Mount Lorette, Beaver Mines and Steeples March 3

March 3 [Day3] (Blake Weis, assisted by Dan Parliament) 0745-1610. The temperature was 0C apart from 0900-1200 when the temperature was 1C. Ground winds were SW 10-20 gusting to 43 km/h and ridge winds were SW very strong in the morning and strong in the afternoon. Cloud cover was initially 10-20% altocumulus and cumulus but it rapidly thickened in late morning and was 100% stratus throughout the afternoon. The eastern ridges were clear to 1100 and afterwards were 20-90% variably obscured before reaching 100% at 1600. The west was 20% obscured to 1100 and was 100% obscured throughout the afternoon. Light snow fell between 0900 and 1000 that became steady after 1200 and heavy at 1610 when the count was abandoned for the day. No migrant raptors were seen but a non-migrant adult Bald Eagle flapped low to the south into the wind above the river. The only other birds seen were 15 Common Ravens, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Boreal Chickadee and 1 American Dipper.

8.42 hours (25.92) TOTAL 0 (4)

Beaver Mines [Day7] (Peter Sherrington) 0900-1715. The temperature was 3C at both the start and finish of the count and the high at 1300 and 1400 was 6C. winds were WSW-W all day, 40-60 gusting to 87 km/h. Cloud cover was 20-30% altocumulus and cumulus to 1200 after which it thickened to 60-70% altostratus, altocumulus and cumulus, and 100% stratus after 1500. After 1300 the mountains to the southwest were obscured and sporadic very light snow flurries occurred after 1400. It was a disappointing migration with only 8 birds seen: 2 adult Bald Eagles and 6 adult Golden Eagles between 0931 and 1602. Three of the birds moved between 1330 and 1356.

8.25 hours (38.75) BAEA 2 (10), GOEA 8 (38) TOTAL 8 (55)

Steeples (Vance Mattson) No observation. It was overcast all day with light rain, with the mountains partially to totally obscured by cloud.

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (March 1 to April 22)

DAYS 3

HOURS 25.92

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 0

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 2

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 0

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 0

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 0

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 0

Accipiter sp. (UA) 0

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 0

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 0

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 0

Buteo sp. (UB) 0

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 2

Eagle sp. (UE) 0

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 0

MERLIN (MERL) 0

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 0

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 0

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 0

Falco sp. (UF) 0

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 0

TOTAL 4