RMERF counts, March 29

Friday, March 29 Mount Lorette [Day 27] 0715-2005 (Caroline Lambert, assisted by Patrick Farley, Patricia Farley and Doug Pederson). The temperature at 0715 was -1C, the high was 8C at 1700 and 1800 and it was 1C at 2000. Ground winds were light and variable all day with the exception of around 1500 when they gusted to 15 km/h from the S, while ridge winds were also mainly light and variable all day. Cloud cover was initially 90% cumulus, altocumulus and altostratus that gradually dwindled to 10% cirrus at 1800 before increasing to 50% cirrus and expanded contrails late in the day. Both ridge systems were initially obscured with the east clearing after 0900 and the west clear after 1100. There was a moderate raptor movement that involved only eagles between 1040 and 1940 comprising 2 adult Bald Eagles, 55 Golden Eagles (45a, 4sa, 1j, 5u) and 1 unidentified eagle. With the exception of one bird all movement was on the western route until 1720 where birds mainly soared high over Olympic Summit before gliding high to the NW behind the summit of Mount Allan, but after 1720 soaring birds were located on the eastern route over the Fisher Range or Mount Lorette. Movement was steady throughout the day but significantly increased after 1800 with 14 and 10 Golden Eagles seen between 1800 and 1900, and 1900 to 1940 respectively. A resident adult Northern Goshawk were heard calling east of the river early in the morning and 1 later hunted over the west valley, and a juvenile hunted above Hummingbird Plume Hill in the mid-afternoon; and the Golden Eagle pair was seen once, hunting against the face of Mount Bogart. Other birds in the area were 6 Canada Geese, 1 drumming Ruffed Grouse, 1  Pileated Woodpecker, 1 Northern Shrike, 1 Canada Jay, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 16 Common Ravens, 3 Black-capped Chickadees, 6 Mountain Chickadees, 3 Boreal Chickadees, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches,  2 male Mountain Bluebirds that riskily shared the meadow with the shrike around 1500, 5 singing Varied Thrushes, 3 American Robins, 20 European Starlings, a flock of 20 Bohemian Waxwings that flew north and 7 singing Dark-eyed Juncos. Four Bighorn Sheep were on Olympic Summit and an American Mink was seen on the river bank at the site and entertained several of today’s 20 visitors.

12.58 hours (293.2) BAEA 2 (103), GOEA 55 (1052), UE 1 (16) TOTAL 58 (1186)

Friday, March 29 Beaver Mines [Day 27] 0730-2000 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Gord Petersen and Hilary Atkinson). The starting temperature at 0730 was -1C, the high was 6.5C at 1800 and it was 2C at 2000. Winds were mainly NE 5-15 km/h in the morning that became light to 1600, after which they were light SW-SSW for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was 100-70% mainly stratocumulus and cumulus to 1730, with the exception of 1000 and 1100 when it was 30-40% cumulus and cirrus, but after 1730 the sky cleared to 40-20% cumulus, cirrostratus and expanded contrails which gave sunny conditions at the end of the day. The day started promisingly with a Sharp-shinned Hawk flying north at 0929 and 2 Golden Eagles gliding high to the north at 1048 and 1055, but a third Golden Eagle was not seen until 1510 and the only sustained movement was when 20 Golden Eagles soared high above the SW flank of the ridge between 1641 and 1742 including 8 that soared together at 1655. The last bird of the day was an adult Bald Eagle at 1841. The final count of 29 birds was 2 Bald Eagles (1a, 1j), 1a Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2a Northern Goshawks and 24 Golden Eagles (22a, 2sa). The resident pair of Golden Eagles soared above the ridge together between 1141 and 1155, and the resident juvenile perched at the top of the hill at 1545. Other birds seen were 4 Canada Geese, 2 Mallards, a flock of 60 Northern Pintails that flew high to the north at 1054, 53 Wild Turkeys, 16 Rock Pigeons, 4 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Northern Flicker, 5 Blue Jays, 2 Black-billed Magpies, 10 American Crows, 19 Common Ravens, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 4 American Robins, 36 European Starlings, 21 Evening Grosbeaks, 55 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches that flew high to the north in 2 flocks at 1825 and 1845, 2 female Cassin’s Finches, 8 Pine Siskins and 8 Dark-eyed Juncos (1 hyemalis, 2 cismontanus and 5 montanus).

12.5 hours (310.8) BAEA 2 (121), SSHA 1 (3), NOGO 2 (11), GOEA 24 (288) TOTAL 29 (458)

Friday, March 29 Steeples [Day 24] 1200-1830 (Vance Mattson). The temperature reached 13C from a starting low of 7C, conditions were initially calm with light E winds developing later and 80% cumulus cloud cover at the start reduced to 20% at the end of the day. Only 3 migrants were seen between 1418 and 1757: 1 adult Bald Eagle and 2 Golden Eagles (1a, 1j). Non-migrant activity was somewhat more eventful with a resident Golden Eagle soaring high above the site from 1630 to 1641, 7 Bald Eagles (5a, 2j) that included a pair-flight and extended dueling of the juvenile birds in which an adult briefly joined in, and the first sightings of the resident pair of Northern Goshawks that chased and dived at each other at 1659. The ice was fully melted on Wasa Lake and 7 Bald Eagles (3a, 1sa and 2j) fished the lagoon and a spirited territorial battle between 2 adults was seen after which to two combatants parted the scene in opposite directions.

6.5 hours (116.8) BAEA 1 (169), GOEA 2 (290) TOTAL 3 (570)