RMERF counts, April 20

Friday, April 20 Mount Lorette [Day 46] 0640-2055 (Caroline Lambert, assisted by Rick Robb). The starting temperature was -1C, the high was 11C (1500-1800) and it was still 9C at the end of observation. Ground winds were SW all day, light to 1000, gusting to 20 km/h to 1300, 10 gusting to 35 km/h to 15 after which the velocity gradually diminished; ridge winds were probably moderate SW all day. Cloud cover was 70-90% cirrostratus, altostratus all day, with some cumulus developing after 1300 with the exception of 1000 when it briefly reduced to 50%. Ridges were clear all day and good migration and observing conditions produced a movement of 26 raptors of 3 species between 1015 and 1955. The count was 2u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 adult “Eastern” Red-tailed Hawk (B.j.borealis), 1 dark morph unidentified Buteo and 22 Golden Eagles (1a, 3sa, 12j, 6u). All birds glided high from the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette, or were initially located over Mount Lorette. Movement was slow but steady throughout the day and the maximum hourly count was 6 between 1600 and 1700. Non-migrant birds were 3 Bald Eagles (1a, 1sa, 1j), 3 calurus Red-tailed Hawks (2a, 1j) and a resident adult Golden Eagle that perched on Olympic Summit early in the morning. Other bird species, including birds seen by Blake Weis at the beaver ponds north of the site, were 10 Canada Geese, 2 American Wigeon, 23 Mallard, 2 Common Goldeneye, 2 Barrow’s Goldeneye, 3 Common Mergansers, 1 drumming Ruffed Grouse, 1 Great Blue Heron, 3 Killdeer, 1 American Three-toed Woodpecker, 2 Northern Flickers, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 10 Common Ravens, 2 Tree Swallows, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 3 Mountain Chickadees, 4 Boreal Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 American Dipper, 6 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 8 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 10 Mountain Bluebirds, 1 Townsend’s Solitaire, 9 Varied Thrushes, 50 American Robins, 2 European Starlings, 9 American Pipits, 40 Bohemian Waxwings, 4 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 100 Dark-eyed Juncos, including 37 montanus, 2 hyemalis and 5 cismontanus, and 2 Song Sparrows. A Red Fox was seen near the site, and there were 4 visitors today.

14.25 (528.6) SSHA 2 (23), RTHA 1 (27), UB 1 (3), GOEA 22 (2372) TOTAL 26 (2681)

Friday, April 20 Beaver Mines [Day 53] 0700-2015 (Peter Sherrington). It was a warm day with a temperature of 6C at 0700, a high of 15C at 1300 and again at 1600, and at 2015 it was still 11C. Winds were W-WSW all day 20-35 gusting to 45 km/h and cloud cover was 100% altocumulus, cirrostratus and altostratus to 1400, and 50-90% altostratus, altocumulus, cirrus and lenticular that gave some sunny periods for the rest of the day. The wind velocity and direction should have been expected to produce a strong raptor movement but only 20 migrants of 6 species were recorded between 1040 and 1849. The count was 2 Bald Eagles (1a, 1j), 4 adult Northern Harriers (3 males, 1 female), 1 adult light morph Broad-winged Hawk, 4 adult calurus Red-tailed Hawks (2 light, 2 dark), 8 Golden Eagles (4a, 1sa, 3j) and 1 adult male Peregrine Falcon. The highest hourly count was 5 between 1400 and 1500 and that was preceded by a zero hour and followed by an hour that produced only 1 migrant. It was a beautiful spring day that produced the first Mourning Cloak butterfly of the season and another Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, but for much of the day the grass appeared to be growing faster than the raptors were moving!

13.25 hours (557.5) BAEA 2 (352), NOHA 4 (22), BWHA 1 (13), RTHA 4 (152), GOEA 8 (1526), PEFA 1 (10) TOTAL 20 (2317)

Friday, April 20 Steeples [Day 38] 1200-1915 (Vance Mattson). The temperature was initially 13C and reached a high of 15C. Winds were moderate SE alternating with calm periods, and cloud cover was initially 80% thin altostratus that thickened to 100% altostratus with some cumulus by 1755. A total of 14 migrants of 3 species were seen between 1336 and 1805 that comprised 6 Bald Eagles (1a, 5j), 3 adult Sharp-shinned Hawks, 4 juvenile Golden Eagles and 1 unidentified eagle. Movement was generally slow and sporadic, and there was almost a two-hour hiatus between the 7^th and 8^th migrants. The first migrant seen, a juvenile Golden Eagle, was tenaciously mobbed by 2 ravens and the eagle’s fairly serious retaliation was, as usual, treated with contempt by the ravens. Non-migrants were again dominated by Turkey Vultures which were almost continuously in sight and included an impressive kettle of 10 at 1832, 6 Bald Eagles (3a, 1sa, and 2j), 1 Red-tailed Hawk and 1 adult Bald Eagle.

7.25 hours (168.8) BAEA 6 (171), SSHA 3 (12), GOEA 4 (606), UE 1 (1) TOTAL 14 (839)