Beaver Mines and Steeples, April 17

Friday, April 17 Beaver Mines [Day 53] 0630-2030 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0615 was 3C, the high at 1200 and 1300 was 10.5C and remained at 10C to 1700, and was still 7C at 2045. Winds were steady W-WSW 30-40 gusting to 55 km/h to 1700 after which they were W-WNW and became light at the end of observation. It was generally a cloudy day with 90-100% altostratus, altocumulus and cumulus with the exception of a brief period around noon when it reduced to 20% altocumulus and lenticular. Between 1400 and 1600 the cloud was particularly dark and opaque that made identification of high-flying birds difficult but otherwise observing conditions were reasonably good. A total of 40 migrants of 10 species moved fairly steadily between 1037 and 1921 that comprised the season’s first Osprey that brought the cumulative species total to eighteen, 8 Bald Eagles (5a, 3j), 2 female Northern Harriers (1a, 1j), 6 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a, 5u), 1 adult Cooper’s Hawk, 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 12 calurus Red-tailed Hawks (10 light adults and 2u dark morph birds), 2 light morph Rough-legged Hawks, 1 unidentified dark Buteo, 3 Golden Eagles (1a, 2sa) and 2 columbarius Merlins (1a male, 1u). The last migrant at 1827, the adult Golden Eagle, was gliding to the NNW when it suddenly veered to the SW back towards the ridge and made a hunting pass at a pair of Sandhill Cranes that were flying low against the ridge. The cranes avoided the attack in an ungainly flurry of legs and wings, and the eagle then continued its journey north but not before it was itself vigorously mobbed by a raven. Resident birds were 1 adult male Northern Harrier, 2 adult Sharp-shinned Hawks that visited the site on three occasions and 3 pairs of Red-tailed Hawks that were conspicuous in the air between 1352 and 1744. At Mount Lorette Lori Anderson reported 13 migrants of 7 species that comprised 1 Osprey, 2 Bald Eagles (1sa2 and 1 undifferentiated immature), 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 adult Cooper’s Hawk, 1 adult borealis Red-tailed Hawk, 1 unidentified Buteo, 5 Golden Eagles (2sa, 3u), and 1 female/immature richardsonii Merlin. Other birds seen at Beaver Mines were 13 Canada Geese, 6 Mallards, 16 Green-winged Teal, a pair of Common Mergansers, 3 male Wild Turkeys, 11 Rock Pigeons, 14 Sandhill Cranes that comprised the resident pair that flew down the valley at 0820, a pair that flew to the NNW at 1421, 2 pairs at 1720 (1 pair that flew to the SW and the other to the NNW), 1 pair that flew N at 1728 and the pair that narrowly avoided being a Golden Eagle’s supper at 1827, 1 Common Loon that flew high to the SW at 1916, 1 Great Blue Heron that flew to the NE at 1808, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Red-shafted Flicker, 2 Blue Jays, 50 American Crows, 20 Common Ravens, 4 Black-capped Chickadees, 4 Mountain Chickadees, 25 American Robins, 78 European Starlings, 4 Evening Grosbeaks, 5 Pine Grosbeaks, a flock of 30 Grey-crowned Rosy- Finches, 46 Dark-eyed Juncos (4 hyemalis, 12 cismontanus and 30 montanus) and 2 male Red-winged Blackbirds.

14.5 hours (558.5) OSPR 1 (1), BAEA 8 (334), NOHA 2 (23), SSHA 6 (55), COHA 1 (9), NOGO 1 (36), RTHA 12 (217), RLHA 2 (62), UB 2 (8), GOEA 3 (1071), MERL 2 (15), TOTAL 40 (1864)

Friday, April 17 Steeples [Day 41] 1300-1815 (Vance Mattson). Observation was from the Wolf Creek site which is 8 km north of the regular site, where the temperature reached 13C, cloud cover was 100% grey altostratus and conditions were calm. Two migrants were seen: an unaged Golden Eagle at 1412 and a light morph Rough-legged Hawk at 1759. Non-migrants were 1 adult Bald Eagle, 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 adult Red-tailed Hawk and the resident pair of Golden Eagles that were active from 1715 to the end of observation. The pair copulated on the edge of a cliff and five minutes later the male dropped from the cliff into a 300 metre stoop, the result of which was obscured by the forest. He returned to his mate at 1800 and after another five minutes dived headlong down the mountain side with the result again obscured by the forest.

5.25 hours (218.5) RLHA 1 (3), GOEA 1 (327) TOTAL 2 (486)