Mount Lorette and Beaver Mines, March 27

March 27 [Day 26] (Jim Davis, assisted by Alan Hingston) 0800-2000. The temperature was 0C at 0800, rose to a high of 7C at 1700 and 1800, and was 5C at 2000. Ground winds were S all day 5-15 km/h while ridge winds were light to moderate W. Cloud cover was 30% cumulus to 1100 after which it was 70% stratocumulus for the rest of the day apart from around noon when it was 100%. The ridges were clear all day but in the west the cloud hung just above the peaks. Raptor movement was steady between 0922 and 1858 with 67 birds of 5 species generally moving slowly on a broad front, most of which soared for extended periods much to the delight of the 40 visitors at the site who had gathered in anticipation of such a spectacle. About 50% of the migrants moved directly overhead, 25% were to the west and 25% used the eastern route. The flight comprised 8 Bald Eagles (2a, 2sa, 4j), 3 Northern Goshawks (2a, 1j), 4 Red-tailed Hawks (3 adult light morph calurus and 1 adult dark morph harlani), 51 Golden Eagles (33a, 2sa, 3j, 13u) and the highlight of the day, the season’s first adult Peregrine Falcon. A season high total of 25 other bird species were noted including 3 Northern Pygmy-Owls that called all day, 1 Northern Flicker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 12 Mountain Bluebirds (7 male and 5 female), 13 American Robins, 6 Varied Thrushes, 70 Bohemian Waxwings in 2 flocks, 4 Dark-eyed Juncos of the race cismontanus, 27 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, 1 White-winged Crossbill and 6 Common Redpolls. A splendid time was guaranteed for all!

12 hours (283) BAEA 8 (141), NOGO 3 (9), RTHA 4 (7), GOEA 51 (1909), PEFA 1 (1) TOTAL 67 (2107)

Beaver Mines [Day 30] (Peter Sherrington) 0800-1900. The temperature at 0800 was 5C, the high at 1600 was 9.5C and it was 6C at 1900. Winds were W-WSW 15-30 gusting to 54 km/h, and cloud cover was initially 60% altocumulus and altostratus which rapidly thickened to 100% stratus and cumulus to 1500, after which it broke up to 80-90% altocumulus, altostratus and cumulus for the rest of the day. A total of 50 raptors of 7 species moved between 1036 and 1852, 28 of which were recorded between 1300 and 1500. All birds moved high and details were often difficult to discern against the solid grey stratus background. The count was 9 Bald Eagles (5a, 1sa, 3j), a season high 5 Northern Harriers (3 adult males, 1 adult female, 1u), 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a, 1u), 1 adult Northern Goshawk, a season high 21 Red-tailed Hawks (15 calurus: 13 light morphs (10a, 3u) and 2 adult dark morphs, 1 adult dark morph harlani and 5 birds of unknown race, morph or age), 3 Rough-legged Hawks (2 light, I dark) and 9 Golden Eagles (5a, 2sa, 1j, 1u). Again the two pairs of Red-tailed Hawks were conspicuous between 1046 and 1855, with many display flights seen.

11 hours (253.3) BAEA 9 (198), NOHA 5 (12), SSHA 2 (14), NOGO 1 (39), RTHA 21 (57), RLHA 3 (50), GOEA 9 (881) TOTAL 50 (1284)

Steeples (Vance Mattson) No observation.

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (March 1 to April 22)

DAYS 26

HOURS 283

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 0

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 141

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 1

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 2

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 0

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 9

Accipiter sp. (UA) 0

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 0

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 7

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 21

Buteo sp. (UB) 2

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 1909

Eagle sp. (UE) 9

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 0

MERLIN (MERL) 2

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 1

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 1

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 0

Falco sp. (UF) 1

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 1

TOTAL 2107