Mount Lorette and Beaver Mines, April 14

April 14 [Day 43] (George Halmazna, assisted by Diane Stinson) 0630-1815. The temperature rose to a high of 6.5C at 1500 and 1600 from a morning low of -1C, and was 4.5C at the end of observation. Ground winds were SW 2-5 km/h in the morning, SSW 5-25 km/h to 1700 after which they were again SW 2-10 km/h; ridge winds were strong SW all day. Cloud cover was 40% stratus and cumulus to 1100 after which it was 70-90% cumulus for the rest of the day. Snow flurries occurred regularly after 1600. Raptor migration was slow with only 6 birds moving between 1038 and 1514 comprising 2 Bald Eagles (1a and 1 undifferentiated immature bird), 1 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk and 3 Golden Eagles (1a, 2sa). All the birds moved from the northern end of the Fisher Range to the NW above Skogan Pass and bypassed Mount Lorette. Other birds recorded included 1 drumming Ruffed Grouse, the first Wilson’s Snipe of the season (2 birds flying at 0818), 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 9 Mountain Bluebirds (5m, 4f), 26 American Robins, 3 Varied Thrushes, 3 American Pipits, 1 Song Sparrow and 61 Dark-eyed Juncos. A total of 67 Elk were seen, 61 of which were in the Hay Meadow, and 23 visitors made it to the site today.

11.75 hours (493.6) BAEA 2 (208), RTHA 1 (35), GOEA 3 (2147) TOTAL 6 (2475)

Beaver Mines [Day 47] (Peter Sherrington) 0800-2015. The temperature at 0800 was 4C, rose to a high of 10C at 1200 and 1300, fell to 3C at 1600 after a 50 minute snowfall, recovered to 5.5C at 1700 and was again 3C at the end of observation. Winds were mainly W-WSW 30-50 gusting to 70 km/h, and cloud cover was 30-40% cumulus, altocumulus and cirrus to 1000, 60-100% altostratus and cumulus to 1500, and 10-30% mainly cumulus for the rest of the day. There were periods of snow between 1335 and 1355, and 1520 and 1610 that were followed by a few five-minute flurries to 1725. Observation conditions were excellent after 1600 when 19 of the day’s 34 migrants were seen. Birds moved between 0832 and 1930 with a maximum movement of 7 migrants between 1900 and 1930. The count, involving a season-high 10 species, was 2 Osprey, 7 adult Bald Eagles, 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks (2a, 2j), 3 Northern Goshawks (2a, 1j), 4 light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks (2a, 2u), 1 adult light morph Ferruginous Hawk, 1 light morph Rough-legged Hawk, 1 unidentified light morph Buteo, 5 Golden Eagles (1a, 1sa, 1j, 2u), 2 Merlins (1u columbarius and 1 female richardsonii), 2 adult male Peregrine Falcons and 2 small unidentified raptors. The 4 resident Red-tailed Hawks were active between 0836 and 1926, apart from the snowfall periods.

12.25 hours (426.3) OSPR 2 (5), BAEA 7 (288), SSHA 4 (42), NOGO 3 (60), RTHA 4 (159), FEHA 1 (4), RLHA 1 (64), UB 1 (13), GOEA 5 (1016), MERL 2 (16), PEFA 2 (5), UU 2 (2) TOTAL 34 (1743)

Steeples (Vance Mattson) No observation.

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (March 1 to April 22)

DAYS 43

HOURS 493.6

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 0

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 208

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 3

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 7

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 2

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 18

Accipiter sp. (UA) 0

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 3

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 35

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 22

Buteo sp. (UB) 3

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 2147

Eagle sp. (UE) 13

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 1

MERLIN (MERL) 3

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 1

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 4

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 1

Falco sp. (UF) 2

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 2

TOTAL 2475