Beaver Mines and Steeples, April 6

Monday, April 06 Beaver Mines [Day 42] 0645-2030 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0645 was 0C, the high from 1500 to 1900 was 6C and it was still 5C at 2030. Winds were WSW-SW all day, light to 0830 then 20-30 gusting to 45 km/h for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was 90-100% cumulus to 0900 that brought snow between 0745 and 0800 (1 cm) and then a few flurries but subsequently it cleared and 30-50% cumulus and altostratus reduced to 10% cumulus and cloudless skies to 1730 after which 70-100% altostratus developed for the rest of the day. Migration conditions were ideal and produced a count of 122 raptors of 7 species that moved steadily at generally high altitudes between 0835 and 1959. The count comprised 26 Bald Eagles (22a, 2sa2, 1sa1, 1j), a season-high 6 Northern Harriers (3 males (2a, 1j) and 3 adult females), 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 adult Northern Goshawk, a season-high 34 adult Red-tailed Hawks (28 calurus (25 light 3 dark) and 6 dark morph harlani), 1 unidentified dark morph Buteo, 52 Golden Eagles (23a, 5sa, 24j) and the season’s first American Kestrel, a female bird that flew high to the north at 0923. The highest hourly counts were 18 between 1500 and 1600 and again between 1600 and 1700. A resident pair of Northern Harriers was also present with the male seen vigorously displaying over the ridge on a number of occasions, and a resident pair of Red-tailed Hawks was seen hunting.  At Mount Lorette Blake Weis reported 23 migrants in 12.83 hours of observation that comprised 3 Bald Eagles (2a, 1sa1), 1u Northern Goshawk, 2 adult Red-tailed Hawks (1 light morph calurus and 1 intermediate morph harlani), 16 Golden Eagles (4a, 6sa, 6u) and 2 unidentified raptors (1 large and 1 medium). Other birds seen at Beaver Mines were 9 Canada Geese, 8 Mallards, 1 Green-winged Teal, 33 Rock Pigeons, 3 Blue Jays, 34 American Crows, 24 Common Ravens, 4 Black-capped Chickadees, 6 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Townsend’s Solitaire that was the first of the year, 1 American Robin, 10 European Starlings, 4 Bohemian Waxwings, 1 male Evening Grosbeak,  8 Pine Grosbeaks, 174 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches flying in 3 flocks, 1 female House Finch that was the first of the year  and 25 Dark-eyed [montanus] Juncos.   A single male Sharp-shinned Hawk made 4 rapid unsuccessful sweeps through the site at 0817 and was not seen again.

13.75 hours (506) BAEA 26 (264), NOHA 6 (13), SSHA 1 (31), NOGO 1 (35), RTHA 34 (82), UB 1 (3), GOEA 52 (998), AMKE 1 (1) TOTAL 122 (1500)

Monday, April 06 Steeples [Day 31] 1200-1830 (Vance Mattson). The temperature reached a high of 9C from a low of 5C, winds were light to moderate SW and 20% cumulus to 60% thin altostratus cloud cover gave sunny conditions. A total of 14 migrants of 4 species moved between 1216 and 1234 that comprised 3 juvenile Bald Eagles, 1 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk, 1 dark morph Rough-legged Hawk and 9 Golden Eagles (5a, 3j, 1u). Nine of the migrants moved before 1300. Non-migrant birds were 3 Golden Eagles (2a, 1j) that were seen several times including a display flight, 3 Bald Eagles (1a, 2sa), many sightings of Red-tailed Hawks that hovered and hunted above the ridges, and 5 sightings of Turkey Vultures which were the first of the year at the site although a single bird was seen over the Kootenay River last week.

6.5 hours (162.3) BAEA 3 (108), RTHA 1 (5), RLHA 1 (2), GOEA 9 (317) TOTAL 14 (436)