RMERF counts, April 10

Tuesday, April 10 Mount Lorette [Day 37] 0710-2010 (Blake Weis, assisted by Brian McBride). The starting temperature was -1C, the high was 10C (1500-1800) and it was 6C at the end of observation. Ground winds were variable NE-NW 0-5 km/h to 0900 and then were S-SW 0-5 gusting to 20 km/h for the rest of the day; ridge winds were light to moderate SW all day. Cloud cover was 90-100% altostratus and altocumulus all day, with some cumulus developing after 1800. The east ridges were clear to 1900 after which they were 10-30% obscured, and the west was clear to 1700 after which it was 20-40% obscured. Very light rain fell after 1800. There was a disappointing migration of only 10 raptors between 1347 and 1910 that comprised 1 adult Bald Eagle, 1 adult dark morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk and 8 Golden Eagles (3a, 1sa, 4u). The last bird, a subadult Golden Eagle, moved on the western route, and the rest were located gliding low either on the Fisher Range or Mount Lorette. A resident Northern Goshawk called south of the site early in the morning, and a resident adult Golden Eagle flew from the northern end of the Fisher Range to Olympic Summit. Other birds recorded were 16 Canada Geese, a pair of Common Mergansers, 4 Killdeer, 2 Hairy Woodpeckers, 1 Northern Flicker, 3 Grey Jays, 9 Common Ravens, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 3 Mountain Chickadees, 4 Boreal Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, the season’s first Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 2 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 1 Townsend’s Solitaire, 4 singing Varied Thrushes, 80 American Robins, 120 Bohemian Waxwings, 12 Dark-eyed Juncos and 7 Common Redpolls. Six visitors came to the site today.

13 hours (421.8) BAEA 1 (151), RTHA 1 (13), GOEA 8 (2087) TOTAL 10 (2319)

Tuesday, April 10 Beaver Mines [Day 44] 0700-2030 (Peter Sherrington). The temperature at 0700 was 3C, the high was 11C at 1500 and 1600 and it was still 6C at 2030. Winds were WNW-W 10-25 km/h to 1500 after which they were WSW-W 20-30 gusting to 40 km/h for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was 100% grey uniform altostratus to 1600 when it began to break and was then 90-80% altostratus, altocumulus and cumulus for the rest of the day. Very light rain fell at 2000. Movement was initially very slow and the first bird, a Merlin, did not move until 1011 and by 1300 only 5 migrants had been seen, but the pace then gradually quickened and by 1939 80 migrants of 8 species had been recorded. The count was 27 Bald Eagles (25a, 2j), 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 18 adult Red-tailed Hawks (17 light calurus and 1 dark harlani), 2 light morph Rough-legged Hawks, 1 unidentified dark Buteo, 26 Golden Eagles (17a, 2sa, 7j), 1u American Kestrel, 2 male columbarius Merlins and 2 adult Peregrine Falcons. Thirty-two of the birds, including 15 Bald Eagles, moved between 1800 and 1900. Denise Cocciolone-Amatto and Pat Lucas observed on Vicki Ridge between 1230 and 1511 and counted 9 migrants: 5 adult Bald Eagles, 1 adult Cooper’s Hawk, 2 light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks (1a, 1j) and 1 adult Golden Eagle.

13.5 hours (443.2) BAEA 27 (287), NOGO 1 (19), RTHA 18 (90), RLHA 2 (92), UB 1 (7), GOEA 26 (1316), AMKE 1 (4), MERL 2 (10), PEFA 2 (5) TOTAL 80 (1870)

Tuesday, April 10 Steeples [Day 30] 1530-1630 (Vance Mattson). Vance arrived at the site at 1530, but rain commenced almost immediately and by 1630 the mountains and valley were completely obscured and the rain persisted. A Red-tailed Hawk soaring high above the ridge at 1530 was considered to be a resident bird. The Osprey seen yesterday on the Kootenay River was joined by its mate in nest-building activity in the afternoon, and newly-returned Red-tailed Hawks were conspicuous throughout the valley.

1 hour (127.3) TOTAL 0 (727)