RMERF counts, March 22

Friday, March 22 Mount Lorette [Day 20] 0745-2020 (Caroline Lambert, assisted by Eric Langshaw and Rosemary Power). The starting temperature was -5C, the high was 15C from 1600 to 1800 and was 7C at 2020. Ground winds were variable and light to 1400 after which they were NE 0-5 gusting 15-20 km/h becoming calm at the end of the day. Ridge winds could not be assessed but were probably mainly light, and cloud cover was cirrus all day, initially 10% that gradually increased to 70% at 1400 that persisted for the rest of the day. The 27^th anniversary of the start of the Mount Lorette count was celebrated by the first 100+ movement of the season with 109 eagles migrating between 1035 and 1925. The flight comprised 6 Bald Eagles, 101 Golden Eagles (58a, 1sa, 42u) and 2 unidentified eagles. Although the first Golden Eagle was seen to fly from the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette, most of the movement between 1100 and 1500 was on the western route with most birds soaring very high over Olympic Summit before gliding to the NW. After 1500 movement was highly variable but between 1800 and 1900 43 Golden Eagles that included most of the day’s unaged birds, glided very high above the middle of the valley above the observers to Hummingbird Plume Hill where they soared high before moving to the NW over Skogan Pass. A pair of resident Northern Goshawks flew to the east and there were 2 other sightings of single birds, a resident adult Golden Eagle displayed above Olympic Summit near noon and 2 single non-migrant adult Bald Eagles flew to the south, one on the Fisher Range and the other on the Western route. A singing Varied Thrush was the first for the season and other birds in the area were 1 Canada Goose, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 3 Canada Jays, 8 Common Ravens, 4 Black-capped Chickadees,  2 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Boreal Chickadees, 2 Brown Creepers, 1 European Starling 1 Bohemian Waxwing, 1 Pine Siskin and 2 singing Dark-eyed Juncos. A single Mourning Cloak was the first butterfly seen this year. Most of the 11 visitors to the site today stayed for long periods and greatly assisted in locating high-flying eagles, but unfortunately all had departed before the evening golden-rush.

12.58 hours (212) BAEA 6 (35), GOEA 101 (339), UE 2 (3) TOTAL 109 (385)

Friday, March 22 Beaver Mines [Day 21] 0745-2000 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Hilary Atkinson; 0900-1030 Gord Petersen). The temperature at 0745 was -1.5C, the high at 1500 and 1600 was 12.5C and it was 6C at 2000. Winds were initially W 15 km/h but after 1000 switched to light (0-8 km/h) NE and E and before reverting to light W at 1900. Cloud cover was thin cirrostratus for most of the day ranging from 0-20% up the 70-80% that provided a welcome relief from the cloudless skies of recent days. It did not provide any raptor movement, however, as the only migrant seen was a light morph Rough-legged Hawk that soared over the middle of the valley and glided to the NNW at 1450. A non-migrant adult Bald Eagle perched by a small pool of meltwater on the floor of the valley at 1937 was the only other raptor seen. Other birds seen were 2 Canada Geese, 63 Wild Turkeys, 3 Rock Pigeons, 4 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 6 Blue Jays, 5 Black-billed Magpies, 12 Common Ravens, 4 Black-capped Chickadee, 3 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 3 American Robins, 8 European Starlings, 41 Evening Grosbeaks and 4 Pine Siskins. Two small Polygonia butterflies, that were probably Green Commas, were on the wing, and I forgot to note earlier that the first was seen here on March 20. The forecast for Saturday is for moderate to strong W winds so we are hoping that the week-long raptor drought will finally be broken.

12.25 hours (238) RLHA 1 (7) TOTAL 1 (184)

Friday, March 22 Steeples [Day 17] 1200-1900 (Vance Mattson). The weather was nearly identical to yesterday with a high temperature of 15C from a low of 6C at 1200, and calm and cloudless conditions. A season-high total of 44 migrants of 3 species was counted between 1259 and 1751 that comprised 23 Bald Eagles (16a, 2sa, 5j) the first 2 Red-tailed Hawks of the season (1 adult light morph calurus and 1 dark morph of unknown race or age), 18 Golden Eagles (15a, 2j, 1u) and 1 unidentified eagle. Only 3 birds were seen before 1400 but the next 2 hours each saw the passage of 16 migrants after which movement again became sporadic. Migration was again mainly slow and low with much soaring, and at 1428 a gliding adult Golden Eagle nearly collided with a soaring adult Bald Eagle causing each to quickly veer off to avoid impact. Resident birds were 4 Bald Eagles (2a, 2j) and 3 adult Golden Eagles with some agonistic behaviour seen between them. Two flocks of Canada Geese, one of 31 and the other of 35 moved north at 1526.

7 hours (81.75) BAEA 23 (124), RTHA 2 (2), GOEA 18 (150), UE 1 (3) TOTAL 44 (280)