RMERF counts, March 20

Tuesday, March 20 Mount Lorette [Day 18] 0745-1955 (Blake Weis, assisted by Brian McBride and Fiona Boisselle). The temperature was -2C at 0800, the high was 4C between 1400 and 1600 and it was 3C at the end of observation. Ground winds were mainly SW all day, 0-10 km/h in the morning and gusting to 15 km/h in the afternoon, while ridge winds were moderate SW all day. Cloud cover was a mixture of cumulus, altocumulus and altostratus all day, 90% to 1100, 100% around noon and 70-90% throughout the afternoon. The eastern ridges were 10-20% obscured between 1000 and 1300 and the west was 80% obscured around noon. There were light snow flurries between 1000 and 1300 but otherwise observing conditions were good and produced a total of 104 eagles between 0824 and 1902. The count was 2 adult Bald Eagles, 101 Golden Eagles (88a, 1sa, 1j, 11u) and 1 unidentified eagle that was the first bird of the day. All the eagles used the eastern route from the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette and 75% of the birds glided high above the ridge. Movement was steady throughout the afternoon with a maximum hourly count of 21 Golden Eagles between 1800 and 1900. A resident adult Northern Goshawk was perched near the parking area and a single resident adult Golden Eagle moved to the south above the Fisher Range ridge. Other birds were a flock of 7 Canada Geese that flew high to the east, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 2 Grey Jays, 12 Common Ravens, 1 American Robin, 1 European Starling, 20 Bohemian Waxwings and a male Red-winged Blackbird. Five visitors shared the day.

12.16 hours (195.8) BAEA 2 (62), GOEA 101 (601), UE 1 (1) TOTAL 104 (683)

Tuesday, March 20 Beaver Mines [Day 24] 0800-1900 (Peter Sherrington). The starting temperature at 0800 was -1C, the high was 6C between 1100 and 1400 and it was 2C at 1900. Winds were WSW-W all day 15-20 gusting 30 km/h in the morning and 30-40 gusting to 46 km/h in the afternoon. Cloud cover was 20-50% cumulus, altostratus and altocumulus to 1300 and then 40-80% mainly cumulus throughout the rest of the afternoon. Both migration and observing conditions were excellent and produced a season-high movement of 199 raptors of 5 species between 0907 and 1843. The count comprised a season-high 24 Bald Eagles (18a, 1sa, 5j), 2 adult Northern Goshawks, a season-high 4 Red-tailed Hawks (3 light morph calurus: 2a, 1u, and 1 adult dark morph harlani), 13 Rough-legged Hawks (11 light, 2 dark) and a season-high 156 Golden Eagles (151a, 3sa, 2j). Movement was steady throughout the afternoon with 172 of the birds occurring after 1400 with hourly counts of 28 (14-1500), 27 (15-1600), 39 (16-1700), 56 (17-1800) and 22 (1800-1843).

11 hours (218.4) BAEA 24 (119), NOGO 2 (7), RTHA 4 (7), RLHA 13 (50), GOEA 156 (424) TOTAL 199 (608)

Tuesday, March 20 Steeples [Day 16] 1515-1900 (Vance Mattson). The temperature was 8C at the start and fell to 5C at the end, winds were strong S-SW throughout and cloud cover was 80-100% altostratus and cumulus that darkened towards the end of observation. There was a steady movement of 43 raptors up to 1829 comprising 13 Bald Eagles (7a, 6j) and 30 adult Golden Eagles. Hourly counts were 10 (1515-1600), 20 (16-1700), 10 (17-1800) and 3 (1800-1829). Resident birds were 2 adult Bald Eagles and 3 Golden Eagles (2a, 1j). It was unfortunate that Vance’s teaching commitments restricted his observation time on what was probably a day of significant raptor movement.

3.75 hours (71.25) BAEA 13 (105), GOEA 30 (475) TOTAL 43 (581)