Mount Lorette and Beaver Mines, March 29

March 29 [Day 28] (Joel Duncan, assisted by Caroline Lambert) 0800-2000. The temperature was 2C at 0800, reached a high of 7C between 1500 and 1700 and was 5C at 2000. Ground winds were SW all day, 10-15 gusting to 23 km/h in the morning and 10-15 km/h in the afternoon, while ridge winds were moderate SW all day. Cloud cover was 100% altostratus to 1700 when it became 100% stratocumulus and altocumulus which finally decreased to 40% cumulus, altocumulus and cirrostratus at 2000 when observation ceased. The eastern ridges were clear except between 1200 and 1400 when they were 20% cloud-covered, and cloud drape on the western route varied between 0% and 60% throughout the day. The first migrant, a Golden Eagle, was not seen until 1524 which was followed by a slow but steady stream of birds that moved along the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette until 1852. The count was 1u Northern Goshawk and 25 Golden Eagles (22a, 2sa, 1u), and 1 adult resident Bald Eagle was also seen on a couple of occasions. Other bird species present included 3 Northern Flickers, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 4 Mountain Bluebirds, 16 American Robins, 4 Varied Thrushes, 6 Dark-eyed Juncos and 2 Common Redpolls. Eleven visitors were at the site today.

12 hours (307.3) NOGO 1 (10), GOEA 25 (1942) TOTAL 26 (2144)

Beaver Mines [Day 32] (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Gord Petersen) 0800-1915. The starting temperature was 3C, rose to a high of 9C between 1300 and 1600 and was 6C at 1915. Winds were variable and generally light to 1300 after which they were WSW-W 15-30 gusting to 43 km/h. Cloud cover was 100% stratus and cumulus all day except for a brief period around 1800 when it reduced to 60% cumulus, altocumulus and cirrus. A total of 39 migrants of 8 species were counted between 1040 and 1911 with only 4 birds moving on the light winds before 1300. Twenty-five of the birds moved between 1600 and 1900. The flight comprised 8 Bald Eagles (7a, 1sa), 2 adult male Northern Harriers, 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a, 2u), 2 Northern Goshawks (1a, 1u), 10 calurus Red-tailed Hawks (9 light morphs: 8a, 1u and 1 adult dark morph), 1 light morph Rough-legged Hawk, 2 unidentified dark Buteos, 10 Golden Eagles (8a, 1sa, 1u) and the season’s first American Kestrel a female that was harassing a harrier at 1311. Five resident adult Red-tailed Hawks were present for much of the day, but the only display flight seen was at 1851.

11.25 hours (276) BAEA 8 (210), NOHA 2 (15), SSHA 3 (18), NOGO 2 (41), RTHA 10 (75), RLHA 1 (53), UB 2 (6) GOEA 10 (914), AMKE 1 (1) TOTAL 1364

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (March 1 to April 22)

DAYS 28

HOURS 307.3

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 0

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 143

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 1

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 2

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 0

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 10

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) 3

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 1942

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 2144