RMERF counts March 5

Monday, March 5 Mount Lorette [Day 4] 0640-1810 (George Halmazna, assisted by Dan Parliament). The temperature at 0640 was -19C, rose to a high of -2C at 1500 and 1600 and fell to -4C at 1800. Ground winds were very light SW and occasionally N for most of the day with the exception of 1300-1700 when they were SW 5-20 gusting 25 km/h, and ridge winds were moderate SW all day. Cloud cover was 40-70% cumulus to 1500 and 80-60% cumulus and cirrus for the rest of the day. The east ridges were clear all day while the west was 10-20% obscured that rose to 80% at 1600 and 1700. Despite the good observing and migration conditions only 3 migrants were seen between 1436 and 1613: 2 adult Golden Eagles that glided from the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette and 1 adult Bald Eagle that flew to the north from the Fisher Range. Non-migrant or resident raptors were 2 adult Bald Eagles, 1 adult female Northern Goshawk and 1 adult Golden Eagle. A Great Horned Owl sang near the river at 0652 and other birds seen were 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 3 Grey Jays and 17 Common Ravens. Five visitors came to the site today.

11.5 hours (34.41) BAEA 1 (3), GOEA 2 (5) TOTAL 3 (9)

Monday, March 5 Beaver Mines [Day 9] 0800-1815 (Peter Sherrington). The temperature at 0800 was -10C, the high at 1300 was 1C (which is the first time this season the temperature has risen above freezing) and it was -13C at 1815. Winds were light W-NW to 1100, then WSW 15-30 km/h to 1550 after which they were E-ESE 11-22 km/h for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was initially 10-20% cumulus to 1000 with stratus cloud periodically sweeping from the SW that brought brief snow showers. For the rest of the day cloud cover was mainly cumulus varying between 30 and 70% that gave sunny conditions and good observing conditions. A total of 9 migrant raptors occurred between 1135 and 1540 coincident with the WSW winds, with 8 of the birds moving between 1332 and 1540. Movement abruptly stopped when the wind changed to E-ESE. The count was 2 adult Bald Eagles and 7 adult Golden Eagles, and 1 or 2 resident adult Golden Eagles were also present.

10.25 hours (75) BAEA 2 (20), GOEA 7 (20) TOTAL 9 (44)

Monday, March 5 Steeples [Day 3] 1515-1730 (Vance Mattson). The temperature was 1C, it was calm, cloud cover was 50% cumulus and the ridges were clear. A total of 4 adult eagles migrated between 1545 and 1714: 1 Bald Eagle and 3 Golden Eagles. More interesting was the non-migrant activity between 2 adult and 3 juvenile Golden Eagles.  Originally there was some high-spirited dueling between an adult and a juvenile, with the adult being the aggressor (stooping at high speed on the young bird), which was probably the adult pushing the juvenile (likely its offspring from last season) out of the territory; eventually the intensity quieted and the birds soared together rather amiably.  Later, two juvenile Golden Eagles were engaged in high spirited aerial duels, though this appeared to be more simply play.  These 2 additional juveniles may have been migrant birds though they were not seen moving to the north.  A juvenile non-migrant Bald Eagle was also seen at 1657 and, somewhat surprisingly, an adult light morph Red-tailed Hawk at 1612 that may have been a returning resident bird as it also showed no tendency to move north.

2.25 (12.25) BAEA 1 (5), GOEA 3 (13) TOTAL 4 (18)