Mount Lorette, Beaver Mines and Steeples, April 9

April 9 [Day 39] (Bill Wilson, assisted by Lori Anderson) 0630-2040. The temperature at 0700 was 0C, the high at 1400 was 4C and it was 1C at the end of observation. Ground winds were N all day except between 1500 and 1600 when they were SE, 3-6 km/h to 1100, 2-10 gusting 18 km/h to 1500 after which they were 2-5 km/h; ridge winds were light and variable all day. Cloud cover was 100% stratus all day that produced light to moderate snow between 0830 and 1300 followed by snow flurries and rain showers to 1500 and moderate to heavy snow from 1630 to 1900, after which precipitation ceased. All peaks and ridges were completely obscured to 1900 after which there was some clearing with the west 30% and the east 60% obscured for the last 1.5 hours of observation. The only migrants seen were an undifferentiated female/immature Northern Harrier that flew fairly low to the north to the east of the site at 1641 and 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk that flapped and glided north on a similar path at 1913. Resident raptors were 1 adult Bald Eagle, and a Northern Goshawk heard calling near the parking area early in the morning. Other birds included a flying pair of Barrow’s Goldeneye, 1 singing Northern Pygmy-Owl, the season’s first Townsend’s Solitaire, 29 American Robins including a flock of 9 migrating north late in the day, 3 singing Varied Thrushes, a flock of 60 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches and 2 Common Redpolls. Up to 9 White-tailed Deer were in the meadow, one of which had a large conspicuous wound on its flank, probably from a predator attack, and at 1408 a deer was pursued by a Coyote and escaped by crossing the river when the Coyote decided to keep its feet dry. Eight visitors braved the conditions to reach the site today.

14.16 hours (442.7) NOHA 1 (2), SSHA 1 (6) TOTAL 2 (2419)

[Correction and addition to April 8. Jim was assisted by Ruth Morrow, not by Diane Stinson. A single Tree Swallow, the first for the year, was also seen at 0926.]

Beaver Mines [Day 43] (Peter Sherrington) 0800-1745. There was 1 cm of fresh snow in the valley and about 6 cm on the ridge, but the snow had stopped by 0800 when the temperature was 1C. The high was 5C between 1400 and 1600 and fell to 3.5C after 1700 following a 10 minute snow flurry. Winds were light N or calm to 1045 when a light WSW flow developed and thereafter winds were WSW-W for the rest of the day 10-20 gusting 35-40 km/h. Cloud cover was 100% stratus all day with superposed cumulus between 1300 and 1600. Snow fell for much of the day to the SW but only the aforementioned brief squall reached the site. The first migrant was not seen until 1259 and by 1401 22 birds had been counted and a good total looked likely, but the flow then became sporadic and only 2 birds were seen after 1600 with the last migrant moving at 1738. The count of 36 raptors of 8 species was 3 Bald Eagles (1a, 1sa, 1j), 1 adult male Northern Harrier, 3u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1u Cooper’s Hawk, 4 Northern Goshawks (1a, 2j, 1u), 7 calurus Red-tailed Hawks (3a, 2u light morphs, 2a dark morphs), 2 Rough-legged Hawks (1 light, 1 dark) and 15 Golden Eagles (11a, 4sa). The two pairs of resident Red-tailed Hawks were seen between 1345 and 1616, mainly hunting and only one display flight was observed.

9.75 hours (382.8) BAEA 3 (272), NOHA 1 (25), SSHA 3 (32), COHA 1 (6), NOGO 4 (51), RTHA 7 (139), RLHA 2 (62), GOEA 15 (1001) TOTAL 36 (1645)

Steeples (Vance Mattson) No observation [Weather]. The ridges were obscured for most of the day. They cleared slightly at 1530 but were covered again by 1630.

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (March 1 to April 22)

DAYS 39

HOURS 442.7

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 0

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 196

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 2

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 6

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 2

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 16

Accipiter sp. (UA) 0

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 3

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 32

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 21

Buteo sp. (UB) 3

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 2114

Eagle sp. (UE) 12

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 1

MERLIN (MERL) 2

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 1

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 4

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 1

Falco sp. (UF) 1

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 2

TOTAL 2419