RMERF counts, April 19

Friday, April 19 Mount Lorette [Day 48] 0715-1600 (Cliff Hansen, assisted by Rick Robb). The temperature at 0715 was 7C, the high was 9C between 1000 and 1200 and it was 4C when the count was abandoned for the day in the rain at 1600. Winds were light (<5 km/h) at the Hay Meadow site, where the 100% stratus cloud cover produced light rain and descended to substantially cover the ridges by 0900 when the observers decided to relocated to the Lusk Creek site. There winds were NW 5-10 gusting 25 km/h, cloud cover was 100% stratus and cumulus and the ridges were clear, but rain started at 1200 and by 1300 all ridges were obscured. One resident adult calurus Red-tailed Hawk was seen, but there were no migrants. Other birds at the Hay Meadow were 6 Canada Geese, a pair of Mallards, 1 drumming Ruffed Grouse, 1 Northern Flicker, 2 Common Ravens, 1 male Mountain Bluebird, 6 American Robins, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch and 1u Dark-eyed Junco. At Lusk Creek other birds were 1 Downy Woodpecker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 1 singing Townsend’s Solitaire, 1 American Robin and 6 singing Dark-eyed Juncos. One visitor stopped by the Lusk Creek site.

8.75 hours (553) TOTAL 0 (2363)

Friday, April 19 Beaver Mines [Day 48] 0630-2030 (Peter Sherrington assisted by Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0630 was 12C that rose to a season-high 19C at 1330 before quickly dropping down to 9C at 2030. Winds were strong W-WSW 45-55 gusting 80 km/h to 1700 after which they moderated to 20-30 gusting 40 km/h. Cloud cover was 0-20% cumulus to 1200 when it thickened to 60% altocumulus, altostratus, cirrus and cumulus and throughout the afternoon it was 90-100% altostratus, stratus and cumulus that brought light to moderate rain between 1500 and 1830 and then occasional showers for the rest of the day. There was a fairly varied raptor movement involving 20 birds of 7 species between 0932 and 1456 when rain stopped migration which did not restart despite seemingly ideal migration conditions after 1830. The count was 1 adult Turkey Vulture, 1 adult female Northern Harrier, 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a, 2u), the first 2 light morph Broad-winged Hawks (1a, 1u) of the season that soared high above the centre of the valley with a Golden Eagle at 1248, 5 Red-tailed Hawks (2a and 2u calurus light, and 1 dark adult harlani), 7 Golden Eagles (3a, 2sa, 1j, 1u) and 1u columbarius Merlin. The resident Northern Harrier pair hunted throughout the day and up to 4 resident Red-tailed Hawks were seen hunting before the rain started. Other birds seen in the area were a pair of  Canada Geese and 8 that flew high to the SW in 2 flocks, 2 pairs of Wood Ducks, 3 pairs of  Mallards and 3 pairs of Green-winged Teal, 12 Rock Pigeons, 1 pair of Downy Woodpeckers, 1 pair of  Northern Flickers, 4 Blue Jays, 2 Black-billed Magpies, 6 American Crows, 8 Common Ravens, 1 pair of Tree Swallows, 8 American Robins, 5 European Starlings, 15 Evening Grosbeaks, 10 Pine Siskins and 4 male Red-winged Blackbirds.

14 hours (587.8) TUVU 1 (2), NOHA 1 (26), SSHA 3 (33), BWHA 2 (2), RTHA 5 (108), GOEA 7 (598) MERL 1 (12) TOTAL 20 (1087)

Friday, April 19 Steeples (Vance Mattson) NO OBSERVATION (weather). It was a rainy and overcast day. The mountains partially cleared by 1700 but there was little prospect of raptor movement so Vance decided not to visit the site.