RMERF counts, April 10

Wednesday, April 10 Mount Lorette [Day 39] 0705-1535 (Blake Weis, assisted by Katherine Peterson). Because of poor weather the observers left the Hay Meadow at 1200 and Blake spent the next 3.5 hours at Mount Lorette Ponds, the beaver ponds north at the site and the Mount Allan Viewpoint on Highway 40 and finally Lusk Creek in an mainly unsuccessful search of better observing conditions. The temperature at the start was -1C and the high was 5C at 1500 to the end of observation. Ground winds were very light SW to 1100 then N 0-5 gusting 15 km/h, while ridge winds were SW light to moderate all day. Cloud cover was 100% altocumulus, cumulus and altostratus to 0900, 100% stratocumulus to 1300 that brought snow that was heavy to moderate to 1300 with 3 cm falling in a one-hour period. The cloud reduced to 90% after 1300 with a mix of snow and rain and finally, at Lusk Creek, it was raining steadily and the count was abandoned for the day. Initially the east ridges were clear and the west 30% obscured, but from 1100 all ridges were 100% obscured except after 1300 when Hummingbird Plume Hill became visible on occasion. It was on one such occasion at 1330 that the only migrant raptor of the day, a subadult Golden Eagle, was seen flying low to the NW above Hummingbird Plume Hill. A resident adult Northern Goshawk perched and called near the nest site early in the morning and non-migrant subadult Bald Eagles were seen at 0745 and 1500. Other birds were more interesting and comprised a flock of 25 Snow Geese that flew low over the valley towards the NNE at 1100, 3 Canada Geese and a pair of Mallards on the river, 1 Ruffed Grouse (2 drumming and 1 seen), the first 2 Great Blue Herons of the season (1 at Mount Lorette Ponds and 1 on the river below the Mount Allan viewpoint, 4 Northern Flickers, 1 American Crow, 3 Common Ravens, 5 Black-capped Chickadees, 4 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Boreal Chickadees, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 1 American Dipper, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 1 male Mountain Bluebird, 2 singing Varied Thrushes, 15 American Robins, 2 European Starlings, 1 White winged Crossbill, 1 singing Fox Sparrow that was a first for the season, 1 Song Sparrow and 11 Dark-eyed Juncos, 1 of which was of the race montanus. Seven White-tailed Deer were on the Stoney Trail in the morning and although, not surprisingly, no butterflies were seen today, a Compton’s Tortoiseshell seen by Michael Woertman at the beaver ponds north of the site should be added to yesterday’s list. There were again no visitors today.

8.5 hours (447.2) GOEA 1 (2005) TOTAL 1 (2265)

Wednesday, April 10 Beaver Mines [Day 39] 0645-2045 (Peter Sherrington to 0900, Doug and Teresa Dolmen 0900-1700, and Peter Sherrington assisted by Hilary Atkinson 1700-2045). The temperature at 0645 was 1C, the high at 1400 was 7C and it was 3C at 2045. Winds were variable but mainly ESE-SE 5-20 and occasionally gusting 30km/h, but after 1700 they were mainly W at the same velocity. Cloud cover was 100% low stratus all morning that completely obscured the ridge to 1030, then 90% mainly stratocumulus to 1820 when it broke to 80% altocumulus and cirrus allowing the only sunshine of the day before returning to 100% after 2000. A mix of light rain and snow fell to 0900, and there were occasional light rain showers in mid-afternoon. Raptor movement was very sporadic with only 5 birds of 3 species seen between 1148 and 1937 that comprised 2 adult calurus Red-tailed Hawks (1 light, 1 dark), 2 Golden Eagles (1a, 1j) and 1 female columbarius Merlin that hunted songbirds and perched at the site at 1230. A resident male Northern Harrier displayed to the female at 1530 and a Red-tailed Hawk displayed above the ridge at 1756. Other birds in the area were 3 Canada Geese, 30 swans that flew high to the NE around 1400, 1 Mallard, 8 Wild Turkeys, 4 Rock Pigeons, 1 pair of Sandhill Cranes that fed together on the valley bottom, 3 Downy Woodpeckers, 2 Hairy Woodpeckers, 1 Northern Flicker,  4 Blue Jays, 3 Black-billed Magpies, 15 American Crows, 17 Common Ravens, 3 Black-capped Chickadees, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 male Mountain Bluebird, 4 American Robins, 163 European Starlings, 13 Evening Grosbeaks, 3 female Cassin’s Finches, 20  Pine Siskins, 1 hyemalis Dark-eyed Junco and 3 male Red-winged Blackbirds.

14 hours (463.8) RTHA 2 (58), GOEA 2 (494), MERL 1 (3) TOTAL 5 (819)

Wednesday, April 10 Steeples (Vance Mattson). NO OBSERVATION (weather). It was again cloudy and overcast with rain to 1400. The mountains, however, remained obscured for the rest of the day. Vance watched periodically from his house in Wasa from 1700 but only 2 non-migrant Turkey Vultures were seen.