this season observers at Mount Lorette will be posting their daily results directly to the RMERF website at www.eaglewatch.ca. This blog will therefore only cover the Beaver Mines and Steeples sites although I will endeavour to keep the Lorette numbers in the summary chart at the end of the blog up to date.
Information on all the RMERF sites and reports of previous years’ spring and fall counts may be found on our website www.eaglewatch.ca.
Sunday, February 23 Beaver Mines [Day 1] 1100-1700 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). Light snow fell to 1115 (1.5cm). The temperature at 1100 was 0C, the high at 1300 was 4.5C and it was 1C at the end of observation at 1700. Winds were light E-NE to 1115 and then SW 30-40 gusting 60 km/h for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was 80% cumulus at 1200 and 70% cumulus, cirrus and altocumulus at 1300 and was then 100% altostratus and cumulus for the rest of the day that produced flurries and brief periods of light snow. A total of 11 migrant raptors was seen between 1128 and 1546 that comprised 5a Bald Eagles, 2 light morph Rough-legged Hawks and 4a Golden Eagles. Other birds seen were 16 Rock Pigeons, 1 Eurasian Collared Dove, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, 2 Steller’s Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 29 Common Ravens, 16 Black-capped Chickadees, 20 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 White-breasted Nuthatch, 5 Evening Grosbeaks, 56 Pine Grosbeaks and a flock of 35 Grey-crowned Rosy Finches that flew high to the north at 1314 which were the first to be seen in the area this year.
6 hours BAEA 5, RLHA 2, GOEA 4 TOTAL 11
Monday, February 24 Beaver Mines [Day 2] 0800-1700 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0800 was -5C, the high at 1500 was -2.5C and it was -4C at 1700. Winds were variable NE-SSE all day, generally light but occasionally rising to 16-18 km/h and cloud cover was 100% low stratus and cumulus all day. Light snow fell to 1315 (5 cm) and moderate to light snow after 1545 that produced a further 3 cm. The ridge was periodically visible in the morning and was completely clear between 1330 and 1545 but the generally light upslope winds were not conducive to migration and no migrant raptors were seen although a non-migrant adult Bald Eagle flew to the NE at 1443. Other birds seen were 1 Downy Woodpecker, 2 Hairy Woodpeckers, 3 Steller’s Jays, 4 Blue Jays, 4 Common Ravens, 15 Black-capped Chickadees, 20 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 European Starling (the first for the year), 12 Evening Grosbeaks, 62 Pine Grosbeaks and a pair of Dark-eyed Juncos of the race hyemalis that has been present in the yard since January 1.
9 hours (15) TOTAL 0 (11)
Tuesday, February 25 Beaver Mines [Day 3] 0800-1815 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0800 was -7C, the high was 1C at 1500 and 1600 and it was -1C at 1815. Winds were WSW all day 20-30 gusting 50 km/h that produced blowing snow throughout the morning and cloud cover was 100% altostratus for much of the day with the exceptions of 0800-0930 when it was 40-50% cirrostratus and scattered cumulus, and around 1600 when it briefly cleared to 60% altocumulus and cirrus. The ridge was clear all day and produced a season-high count of 22 migrant raptors between 1244 and 1717 that comprised 17a Bald Eagles, 4 Rough-legged Hawks (3 light, 1 dark) and 1a Golden Eagle. The Bald Eagles all moved after 1532 and 8 were seen between 1710 and 1717. Two non-migratory immature Golden Eagles (1sa, 1j) were also seen. Other birds seen were 7 Rock Pigeons, 1 Eurasian Collared Dove, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, 44 Common Ravens, 10 Black-capped Chickadees, 21 Mountain Chickadees, 2 European Starlings, 54 Pine Grosbeaks, 1 hyemalis Dark-eyed Junco and 1 male Red-winged Blackbird which was the first seen here this year.
10.25 hours (25.25) BAEA 17 (22), RLHA 4 (6), GOEA 1 (5) TOTAL 22 (33)
Wednesday, February 26 Beaver Mines [Day 4] 0800-1800 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0800 was 0C, the high between 1300 and 1600 was 3C and it was 1C at 1800. Winds were W-WSW all day, 30-40 gusting 55 km/h and cloud cover was 80-100% altostratus and cumulus to 1530 after which it cleared to 50% cumulus at 1600 and 10% cumulus after 1700. There was another fairly strong raptor movement with 21 migrants seen between 0836 and 1711 that comprised 1a Bald Eagle, 8 Rough-legged Hawks (6 light, 1 dark, 1u), and 12a Golden Eagles. The highest hourly count was 5 (1 Bald and 4 Golden Eagles) between 1000 and 1100, and 12 birds moved after 1400. Other birds seen were 15 Rock Pigeons, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, 2 Steller’s Jays, 5 Blue Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 48 Common Ravens, 14 Black-capped Chickadees, 20 Mountain Chickadees, 6 Evening Grosbeaks, 60 Pine Grosbeaks and 1 hyemalis Dark-eyed Junco.
10 hours (35.25) BAEA 1 (23), RLHA 8 (14) GOEA 12 (17) TOTAL 21 (54)
Thursday, February 27 Beaver Mines [Day 5] 0745-1815 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature At 0745 was 1C, the high from 1300-1500 was 5C and it was 4C at 1815, winds were WSW all day, 30-40 gusting to 70 km/h, and cloud cover was 100% altostratus and cumulus to 1200 after which it was variable 10-70% altocumulus, lenticular and cirrus. These favourable conditions produced a season-high movement of 26 raptors between 0745(2a Golden Eagles) and 1634 that comprised 1a Bald Eagle, 1a Northern Goshawk, the first of the season, 4 Rough-legged Hawks (1light, 1 dark, 2u) and a season-high 20 Golden Eagles (17a, 3j). The highest hourly count was 13 between 1500 and 1600 that included 12 Golden Eagles that moved between 1507 and 1556). Other birds seen were 4 Canada Geese that flew high to the NE at 1137, 16 Rock Pigeons, 1 Eurasian Collared Dove, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 2 Hairy Woodpeckers, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 25 Common Ravens, 16 Black-capped Chickadees, 25 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 14 Evening Grosbeaks, 65 Pine Grosbeaks and 160 Snow Buntings that flew low over the centre of the valley in two flocks in bright late afternoon sunshine at 1720.
10.5 hours (45.75) BAEA 1 (24), NOGO 1 (1), RLHA 4 (18), GOEA 20 (37) TOTAL 26 (80)
Friday, February 28 Beaver Mines [Day 6] 0745-1800 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0745 was 3.5C, the high at 1400 and 1500 was 10C, which is the highest so far this season, and it was 8C at 1800. Winds were SW-WSW all day 20-30 gusting 50 km/h and cloud cover was 30-0% altocumulus, cumulus and cirrus that gave sunny conditions and excellent observing conditions all day. These conditions produced a record February RMERF count of 42 migrant raptors of 4 species between 0923 and 1719 that comprised a season-high 23 Bald Eagles (19a, 2sa, 2j), a season-high 3 Northern Goshawks (2a, 1u), 2 light morph Rough-legged Hawks and 14 adult Golden Eagles. Thirteen of the Golden Eagles moved between 0923 and 1431, and all the Bald Eagles moved after 1313. Other birds seen were 1 Downy Woodpecker, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 2 Black-billed Magpies, 22 Common Ravens, 6 Black-capped Chickadees, 14 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2 American Robins which were the first of the year, 9 European Starlings, 8 Evening Grosbeaks and 41 Pine Grosbeaks.
10.25 hours (56.0) BAEA 23 (47), NOGO 3 (4), RLHA 2 (20), GOEA 14 (51) TOTAL 42 (122)
Saturday, February 29 Beaver Mines [Day 7] 0745-1800 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0745 was 1C, the high at 1100, 1300 and 1400 was 3C and it was 0.5C at 1800. Winds were WSW-W all day, 45-55 gusting 70 km/h to 1500 and then slightly moderating to 25-30 gusting 50 km/h for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was very variable as periods of light snow periodically swept down the valley from the SW and was 0-100% cumulus, cirrostratus and altocumulus to 1550 after which it was 80-100% altostratus. Snow flurries or brief periods of light snow occurred throughout but observing conditions were generally very good, as were migratory conditions. Despite this only two migrant raptors were seen: 1 adult Golden Eagle at 1156 and 1 light morph Rough-legged Hawk at 1435. One adult Bald Eagle, one light morph Rough-legged Hawk and 2 adult Golden Eagles were considered to be non-migrants. Snow fell for most of the day on the mountains to the SW of the site and also on the Waterton Mountains to the south that probably prevented migrants from reaching the site. Other birds seen were 35 Canada Geese flying high to NNE at 1027, Mallard 12 (6 pairs) floodplain pool adjacent to the creek, 4 Rock Pigeons, 1 Eurasian Collared Dove, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 29 Common Ravens, 4 Black-capped Chickadees, 12 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 17 European Starlings, 3 Evening Grosbeaks and 48 Pine Grosbeaks
10.25 hours (66.25) RLHA 1 (21) GOEA 1 (52) TOTAL 2 (124)
February Summary Four-day counts were conducted in late February in 2017 and 208 that yielded 24 and 28 migrants respectively but poor weather conditions prevented any February observations in 2019. This year’s count is therefore compared to the average of the 2017 and 2018 counts: 7 days (+75%), 66.25 hours (+174.6%), Bald Eagle 47 (+487.5%), Northern Goshawk 4 (not recorded in 2017 or 2018), Rough-legged Hawk 21 (+1300%) and Golden Eagle 52 (+215.2%) for a total of 124 migrant raptors (+367.9%).
The Mount Lorette and Steeples counts start tomorrow, March 1.
Sunday, March 01 Beaver Mines [Day 8] 0730-1830 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson, assisted by Gord Petersen). There was an overnight snowfall of 5 cm that ceased around 0600 and by 0730 the ridge was completely clear. The temperature at 0730 was -5C, the high at 1300 and 1500 was 2C and it was 0C at 1830. It was calm to light ENE winds to 1000 when SW winds of 20-30 gusting 50 km/h started that persisted to 1530 after which they were 40-50 gusting 70-80 km/h that resulted in extensive blowing snow in the valley. Cloud cover was initially 90% cumulus that dwindled to 10% at 1400; it was 100% cirrostratus at 1500, 10% cirrus at 1600 but after 1630 it was 90-100% altostratus. Observing conditions were generally good and a total of 22 migrant raptors comprising 8 Bald Eagles (6a, 1sa, 1j), 2 light morph Rough-legged Hawks and 12 adult Golden Eagles were seen between 1148 and 1747. The maximum hourly counts were 6 between 1400 and 1500, and 1500 and 1600. Other birds seen were 12 Canada Geese flying to the NE at 1223, Mallard 12 (6 pairs), again on the floodplain pool adjacent to the creek before they flew low to the SW at 1415, 3 Rock Pigeons, 1 Eurasian Collared Dove, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 2 Steller’s Jays, 2 Blue Jays, 28 Common Ravens, 6 Black-capped Chickadees, 20 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Evening Grosbeaks, 35 Pine Grosbeaks and 1 male hyemalis Dark-eyed Junco.
11 hours (77.25) BAEA 8 (55), RLHA 2 (23), GOEA 12 (64) TOTAL 22 (146)
Sunday, March 01 Steeples [Day 1] 1200-1700 (Vance Mattson, assisted by Virginia Rasch, Daryl Calder and Marianne Kahm). The temperature at 1200 was 4C under sunny skies with 30% cumulus cloud cover, which increased to 100% grey altostratus with a temperature of 6C by 1600. Winds were S moderate to light throughout. Four migrants, 2 adult Bald Eagles and 2 adult Golden Eagles were seen between 1502 and 1549. Resident raptors were 4 Bald Eagles (3a, 1j), the resident pair of Golden Eagles, and an adult calurus Red-tailed Hawk seen at 1630,
5 hours BAEA 2, GOEA 2 TOTAL 4
| SUMMARY COUNTS, SPRING 2020 | |||
| MOUNT LORETTE March 1-April 22 | BEAVER MINES Feb. 23-April 22 | STEEPLES March 1-April 22 | |
| DAYS | 11 | 8 | 1 |
| HOURS | 66.25 | 5 | |
| TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) | |||
| OSPREY (OSPR) | |||
| BALD EAGLE (BAEA) | 9 | 55 | 2 |
| NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) | |||
| SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) | |||
| COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) | |||
| NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) | 4 | ||
| Accipiter sp. (UA) | |||
| BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) | |||
| SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) | |||
| RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) | |||
| FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) | |||
| ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) | 23 | ||
| Buteo sp. (UB) | |||
| GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) | 6 | 64 | 2 |
| Eagle sp. (UE) | |||
| AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) | |||
| MERLIN (MERL) | |||
| GYRFALCON (GYRF) | |||
| PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) | |||
| PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) | |||
| Falco sp. (UF) | |||
| Unidentified Raptor (UU) | |||
| TOTALS | 15 | 146 | 4 |
RMERF Count Summary 2020 Spring
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
Vicki Ridge and Steeples, November 15 and final counts and variances for all 3 RMERF counts
Friday, November 15 Vicki Ridge [Day 54] 0720-1720 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson observing from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of Vicki Ridge). The temperature at 0720 was 4C, the high at 1300 was 8.5C and it was 4C at 1720. Winds were strong W all day 40-50 gusting 60 and occasionally 70 km/h, and cloud cover was Chinook types initially comprising 100% altostratus, altocumulus and cirrostratus that gradually reduced to 70% at 1300 as the arch moved slowly to the east. At 1400 80% dark cumulus cloud moved from the west and brought periods of light rain and showers to 1540 after which cloud cover was 60-70% cumulus and altocumulus for the rest of the day. Observing conditions were very good throughout but there was only a slow and sporadic raptor movement of 14 birds of 4 species between 0752 and 1457 that comprised 5a Bald Eagles, 3a Northern Goshawks, 1 light morph Rough-legged Hawk and 5 Golden Eagles (3a, 1sa, 1j). The highest hourly count was only 3 birds between 1400 and 1500, and 5 other hourly counts had 2 birds each. Other birds seen were 1 Clark’s Nutcracker, 4 Black-billed Magpies, 63 Common Ravens and 20 Bohemian Waxwings.
10 hours (482.1) BAEA 5 (427), NOGO 3 (102), RLHA 1 (458), GOEA 5 (2778) TOTAL 14 (4642)
Friday, November 15 Steeples (Vance Mattson). No observation: the clouds did not lift until 1630 and even then the mountains remained 60% obscured.
| FINAL SUMMARY COUNTS, FALL 2019 | |||
| (NOTE: all numbers provisional pending final reports) | |||
| MOUNT LORETTE September 20-November 15
Variance cf. average 83-96, 98-01, 03-05, 09-18 (21 years) |
VICKI RIDGE September 20-November 15
Variance cf. average 2017-2018 (2 years of complete counts) |
STEEPLES September 20-November 15
Variance cf. average 2009-2018 (10 years partial counts) |
|
| DAYS | 54 (-0.7%) | 54 (+5.9%) | 34 (+4.3) |
| HOURS | 537 (-4.1%) | 482.1 (+12.9%) | 143.5 (+14.3) |
| TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) | 0 (-100%) | 3 | 1 (+66.7%) |
| OSPREY (OSPR) | 1 (-63.2%) | 4 (-57.9%) | 2 (-20%) |
| BALD EAGLE (BAEA) | 148 (-37.2%) | 427 (+7.4%) | 155 (+1.04%) |
| NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) | 7 (-31%) | 14 (-17.6%) | 13 (+141%) |
| SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) | 56 (-57.5%) | 513 (-25.5%) | 38 (-5.9%) |
| COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) | 8 (-63.2%) | 80 (-4.8%) | 0 (-100%) |
| NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) | 41 (5.4%) | 102 (-3.8%) | 4 (-20%) |
| Accipiter sp. (UA) | 8 (+18.3%) | 5 (-38.5%) | 1 |
| BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) | 0 (-100%) | 20 (-29.8%) | 0 (-100%) |
| SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) | 0 (-100%) | 2 (+33.3%) | 0 |
| RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) | 11 (-66.7%) | 137 (-33.2%) | 25 (-5.7%) |
| FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) | 1 (+162.5%) | 7 (=) | 0 |
| ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) | 14 (-71.9%) | 458 (-3.7%) | 3 (-53.1%) |
| Buteo sp. (UB) | 4 (+3.7%) | 6 (-72.7%) | 1 (+100%) |
| GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) | 2395 (-29.4%) | 2778 (+17.3%) | 191 (+47.2%) |
| Eagle sp. (UE) | 24 (+350%) | 28 (+124%) | 6 (+445%) |
| AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) | 0 (-100%) | 18 (+9.1%) | 5 (+108%) |
| MERLIN (MERL) | 5 (-33.1%) | 18 (-12.2%) | 1 (+25%) |
| GYRFALCON (GYRF) | 0 (-100%) | 4 (-20%) | 0 (-100%) |
| PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) | 1 (-82.8%) | 13 (=) | 2 (+233%) |
| PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) | 2 (10.6%) | 3 (-60%) | 0 (-100%) |
| Falco sp. (UF) | 3 (+80%) | 2 (=) | 0 |
| Unidentified Raptor (UU) | 2 (-49.4%) | 1 (-50%) | 0 (-100%) |
| 13 species | 18 species | 12 species | |
| TOTALS | 2731 (-31.2%) | 4642 (+3.2%) | 448 (+18.6%) |
