RMERF counts, March 23

Saturday, March 23 Mount Lorette [Day 21] 0735-1955 (Blake Weis, assisted by Patrick Farley). The initial temperature was -5C, the high at 1500 and 1600 was 12C and it was 7C at the end of observation. Ground winds were WSW 0-5 km/h to 1500 after which they were variable NW, N and NE 5-10 gusting 20 km/h, and ridge winds were light WSW to 1500 after which they were moderate N. Cloud cover was initially 30% cirrus that increased to 90% at 1200; it was 90% cirrus and altostratus to 1500 and then 100-80% Cirrus, altostratus and altocumulus for the rest of the day. There was a moderately strong raptor movement of 85 birds between 1005 and 1756 that comprised 6 Bald Eagles (4a, 2sa), 1u Northern Goshawk, 76 Golden Eagles (48a, 1j, 27u) and 2 unidentified eagles. The highest hourly counts were 34 between 1200 and 1300, 18 between 1300 and 1400 and 15 between 1400 and 1500 after which only another 8 migrants were seen. With the exception of 3 birds all movement was on the western route to 1430 with birds soaring high over Olympic Summit with some gliding to the NW behind Mount Allan and others gliding NW over Skogan Pass. After 1500 all birds switched to the eastern route and moved from the northern end of the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette. Non-migrant birds were an adult Northern Goshawk that hunted over Hummingbird Hill at noon, a resident adult Golden Eagle that displayed within a kettle of 9 migrant Golden Eagles over Olympic Summit at 1425, and an adult Bald Eagle that soared aimlessly over the Fisher Range late in the day. other birds in the area were 12 Canada Geese, 1 pair of Mallard, 1 drumming Ruffed Grouse, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 5 Canada Jays, 1 American Crow, 14 Common Ravens, 6 Black-capped Chickadees, 5 Mountain Chickadees, 3 Boreal Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2 Brown Creepers, 2 American Dippers, 2 singing Varied Thrushes, 1 American Robin, 2 European Starlings, 1 Common Redpoll, 2 Pine Siskins and 4 Dark-eyed Juncos. Many of the 37 visitors coincided with the peak raptor movement today.

12.33 hours (224.3) BAEA 6 (41), NOGO 1 (4), GOEA 76 (415) UE 2 (5) TOTAL 85 (470)

Saturday, March 23 Beaver Mines [Day 22] 0730-2000 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Gord Petersen and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0730 was 6C, the high at 1500 was 12C and it was 7C at 2000. Winds were favourable W-WSW 30-40 gusting 50 km/h to 1800 when they became NE10-20 km/h. Cloud cover was 100% cirrostratus to 1100 that gave hazy sunshine which subsequently turned to uniform grey altostratus for the rest of the day that allowed only very hazy sunshine. Patchy cumulus cloud was developing below the stratus at the end of the day and there was very light drizzle after 1915. The winds produced a moderate raptor movement, which was the first for a week, of 55 birds of a season-high 6 species between 0931 and 1851, with a high hourly count of 17 between 1400 and 1500. The flight comprised a season-high 22 Bald Eagles (19a, 3j), the season’s first Northern Harrier, an adult male that glided high to the NW at 1439, 1 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk, 1 light morph Rough-legged Hawk, 28 adult Golden Eagles and 2 grey morph Gyrfalcons (1 adult female and 1u). Other birds seen were 34 Canada Geese that flew to the SW in 4 flocks between 1802 and 1918, a pair of Mallard, 1 female Common Merganser that flew high to the NE at 1030. 58 Wild Turkeys, 20 Rock Pigeons, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 8 Blue Jays, 2 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 6 Black-billed Magpies, 11 American Crows, 26 Common Ravens, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 3 American Robins, 200 European Starlings, 55 Evening Grosbeaks, 115 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, the first of the season, that flew high to the north in 3 flocks between 0904 and 1003, and 8 Pine Siskins.

12.5 hours (250.5) BAEA 22 (88), NOHA 1 (1), RTHA 1 (2), RLHA 1 (8), GOEA 28 (132), GYRF 2 (3) TOTAL 55 (239)

Saturday, March 23 Steeples [Day 18] 1130-1930 (Vance Mattson, assisted by Virginia Rasch). The temperature rose to a high of 14C from a low of 4C, winds were variable and light or calm and cloud cover was 100% thin altostratus that reduced to 20% at the end of the day that greatly assisted the two observers. The 152 raptors counted between 1144 and 1851 is a new spring site record behind the previous record of 133 on March 17, 2017. The flight comprised 26 Bald Eagles (8a, 1sa, 17j) which is the highest count so far this season, and 126 Golden Eagles (124a, 1j, 1u) which is the second-highest spring count ever at the site, the highest being 133 on March 17, 2017. Only 4 eagles moved before 1300, 14 were seen in the following hour, but 1400 to 1500 saw the passage of 59 eagles including 55 Golden Eagles. The next 2 hours saw 19 and 17 eagles respectively, 24 were seen between 1700 and 1800 and 15 between 1800 and 1851 that included 10 Bald Eagles, 9 of which were juveniles. In contrast to the previous week, movement today was generally fast, steady and high with extended soaring occurring only later in the day. Non-migrants were also plentiful, especially Bald Eagles (5a, 7j), but resident adult Golden Eagles were seen only twice, including one that perched high on the snow-covered peak of the front face of Mount Bill Nye.

8 hours (89.75) BAEA 26 (150), GOEA 126 (276) TOTAL 152 (432)