April 13 Daily Flight Summary

RSFL intergrade

Official Counter

Adam Richardson      

Observers       

None

Weather         

Partly cloudy skies of mostly stratus clouds at 09:30. By 14:30 the skies were overcast and by the end of the day it looked like it was precipitating to the SW over the Big Belts.  Thermal lift was mostly poor today as the clouds and wind kept the temperatures cool.  Winds were mostly out of the SW at 6-16kph.  A high temperature of 9C at 13:30. The barometer fell steadily through the afternoon.  Visibility was limited to the east and west but by 13:30 the clouds had lifted considerably.

Raptor Notes 

Camp Baker had a solid flight today with a squad of TUVU (10) coming through between 14:00-16:00.  They reminded me of water circling a drain the way they followed one another on the poor thermals through the area.  The birds didn’t linger at all, but moved N quickly eventually folding up over Berkins Butte before shooting into the Smith River canyon.

Residents were active today with the pair of adult BAEA nesting in the Johnston Pasture tolerating an immature BAEA, possibly a hatchling of theirs from last year.  The one adult is definitely incubating as she hasn’t moved for days minus a few off bouts.  Her mate was seen perched in the same tree on the same branch as the immature eagle.  The immature went down and harassed a couple of CANG that are possibly nesting in the vicinity.  The CANG picked some horrible real estate if that is the case as I already watched one of the adult BAEA ripping up the nest material for use in its own nest.  Now the CANG have to contend with a juvenile bird that is obviously looking for a hand out.  The CANG did a good job of mobbing the juvenile eagle together and the eagle moved off a short distance.  I am not sure this tactic will work when there is gosling to be had soon.

Non-raptor Notes

I was finally able to get some decent photos of the RSFL intergrade that has been calling regularly from the area near the bluff since I arrived.  I have heard one other NOFL answer it’s call and drumming.

The new arrival today was heard at sunset, the first WISN of the spring was performing its winnowing flight call upstream from my camp.

Visitors           

None

Next Day Forecast

N/A

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April 12 Daily Flight Summary

Official Counter         

Adam Richardson

Observers       

None

Weather         

Trace amount of snow overnight, then heavy snow from dawn until 10:30.  An inch of snow fell during the morning storm and once it stopped the valley was covered in a thick fog.  By 11:30 the fog was burning off fast and by 12:00 it was mostly cloudy with low cumulus clouds and a few cirrus clouds above.  By 13:30 the clouds had lifted and it was partly cloudy for the remainder of the day.  Thermal lift was poor most of the day as the winds were pretty strong out of the N averaging 7-15kph.  A high today of 9C at 15:30 and a steady barometer.  Visibility wasn’t great with clouds low to the east for most of the afternoon.  This wasn’t the case to the west where it was primarily clear most of the day.

Raptor Notes 

A very small unknown raptor, possibly an accipiter or falcon was seen going sky high far to the west at 13:00.  No sooner had I detected the bird than it folded up and shot north.  Between 15:00 and 16:00 a NOHA was spotted going high off Jumbo and this bird primarily folded up and shot north, but far to the east.

The big excitement today was the resident MERL making use of the N-NE winds early in the count that were creating uplift off the bluff I am counting from.  The MERL was literally spotted just behind my shoulder and I thought at first it was a migrant.  A few minutes later it returned on my west side and moved to a snag to the N of me to perch in the tree.  I got a good look at this adult male bird.

Non-raptor Notes

The AWPE continue to grow their squadron’s numbers.  Today 9 came in from the SW and moved off somewhere to the N a short way, possibly Eagle Creek.

Visitors           

None

Next Day Forecast

N/A

April 11 Daily Flight Summary

Official Counter         

Adam Richardson

Observers       

None

Weather         

1 inch of new snow fell overnight and a heavy fog blanketed the Smith River until 10:00 when it began to clear out.  At 11:00 when the count was started overcast skies predominated with cumulus and nimbo-stratus clouds.  Thermal lift was mostly poor today as bands of hail and snow moved through.  Winds were either out of the E or N at about 5-10kph.  A high temperature of 6C and a steady barometer for the count as well.  Visibility came and went throughout the afternoon as the light precipitation moved through.  Pretty heavy hail fell for about 30 minutes at 15:00.

Raptor Notes 

No migrating raptors were detected today in these less than favorable conditions.

Resident raptor activity was diminished as well.  Even the growing resident TUVU (4) population was grounded until 11:00 when the first winds and clearing skies allowed them to take to the air from the Upper Johnston Pasture.  The pair of resident RTHA (one light and one dark-morphed bird) were observed attacking an S2 BAEA near their territory on the E side of the Johnston Pasture again.

Non-raptor Notes

No new notable arrivals.

Visitors           

None

Next Day Forecast

N/A

April 10 Daily Flight Summary

Official Counter         

Adam Richardson

Observers       

None

Weather         

Heavy wet snow was falling all morning with some rain mixing in.  By noon this had switched over to rain.  By 14:30 it was clearing up fast and the days count was started.  Skies were overcast for the remainder of the day with nimbo-stratus and stratus clouds hanging low as the storm passed.  Thermal lift was fair to poor.  The winds were from many directions but switched to the north by the end of the day 8-16kph.  A high temperature of 8C and steady barometric pressure for the afternoon.  Visibility was pretty good to the east and the west, but had begun to diminish by the end of the count to just 8k to the east and the west.

Raptor Notes 

The first PEFA (1) of the season came through, following the direct route low over the Smith River road.  The raptor shot on through much like the RTHA did a few weeks back.  In the next hour a few TUVU (2) and an unknown buteo kettled up off the ridge of Jumbo and flew high and northward.  As the season comes to a close here, the resident population of TUVU are going to present a challenge trying to sort out migrants from residents.

There is a resident S1 BAEA that has been wreaking havoc with the other resident raptors.  I believe the bird is hungry as it seems to beg and harass its possible parents who are nesting up in the Johnston Pasture.  This bird attempted to fly east low through the pasture and was mobbed by the resident dark-morphed RTHA who is pure fire.  It was an exciting skirmish as the BAEA would roll over on its back mid-flight and flash its talons upward at the RTHA every time it swooped down for a swipe at the eagles back.  This continued for about a minute which was just enough time for the eagle to bank and head back out of the hostile air space and for the RTHA to get several more swipes in.

Non-raptor Notes

No new notable arrivals today.

Visitors

None  

Next Day Forecast

N/A

April 9 Daily Flight Summary

No count conducted today due to a winter storm impacting Camp Baker.