Beaver Mines and Steeples, April 16

Thursday, April 16 Beaver Mines [Day 52] 0630-2030 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0630 was -6C, the high at 1700 and 1800 was 8C and it was 5.5C at 2020. Winds were WSW all day, 15-20 km/h to 1000 and then 25-40 gusting to 50 km/h for the rest of the day. It was mainly cloudless all day with occasional traces of cirrus, with the exception of 1200 and 1630-1715 when 30% and 50% cirrus developed respectively. A total of 41 birds of 8 species moved between 1316 and 1759 which is the highest count at the site since April 9. The count was 1 adult Turkey Vulture, 6 Bald Eagles (4a, 1sa1, 1j), 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 adult dark morph Broad-winged Hawk, 18 calurus Red-tailed Hawks (12 light morphs: 11a, 1j; and 6 dark morphs: 4a, 2u), 12 Golden Eagles (5a, 3sa, 4j), 1u American Kestrel and 1 male columbarius Merlin. Eighteen birds moved between 1300 and 1400 and 11 between 1400 and 1500. Non-migrants were 1 female Northern Harrier, 1 or 2 adult male Sharp-shinned Hawks that visited the site on four occasions between 0748 and 1719, and 2 pairs of Red-tailed Hawks.

At Mount Lorette Graeme Dunlop reported 35 migrants of a season-high 10 species that comprised the season’s first Osprey, 9 Bald Eagles (4a, 1sa, 4j), 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a, 2u), 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 5 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks, 2 light morph Rough-legged Hawks, 11 Golden Eagles (1a, 1sa, 7j, 2u), 1u American Kestrel, 1 adult female columbarius Merlin and 1 unidentified large falcon. Eighteen migrants moved between 1200 and 1400. Other birds seen at Beaver Mines were 21 Canada Geese, 17 Mallards, 20 Green-winged Teal, a lek of 32 Wild Turkeys, 15 Rock Pigeons, a pair of Greater Sandhill Cranes, 2 Killdeer, 3 Red-shafted Flickers, 1 Steller’s Jay, 3 Blue Jays, 50 American Crows, 19 Common Ravens, 4 Black-capped Chickadees, 4 Mountain Chickadees, 1 male Mountain Bluebird, 15 American Robins, 1 male Varied Thrush, 42 European Starlings, 11 Evening Grosbeak, 4 Pine Grosbeaks, a flock of 100 Grey-crowned Rosy- Finches and 60 Dark-eyed Juncos (10 hyemalis, 8 cismontanus and 50 montanus).

14 hours (644) TUVU 1 (3), BAEA 6 (326), SSHA 1 (49), BWHA 1 (3), RTHA 18 (205), GOEA 12 (1068), AMKE 1 (5), MERL 1 (13) TOTAL 41 (1824)

Thursday, April 16 Steeples [Day 39] 1300-1730 (Vance Mattson). The temperature reached 13C, it was calm to 1630 after which light S winds developed and it was cloudless. Two migrants were seen: an adult probable female Peregrine Falcon at 1536 and a subadult 3 Bald Eagle at 1601. Non migrants were 4 Turkey Vultures and 2 adult Bald Eagles.

4.5 hours (213.3) BAEA 1 (133), PEFA 1 (1) TOTAL 2 (484)