Beaver Mines and Steeples, April 22

Wednesday, April 22 Beaver Mines [Day 58] 0600-2100 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0600 was 5.5C, the high at 1600 was 14 C and it was still 9C at 2100. Winds were WSW all day 30-45 gusting to 65 km/h and cloud cover was 70-100% altostratus, cirrus, cumulus, altocumulus and lenticular with the exception of 1000 when it briefly reduced to 30% cirrus and altocumulus. There was hazy sunshine for most of the day and migration and observing conditions were excellent. A total of 52 migrant raptors of a season-high 14 species moved steadily between 0754 and 1942 that comprised 2 adult Turkey Vultures, 2 Ospreys, 1 adult Bald Eagle, 2 male Northern Harriers (1j, 1u), 14 Sharp-shinned Hawks (3a, 11u), 3 Cooper’s Hawks (1a, 2u), 4 Northern Goshawks (3j, 1u), 5 adult Broad-winged Hawks (4 light, 1 dark). 4 of which soared high above the ridge with 6 ravens at 1942 and were the last migrants of the day, 1 adult light morph Swainson’s Hawk, only 2 adult calurus Red-tailed Hawks (1 light, 1 dark), 1 dark morph unidentified Buteo, 8 Golden Eagles (2a, 1sa, 4j, 1u), 2u American Kestrels, 2 female columbarius Merlins and 3 Peregrine Falcons (1 adult female, 1 adult male and 1u male). The highest single-hour count was 1500-1600 when 13 migrants were seen. Non-migrant birds were a pair and a single adult male Northern Harrier, 2 or 3 pairs of Red-tailed Hawks and 1 adult Golden Eagle. We have decided to extend the Beaver Mines count for a few more days or until the current significant movement has ended. At Mount Lorette Blake Weis reported 17 migrants of 5 species in 11 hours of observation that comprised 4 Bald Eagles (1a, 1sa and 2 undifferentiated immatures), 2u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1u Cooper’s Hawk, the season’s first Ferruginous Hawk, an adult dark morph, and 9 Golden Eagles (3sa, 1j, 5u). Other birds seen at Beaver Mines were 5 Canada Geese, 13 Mallards, 10 Green-winged Teal, 1 male Common Merganser, 32 Rock Pigeons, 1 pair of resident Sandhill Cranes and 2 pairs that flew high to the SW at 1646 and 1836, 1 Wilson’s Snipe, 1 Red-shafted Flicker, 1 Steller’s Jay, 3 Blue Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 20 American Crows, 27 Common Ravens, 4 Tree Swallows 8 Black-capped Chickadees, 6 Mountain Chickadees, 8 American Robins, 4 European Starlings, 17 Evening Grosbeaks, 7 Pine Grosbeaks, 406 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches that flew high to the NNW in 6 flocks between 0952 and 1626, 4 Dark-eyed [montanus] Juncos, 6 male Red-winged Blackbirds, and 2 male Common Grackles.

15 hours (731.2), TUVU 2 (5), OSPR 2 (6), BAEA 1 (351), NOHA 2 (37), SSHA 14 (93), COHA 3 (17), NOGO 4 (47), BWHA 5 (13), SWHA 1 (4), RTHA 2 (260), UB 1 (9), GOEA 8 (1113), AMKE 2 (12), MERL 2 (24), PEFA 3 (10), TOTAL 52 (2078)

April Summary Beaver Mines to April 22 (with percentage variance compared to 2015-2019 average) 22 days (+5.8%), 306.5.5 hours (+46.5%) TUVU 5 (+212.5%), OSPR 6 (+87.5), BAEA 127 (+30.7%), NOHA 32 (-17.1%), SSHA 74 (-39.1%), COHA 13 (+20.4%), NOGO 15 (-19.4%), UA 0, BWHA 13 (+62.5%), SWHA 4 (+53.8%), RTHA 233 (-62.3%), FEHA 3 (-6.3%), RLHA 12 (-48.7%), UB 8 (-7%), GOEA 218 (+2.1%), UE 0, AMKE 12 (+53.8%), MERL 19 (+111.1%), GYRF 2 (-25%), PEFA 7 (+6.1%), PRFA 1 (-68.8%), UF 0, UU 0 TOTAL 804 (+22.2%)

Beaver Mines spring 2020 summary February 23-April 22 (With percentage variance from the 5-year average 2015-2019). 58 days (+14.6%), 731.2 hours (+56.7%), TUVU 5 (+127.3%), OSPR 6 (+87.5%), BAEA 351 (+30.5%), NOHA 37 (-22.6%), SSHA 93 (+44.4%), COHA 17 (+41.7%), NOGO 47 (-4.9%), UA 1 (-28.6%), BWHA 13 (+51.2%), SWHA 4 (+42.9%), RTHA 260 (+36.7%), FEHA 4 (-25.9%), RLHA 62 (-22.1%), UB 9 (-31.8%), GOEA 1113 (+3.5%), UE 0, AMKE 12 (+20%), MERL 24 (+55.8%), GYRF 4 (-33.3%), PEFA 10 (+25%), PRFA 6 (-16.7%), UF 0, UU 0  TOTAL 2078 (+10.7%) of 18 species.

[The Beaver Mines figures will be updated when the count ends]

April Summary Mount Lorette (with percentage variance compared to 1993-2019 average excluding the anomalously low counts in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012) 20 days (-5.54%), 243 hours (-0.8%) TUVU 0, OSPR 3 (+56.8%), BAEA 92 (+28.3%), NOHA 4 (+1.1%), SSHA 21 (-1%), COHA 9 (+55.6%), NOGO 15 (+30.7%), UA 6 (+283%), BWHA 0, SWHA 0, RTHA 27 (+6.7%), FEHA 1 (+475%), RLHA 8 (-42.3%), UB 2 (+43.8%), GOEA 367 (-28.6%), UE 1 (-42.5%), AMKE 3 (+176%), MERL 5 (+12.7%), GYRF 0, PEFA 0, PRFA 2 (+84%), UF 2 (+318%), UU 5 (+271%) TOTAL 573 (-16.3%)

Mount Lorette spring 2020 summary March 1-April 22 (With variance from the long-term 1993-2019 23-year average, that excludes the anomalously low counts in 2008-2010 and 2012 which are considered invalid). 45 days (-9.7%), 527.4 hours (-5.3%), TUVU 0, OSPR 3 (+56.8%), BAEA 167 (-9.1%), NOHA 4 (-14%), SSHA 24 (+0.7%), COHA 9 (+39.9%), NOGO 21 (-6.4%), UA 6 (+200%), BWHA 0, SWHA 0, RTHA 33 (+10.2%), FEHA 1 (+475), RLHA 10 (-47.7%), UB 7 (+228.6%), GOEA 1528 (-46.8% and the lowest valid spring count ever), UE 17 (+194%), AMKE 3 (+176%), MERL 5 (-24.8%), GYRF 0, PEFA 0, PRFA 3 (+43.8%), UF 3 (+245%), UU 6 (+193.6%) TOTAL 1850 (-42% and the lowest valid spring count ever) of 13 species

Wednesday, April 22 Steeples [Day 45] 1300-1700 (Vance Mattson).  Observation was from the Wolf Creek site where the temperature was 16C, it was calm with intermittent E winds and cloud cover was 100% altostratus and dark cumulus. No migrants were seen and non-migrants were 2 Bald Eagles and the resident Golden Eagle pair. There was a lengthy and impressive sky-dancing display by the male Golden Eagle that ranged over 1.5 km and 1000 m of elevation, dropping almost to the valley floor.

4 hours (233.3) TOTAL 0 (489)

Steeples April summary to April 22 (With percentage variance from the 10-year average 2010-2019). 20 days (+66.7%), 102 hours (+112.4%), TUVU 2 (-73.7%), OSPR 1 (-23.1%), BAEA 36 (+26.3%), NOHA 1 (+100%), SSHA 3 (-23.1%), COHA 0, NOGO 0, UA 0, BWHA 0, SWHA 0, RTHA 5 (-37.5%), FEHA 0, RLHA 2 (+33.3%), UB 0, GOEA 29 (-18.8%), UE 0, AMKE 0, MERL 2 (first spring records for the site), GYRF 0, PEFA 1 (+100%), PRFA 0, UF 0, UU 0 TOTAL 82 (-8.8%).

Steeples spring 2020 summary (With percentage variance from the 10-year average 2010-2019). 45 days (+33.9%), 233.3 hours (+67.6%), TUVU 2 (-76.7%), OSPR 1 (-23.1%), BAEA 134 (-6.8%), NOHA 1 (+42.9), SSHA 3 (-66%), COHA 0, NOGO 0, UA 0, BWHA 0, SWHA 0, RTHA 8 (-32.1%), FEHA 0, RLHA 3 (-45.5%), UB 0, GOEA 329 (-7.7%), UE 2 (+28.6%), AMKE 0, MERL 2 (first spring records for the site), GYRF 1 (first spring record for the site), PEFA 1 (+25%), PRFA 0, UF 0, UU 0 TOTAL 489 (-9.2%) of 11 species.