Mount Lorette and Beaver Mines, April 18

April 18 [Day 47] (Brian McBride, assisted by Fred Bowen) 0710-1910. The temperature reached a high of 10C at 1700 and 1800 from a morning low of 0C and it was 8C at the end of observation. Ground winds were very variable, light to 0900, then 10-15 gusting 20 km/h to 1300 after which they were 5-10 km/h for the rest of the day; ridge winds were W moderate to strong from 1000 to 1400, and moderate for the rest of the time. Cloud cover was also variable ranging from 30 to 90% mainly cumulus and altostratus that gave good observing conditions throughout. The east ridges were clear all day, while the west was variably 30-90% obscured until 1700 after which it was also clear. A mixture of snow and rain fell from 1315 to 1345, from 1600 to 1630 and after 1900. Despite the mainly favourable migration and observing conditions only 2 migrant raptors were seen: 1u American Kestrel that soared high above the Hay Meadow at 0842 before drifting northwards, and 1j Golden Eagle that flew north from the northern end of the Fisher Range at 1420. Resident raptors were 2 Northern Goshawks at the nest site near the parking area, at least I pair of Red-tailed Hawks and a pair of Golden Eagles, one of which displayed over the Fisher Range in the afternoon. Other bird species included 1 drumming Ruffed Grouse, 1 singing Northern Pygmy-Owl, 1 Northern Shrike, 2 Tree Swallows, 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 7 Mountain Bluebirds (4m, 3f), 9 American Robins, 1 singing Varied Thrush, 3 American Pipits and 17 Dark-eyed Juncos. There were no visitors today, but a male Grizzly Bear on the Stoney Trail at 1620 was some compensation for the poor raptor migration. The bear had an ear tag # 64 that indicated that it was first captured 20 years ago.

12 hours (543.3) GOEA 1 (2204), AMKE 1 (4) TOTAL 2 (2564)

Beaver Mines [Day 52] (Peter Sherrington) 0800-1945. The temperature at 0800 was 2C, the high was 13.5C at 1400 and it was 8.5C at the end of observation. Winds were W-WSW all day 25-40 gusting 55 km/h, and cloud cover was 50-80% altostratus, cumulus and altocumulus that briefly reached 100% around 1800. It was mainly sunny and observing conditions were good throughout the day. Movement was initially slow with only 2 Golden Eagles recorded between 0959 and 1200, but subsequently migration was steady to 1914 with a maximum hourly count of 10 between 1500 and 1600. The final total was 39 birds of 8 species comprising 1a Bald Eagle, 7a Northern Harriers (6 male, 1 female), 4u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 5 Northern Goshawks (4a, 1u), 7a calurus Red-tailed Hawks (6 light and 1 dark), 1 dark morph Rough-legged Hawk, 1 unidentified Buteo, 12 Golden Eagles (4a, 1sa, 5j, 2u) and 1 adult male columbarius Merlin.

11.75 hours (469.8) BAEA 1 (295), NOHA 7 (51), SSHA 4 (55), NOGO 5 (67), RTHA 7 (179), RLHA 1 (67), UB 1 (16), GOEA 12 (1045), MERL 1 (17) TOTAL 39 (1857)

Steeples (Vance Mattson) No observation.

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (March 1 to April 22)

DAYS 47

HOURS 543.3

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 0

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 210

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 3

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 11

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 4

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 24

Accipiter sp. (UA) 0

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 3

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 47

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 22

Buteo sp. (UB) 3

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 2204

Eagle sp. (UE) 13

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 4

MERLIN (MERL) 5

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 2

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 4

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 1

Falco sp. (UF) 2

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 2

TOTAL 2564