March 24 [Day 30] (Valley View site) With the exception of 0900 to 1000 when it snowed, the ridges were clear all day and the temperature ranged from-3C to 5C. Ridge winds were W light to moderate in the morning becoming WNW moderate at 1100, and W moderate to strong after 1700, and cloud cover was 80-100% cumulus and altostratus giving hazy sunshine for most of the day. Raptor movement started early with the first Golden Eagle at 0739 with 4 more and a Bald Eagle before 0800, and by 0900 41 migrants had passed to the north. After the hour of snow when nothing moved, migration resumed at 1008 and was thereafter steady until the last 2 Golden Eagles went north at 1957, 12 hours and 18 minutes after the day’s first bird and peak movement was 48 birds between 1400 and 1500. Both the Golden Eagle total of 335 and the combined species total of 364 are new spring high counts for the site and the Golden Eagle total is the highest daily RMERF site count since the 358 counted at Mount Lorette on March 21 2004. The 12 Northern Goshawks are also the highest daily spring count ever at the site. For the past week we have again been seeing 3 adult (1 female 2 male) resident Golden Eagles apparently happily coexisting as they appeared to do last year. Today these birds were particularly conspicuous with both males on occasion displaying simultaneously at the same location. At 1410 the 3 were gliding south above the Piitaistakis ridge when the 2 males grasped talons for a couple of seconds and all 3 birds briefly interacted before continuing to fly together to the south. At 1945 the 3 birds were again soaring close together and interacting about 200m above the valley just to the east of me when again the 2 males clasped each other’s talons, but this time they did not let go and fell spinning down into the Gold Creek gorge all the time pecking at each other and beating each other with their wings, falling out of my sight behind the trees to the east. The female circled over where they had fallen for about 3 minutes, but neither male bird reappeared and she finally flew off. A Varied Thrush sang briefly at 0820 as did a Barred Owl at 1324, and a couple of high-flying Trumpeter Swans called at 1538: all were first records for the season. Non-raptor migrants included 165 Bohemian Waxwings, 720 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches and 16 White-winged Crossbills. It was quite a good day! 13 hours (323 hours) BAEA 12 (207), SSHA 1 (5), NOGO 12 (27), RTHA 1 (3), GOEA 335 (1919), MERL 2 (3), PRFA 1 (8) TOTAL 364 (2174)
Mount Lorette (Brian McBride) The temperature ranged from -6C to 4C, ridge winds were moderate SW all day and cloud cover was altostratus and cumulus varying from 50% to 100%. The only migrant raptors recorded were 96 Golden Eagles that moved between 1125 and 1840, with 26 of the birds occurring between 1700 and 1800. 12 hours (226.5) GOEA 96 (531) TOTAL 96 (568)