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| the resident immature dark-morphed Harlan's Hawk returned |
Official Counter
Adam Richardson
Observers
None
Weather
-15 C in camp this morning at 08:00AM. 30cm of snow persists along the banks of the
Smith River. By 10:00AM it was -8 C and
completely calm. The winds picked up
lightly out of the south at 3.1 kph and low clouds moved in from this
direction. Winds switched to the north
shortly after and peaked around 14:30 at 22.5 kph. Strong north winds gusted through the
remainder of the day. 7 C was the high
and the barometer fell slightly.
Visibility was excellent for the entire count with a nice cloud layer to
aid in tracking migrating raptors.
Raptor Notes
8 eagles came through Camp Baker slow and steady from 11:00
to 15:00. 5 Bald eagles (3 adults and 2
immatures) flew up Jumbo Mountain with and occasional Golden Eagle mixed
in. Migrants were going sky high today
off of Jumbo Mountain, then crossing directly overhead in an east to west
flight path then moving north.
One of the first skirmishes broke out when the first adult
Bald Eagle flew into Jumbo Ridge which is patrolled by one adult Bald Eagle and
two adult Golden Eagles. The adult Bald
Eagle was escorting the other adult Bald forcefully from Jumbo occasionally
taking swipes. When the resident Bald
was gaining altitude for another swipe the resident Golden Eagle would go in
for a swipe such that the migrant went sky high following the flight path noted
above.
Later in the afternoon a similar skirmish occurred between
the resident adult Golden Eagle and a migrating Golden. This dogfight was the highlight of the count
so far with the two eagles locking talons and falling towards Jumbo
Mountain. It was a fairly long fall
before they broke off and again the migrant went sky high then crossed on the
same flight path as the other migrants of the day.
Other less aggressive encounters included escorting migrants
away from Jumbo. Resident eagles will
climb as high as the migrants but will face directly into the wind and kite in
place watching to make sure the migrant vacates. Or the residents will break off the chase
going in a completely different direction as the migrant typically far to the
east.
It appears we have two immature and one sub adult Golden Eagle
residing in the area. The resident adult
eagles are somewhat intolerant to them, sometimes gently escorting them away
from Jumbo. There are possibly one S2
and one immature Bald Eagle which both resident adult Bald and adult Golden
tolerate as well.
It was interesting to watch the resident eagles harass
migrating eagles as it made it more apparent what the residents lay claim
to. This is primarily Jumbo Mountain
with the Goldens residing near the summit most of the day and the Bald near the
foot of the mountain where it meets the Smith River and associated riparian
habitat. Yet at any time a Golden could
be down near the river and a Bald may be near the summit. The Bald Eagle would appear to be the
superior bird at Camp Baker, but occasionally the adult pair of Goldens gang up
on it. I have yet to see them take a swipe
at the resident Bald, but they pursue it in tandem frequently.
The resident Harlan’s Hawk returned to hunt Black-billed
Magpie at 16:07.
Non-raptor Notes
20 Canada Goose flew north today down the Smith River. For the most part it was a quiet day for
resident birds and there were no new detections.
Visitors
None
Next Day Forecast
High 38F Low 18F.
Northeast winds 7mph.
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