RMERF counts, April 5

Friday, April 5 Mount Lorette [Day 34] 0740-2040 (Caroline Lambert, assisted by Patrick Farley). The temperature reached a high of 11C from a morning low of -1C and was 5C at 2040 when observation ceased. Ground winds were light all day, variable to 1100,  NE to 1400, SE to 1700 and SW after 1800, while ridge winds were SW all day, light to 1500 after which they were moderate. Cloud cover was 100% stratus, altocumulus and altostratus which broke up to 70-80% after 1500. Conditions were hazy with light mist to 1500, and the western mountains were 20-80% obscured after 1000; apart from Mount Lorette being briefly obscured around noon the eastern route was clear all day. There was a fairly strong raptor movement of 57 birds of 3 species between 1038 and 1942 that comprised the season’s first Turkey Vulture, of unknown age, that flew to the  north above the eastern valley at 1325, 2 adult Bald Eagles, 53 Golden Eagles (21a, 6sa, 2j, 24u) and 1 unidentified eagle. Only 5 birds were seen before 1400 but movement was then steady and peaked at 15 Golden Eagles between 1800 and 1900. All birds moved on the eastern route to 1345 when they switched to the west where birds again soared high on Olympic Summit before gliding high to the NW behind the summit of Mount Allan; between 1510 and 1660 both routes were used and after 1600 all birds glided high from the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette. Resident birds were 1 adult Sharp-shinned Hawk seen hunting north of the site, 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 1u Bald Eagle and the resident pair of Golden Eagles that spent much of the day around Olympic Summit where the male displayed several times. Other birds seen were 10 Canada Geese, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 2 Hairy Woodpeckers, 2 Northern Flickers, 12 Common Ravens, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 4 Mountain Chickadees, 4 Boreal Chickadees, 1 American Dipper, 2 Golden-crowned Kinglets that were with the season’s first Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 1 male Mountain Bluebird, 3 singing Varied Thrushes, 14 American Robins, 4 European Starlings, 10 White-winged Crossbills, 2 Pine Siskins, 7 Dark-eyed Juncos and 1 Song Sparrow. Twelve Bighorn Sheep were on Olympic Summit, 4 White-tailed Deer in the meadow and 5 visitors were at the site today.

13 hours (386.2) TUVU 1 (1), BAEA 2 (168), GOEA 53 (1869), UE 1 (22) TOTAL 57 (2098)

Friday, April 5 Beaver Mines [Day 34] 0700-2015 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Mark Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). At 0700 the temperature was 0C the high at 1500 was 10.5C and it was 8C at 2015. Winds were light all day, variable but principally SE-ESE and although there was a gentle W upper flow all day it never lowered to ridge level. It was a generally dull day with 100% mainly stratocumulus cloud cover that brought very light rain and light snow to 1100 and again after 1445. The cloud began to break at 1700 and after 1730 it was 40-60% cumulus that gave sunny conditions. The conditions provided a very sporadic movement of 16 raptors of 6 species between 1111 and 1901 that comprised 1 adult Bald Eagle, 1 adult male Northern Harrier, 2u Sharp-shinned Hawks, a season-high 9 adult Red-tailed Hawks (6 light and 2 dark calurus and 1 dark harlani), 1 light morph Rough-legged Hawk and only 2 adult Golden Eagles. Five of the birds moved between 1800 and 1900. A resident adult Northern Goshawk made a display flight above the ridge at 1236, and the resident pair of Red-tailed Hawks soared and occasionally displayed between 1147 and 1834. Other birds in the area were 3 Canada Geese, 1 Mallard, 2 Rock Pigeons, 1 Sandhill Crane that soared high and called above the ridge at 1331 before flying high to the SE, 3 Downy Woodpeckers, 2 Hairy Woodpeckers, 2 Northern Flickers, 8 Blue Jays, 3 Black-billed Magpies, 14 American Crows, 16 Common Ravens, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 9 American Robins, 16 European Starlings, 40 Evening Grosbeaks, 20 Pine Siskins and 2 Dark-eyed Juncos (1 cismontanus and 1 montanus).

13.25 (399.3) BAEA 1 (163), NOHA 1 (8), SSHA 2 (9), RTHA 9 (43), RLHA 1 (16), GOEA 2 (459) total 16 (734)

Friday, April 5 Steeples (Vance Mattson). NO OBSERVATION (weather). It was overcast all day with intermittent light drizzle. The mountains were shrouded all day except around 1700 when there was some clearing but they soon clouded over again.