Spring Count 2022

A pleasant day for the observers with ground winds at 0-5 km/hr and direction variable, but predominately from the SW. Ridge winds were low to moderate and predominately from the NW. All ridges were clear throughout the day, and cloud cover was minimal. In the AM the Eagles flew a variety of different paths on both the East and West ridges, and also popping up behind Lorette on occasion. In the PM the migratory path was exclusively over the East ridges. The Eagles glided with occasional soaring, and the flight speed was slow which assisted in aging the birds. The first migrant Golden Eagle was at 1055 and the last migrant was at 1925 hrs. Resident birds were Golden Eagle (2 x adult), Bald Eagle …

We had a beautiful calm morning with lots of Spring activity in the meadow. At around 11 AM the winds picked up from the north and subsequently raptor movement augmented. After 16:00 the winds increased and gusts between 20- 40 km/h became more frequent. The ridges were clear all day until about 18:00 when the predicted storm finally broke through and we had to end the count early. Once again, the viewing conditions were poor. The sun was usually shrouded by clouds (80 -90 % all day) and high humidity created the dreaded bleeding effect in the telescope. This made it very difficult to get the necessary clear image for plumage id. Most eagles took the high road from The Fisher Range to Lorette, and …

It was a beautiful day and conditions for migration and observing were generally very good. Cloud cover started at 60%, slowly increased to 90% by 4 pm then decreased to 30% by the end of the day. Wind gusted to 25 km/h at ground level and were usually moderate to strong at ridge level. Migrants moved steadily between 10:44 am and 7:38 pm. Despite good viewing conditions they were determined to make things difficult for us. Eagles moved over both mountain ranges. To the west they used the other side of the ridges, flying from Mt. Kidd and Mt. Bogart then passing behind Olympic Summit and Mt. Allan. Birds on the east side were sometimes detected high over the Fisher Range, but most were only …

While a chilly northeast wind blew gently at ground level most of the day, ridge winds and upper winds were from a more migration friendly westerly direction. Weather forecasts had a high probability of some sort of precipitation - no rain or snow materialized, but the mostly cumulus clouds looked threatening and, particularly at the end of the day, blocked a lot of light, making ID challenging. This was particularly true after the sun had disappeared behind the clouds on the west ridge in the last couple of hours, right when a surge of eagles came through, resulting in a high number that were not possible to age. Early in the day eagles were seen on both ridges, but by late afternoon all were flying …

The day began with a thick layer of altostratus, 100% humidity, no wind, and when the Sun rose, it came with Sundog that lasted for hours. Eventually, the thick altostratus thinned out a bit and gave way to some lenticular and Cirrus clouds that barely moved because it was so calm. One of the eagles that stayed the night, slept in until well past 11 am probably waiting for some air on which to glide. At 11:30 the SW winds picked up and the birds began to move. The race to Alaska was on! Little did we know that this was going to be a day of great Eagle deluge. Soon it was as though someone had pulled the plug, creating a flow, which was …

The day started with 100% low stratus cloud cover and heavy snow falling. By the time the snow stopped, around 10:00, about 10cm had accumulated. The clouds became cumulus with about 50% coverage most of the rest of the day. The ridges gradually went from 100% obscured to 0% by the end of the day. Winds were light on the ground and on the ridges, and those cumulus clouds were not moving fast. The upper winds appeared to be coming from the NW. These conditions did not lend themselves to an easy day for the eagles - most were flying low, and flapping and soaring frequently. A couple of them gave up early and stopped for the night long before sunset - one on the …

Sunny, with 20 to 40% lenticular and altostratus in the morning, and 5 to 10% cumulus in the afternoon. Ground winds initially light, but gusting to 30 and even 50 or 60 km/h from late morning to the end. Ridge winds WSW 50 to 80 km/h. 50 Golden Eagles were seen by 4 pm, and a late rush put the total for the day at 105 Golden Eagles and 4 Bald Eagles.

A beautiful spring day with a mix of sun and clouds. Ground winds averaged 5-10 km/hr from the SW and ridge winds were moderate from Northerly directions. Thin cloud cover of cirrus, changing to altostratus and finally cumulus during the day, increasing from 10 % to 90 %. The total migrants were 156 Golden and one Bald Eagle. The first migrant (Golden) at 1035 hrs and the last migrant (Golden) at 2003 hrs. The migrants flew very high over Patrick, and the conditions of monochrome gray sky, height and speed made locating difficult for aging. The migrant count increased in intensity after 1600 hrs and 85 % of the daily count occurred after 1600 hrs. The highest count hour of 40 Golden Eagles occurred between …

The cloud coverage averaged about 40-50% throughout the day, mainly cumulus, altocumulus with some cirrus and cirrostratus clouds until midday. SW Ridge winds averaged 24km/h. Ground winds blew from the SW between 5-15 km/h, with regular gusts of up to 25 km/h. This made for a cold day in spite of the intermittent sunshine. The first Golden Eagle of the day appeared at 8:00, flying from the north end of Patrick over to Lorette and passing in front of Lorette near the ridge and then around to the other side. Many Eagles used this flight pattern throughout the day and quite a few were found very high above the Fisher Range. After 12:00, traffic was light but constant, averaging 10 to 20 per hour. The …

For the first few hours of the day the cloud cover was 80-100%, ridges were 10-20% obscured and it was lightly snowing on and off. In the morning ground wind was very light and ridge wind was moderate from the NNW. The weather began to clear around noon, and for the rest of the day cloud cover varied from 20-60% and the ridges were completely clear. Afternoon winds gusted to 35 km/h from the SW at ground level. At ridge level the clashing weather systems were blowing variably from both north and south, often very strong. Migrants flew very high over the Fisher Range and the east side of the valley. None were detected to the west. There were two peak periods in the late …

Conditions today were perfect for migration (and also not too bad for the observers), which resulted in a steady stream of migrants throughout the day. The clouds were mostly cumulus and stayed at about about 50% coverage for most of the day. Ridge winds were moderate, sufficient to allow most eagles to glide effortlessly along the east ridge, sometimes so high they seemed almost overhead. Most lost quite a bit of altitude over the river, and had to do a bit of soaring to gain some more height at Mt Lorette. Two Golden Eagles seen soaring on the west ridge early in the day were deemed to be residents. Two more were seen soon after that on the west ridge, but after that, all the …

A mostly cloudy day (70 to 100% cumulus) with relatively light ground winds (mostly 5 to 15 km/h but gusting to 20 to 30 at times) that often left us wishing the sun would shine through a bit more. Winds aloft were mostly west to southwest 15 to 30 km/h. The migration seemed slow most of the time, but in the 9 hours between the first eagle at 10:30 am to the last at 7:30 pm the migrants added up to a nice total of 99 golden eagles and 4 bald eagles.

Finally, after a couple of weeks of less than ideal conditions for migrating raptors, the weather cooperated to produce a season high total of 117 Golden Eagles, almost doubling the season count to date. A low temperature of 0ºC and high of 6ºC, plus relatively calm ground winds, made the day comfortable for the observers. Cumulus clouds scudded across the sky all day in a migration-favourable mostly west to east direction, with sufficient wind that nearly all the eagles could glide effortlessly with little soaring or flapping of wings. Those few eagles that flapped their wings were assumed to be males trying to keep up with their larger and more powerful mates. Those that were seen soaring might just have been the females waiting for …

A nice mix of sun and cloud all day, ground winds usually 5-15 km/h with occasional gusts to 30 km/h. Ridge winds indeterminate, but apparently NW to WNW in the morning. Migration was slow from 10 am to 5 pm, then 10 and 23 went through in the last two hours, respectively. All raptors were in the east (some very high over the eastern valley, heading toward Skogan Pass), and most of the rush at the end were picked up as they approached Mt. Lorette.

The day commenced overcast with all ridges clear. At 1100 hrs the clouds disappeared, and the sun shone promising a beautiful day. By noon the weather deteriorated and at 1330 hrs heavy snow commenced and the ridges were obscured as the ceiling descended half way down the mountain. The count was terminated at 1530 hrs with continued snow and the forecast for the remainder of the day indicating continued snow and clouds. The ground winds were generally SW at 5-15 km per hr, and ridge winds moderate from the SW. The count for the day was five Golden Eagles and one Bald Eagle. The Golden Eagles were flying very high over Patrick, resulting in difficulty locating the birds for aging against the monochromatic gray skies.

At 8:52 the first golden eagle appeared at Lorette gliding and soaring over McGillivray and onwards to the North. The majority of the birds repeated this same pattern. They seemed to be coming from behind the Fisher Range. The words that come to mind to describe today are Wind, Strong gusts, and Snow. The ground winds blew from the WSW between 10-20 km/h and average gusts of 25 km/h. The winds at ridge level were very strong, producing snow plumes. Some blue sky did appear at intervals in the morning amid the cumulous, altocumulus, altostratus cloud formations, and the sprinkling of light snow that blew in from the southwest. The western ridges averaged 36 % coverage until 13:00 after which that increased to 80-100%. The …

On arrival to the parking lot it was snowing lightly and the ridges were 90% obscured. By 10 am it stopped snowing, then the ridges slowly cleared between 10 am and 12 pm. The east ridges remained clear for the rest of the day, but the west ridges were 10-40% obscured after 4 pm. That cloud hanging to the SW brought occasional flurries late in the day. It was an average wind day with gusts reaching 40 km/h in the afternoon at ground level. Ridge winds were light to moderate in the morning and moderate to strong in the afternoon. Most migrants used the eastern ridges with variable height and flight method. Two Golden Eagles and one Bald Eagle detected near Hummingbird Plume Hill might …

There was not much change in the weather all day - even the temperature stayed in a narrow range. The west ridge remained partly shrouded in clouds for the entire day, while the east ridge was clear. Visibility to the south of the site was very poor. The cloud cover varied between 70% and 100%, with mostly cumulus and stratus clouds. Ground winds were strong and gusty until the very end of the day. Judging by the snow blowing off the ridges, the ridge winds were strong. The clouds to the south may have had some impact on the migration as few raptors were seen. These appeared to come from behind the Fisher Range and gained height quickly as they flew towards Mt. Lorette.

The morning was chilly but with almost no wind. Wind speed in the afternoon was wildly inconstant, with some gusts over 60 km/h but there were also calm periods. Judging by the snow coming off the mountains, wind at ridge level was often very strong but also inconsistent. Cloud cover increased from 10% at the start to 100% as a sheet of altostratus passed over around noon, then varied from 60% to 80% for the rest of the day. It was fairly slow with 13 eagles passing by between 12:17 pm and 5:20 pm. 9 Golden Eagles used the eastern ridges and were detected near Mount Lorette or high over Patrick, 3 Bald Eagles moved north along the river valley and 1 unidentified eagle was …

The day looked promising to start, with clear skies, and snow blowing off the ridges, indicating some ridge winds were present. The ridge winds appeared to be coming from the northwest early in the day, and as the day progressed, the winds veered around to the more migration-favourable southwest. High level winds, however, were from the north to start with, and changed slowly to the northwest as the day went by. A few clouds came and went, but it was clear and sunny for the most part, with the sun compensating a bit for the cold temperatures. However, in spite of these conditions, no migrating raptors were seen.

Cold! Blue sky all day, with a few light clouds (10% of the sky) 11:00 to 14:00. Wind less than 10 km/h until 13:00, then gusting to 15 - 20 km/h to the end. Snow plumes off the ridges indicated approximately SW winds aloft, light to moderate until 10:00, then increasing to strong by 15:00.

A cool day with Northerly breezes at 0-5 km/hr. Snow squalls, and low cloud moved in and out of the valley all day, obscuring and then some clearing of the ridges. The Western ridges were mostly 100 % obscured all day. The count was seven Bald Eagles, one unidentified eagle, and one Northern Goshawk. A conspicuous lack of other bird activity. The count for the day was terminated at 1700 hrs as low clouds obscured the ridges and heavier snow commenced.

In spite of the heavy snowfall warning, we decided to make a go of it and managed to get in 4.5 hours of observation. The Eastern ridges were clear and only 10% of the western ridges were obscured to the south. During the first hours, beautiful cirrostratus patterns filled the sky overhead. On the ground, the winds were mainly calm with some occasional movement up to 5km/h. At 10:00, a front appeared off in the distance at the north end of the valley. The WSW winds started picking up gradually and clouds from the incoming storm started overtaking the ridges of Mt. Lorette and Mt. Patrick. At 11:00, the front broke its way in and the conditions deteriorated rapidly. We ended up having to flee …

It was a bright and sunny day bookended with cloudy periods in the first and last few hours. The western mountains were occasionally obscured by low cloud from snow-making on Nakiska. Otherwise, the ridges were clear. Wind gusted to 20 km/h from the SW in the afternoon. The first migrant of the season was an adult Bald Eagle flying north over the east side of the valley at 10:26 am. Eagles continued to move over the eastern ridges in a steady trickle until 3 pm, after which only two were seen.

The day started with some barely moving high altocumulus clouds, clear ridges, no ground winds, and a freezing cold -15C temperature. The clouds gradually cleared until noon, when cumulus clouds started moving in from the northwest. These built up gradually, until 17:00 when light snow started falling, the ridges were obscured, and the count was abandoned. A "high" temperature of -4C was recorded at 16:00, though it felt colder due to the wind now blowing strongly down the valley from the north.