RMERF counts, March 27

Wednesday, March 27 Mount Lorette [Day 25] 1430-1945 (Caroline Lambert). Snow, sometimes heavy, fell all day and the mountains were obscured, but Caroline arrived in the area at 1945 when it appeared that the snow was easing. She spent a couple of hours unsuccessfully searching for a clear ridge between Kananaskis Village and Lusk Creek before finally arriving at the Hay Meadow site. The temperature was 0C at 1430, reached a high of 2C at 1600 and was again 0C at 1945. Ground winds were NE-NW 0-5 gusting 10 km/h and ridge winds were also probably light. Cloud cover was 100% stratocumulus that briefly cleared to 80%, the east ridges were 100% obscured to 1800 but cleared to 80% late in the afternoon and the west was 100% obscured all day. Snow continued to fall throughout. The only migrant raptor was an unidentified eagle that glided to the north from Mount Old Baldy along the Fisher Range at 1611; an adult bird that soared low on the southern flank of Mount Allan and flew to the north was considered to be one of the resident pair. Other birds seen were 1 Black-billed Magpie, 1 Common Raven, 2 Black-capped Chickadees and 2 Mountain Chickadees and, not surprisingly, there were no visitors today.

5.25 hours (267.8) UE 1 (11) TOTAL 1 (984)

Wednesday, March 27 Beaver Mines [Day 25] 0730-1915 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0730 was -3C, the high at 1400 was 4C and it was 0C at 1915 when heavy snow ended observation. Winds were light (5 km/h) and variable to 1330 after which they were NE-ENE 5-10 gusting up to 18 km/h. Cloud cover was 100% low stratus all morning that obscured the ridge to 1015 and produced light freezing rain to 0830. The afternoon saw 100% stratocumulus cloud except between 1630 and 1715 when it reduced to 60-80% and allowed brief sunny breaks. At 1830 thick dark stratocumulus moved from the north bringing snow that persisted to the end of observation. Despite the generally unfavourable conditions there was a slow but persistent raptor movement of 20 birds of 6 species between 1052 and 1850 that comprised 2 Bald Eagles (1a, and 1 undifferentiated immature bird that was just discernible in the snow at 1850), 2 female Northern Harriers (1a, 1j), 1 adult Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2 light morph Rough-legged Hawks the second of which moved just ahead of the advancing snow storm at 1834, 12 adult Golden Eagles 11 of which were seen between 1506 and 1705, and 1 juvenile female Prairie Falcon that flew north at 1052. Other birds seen were 49 Canada Geese, a flock of 10 Trumpeter Swans that flew high to the north at 1338, 2 Mallards, 20 Rock Pigeons, 4 Downy Woodpeckers, 2 Northern Flickers, 14 Blue Jays, 2 Black-billed Magpies, 16 American Crows, 18 Common Ravens, 4 Black-capped Chickadees, 4 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 3 American Robins, 121 European Starlings, 20 Evening Grosbeaks and 14 Pine Siskins. Yesterday (March 26) Cornell VanRyk reported the area’s first Ferruginous Hawk this year, an adult light morph bird, at his home on the lower Castle River 10 km ENE of Beaver Mines.

11.75 hours (287.3) BAEA 2 (116), NOHA 2 (4), SSHA 1 (2), RLHA 2 (13) GOEA 12 (140), PRFA 1 (3) TOTAL 20 (401)

Wednesday, March 27 Steeples [Day 22] 1645-1830 (Vance Mattson). A Wednesday teaching commitment again prevented Vance from arriving at the site before 1645 where the temperature was 11C, conditions were calm and cloud cover was 40-80% cumulus and altostratus. No migrants were seen, but a resident and juvenile Golden Eagle were present with the juvenile soaring low near the site, and a subadult Bald Eagle was soaring when Vance arrived, but glided to the south.

1.75 hours (105.8) TOTAL 0 (560)