Beaver Mines and Steeples, March 10

Tuesday, March 10 Beaver Mines [Day 17] 0745-1945 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0745 was -4C, the high at 1400 and 1500 was 3C and it was 0C at 1945. Winds were SW-WSW all day 40-60 gusting 90 km/h in the morning and 30-60 gusting 70 km/h in the afternoon. Cloud cover was 100% altostratus, cumulus and stratus all day with “horizontal” snow driven by strong winds beginning at 1521 that obscured the ridge to the end of observation. Snow also fell to the SW and S of the site from 1300 when Victoria Peak and the Continental Divide became obscured. The conditions produced a weak and sporadic movement of 18 raptors between 0808 and 1521 that comprised 1 juvenile Bald Eagle, 1u Northern Goshawk and 16 Golden Eagles (15a, 1sa). Six eagles moved between 1400 and 1500. Other birds seen were 9 Rock Pigeons, 1 Eurasian Collared Dove, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 20 Common Ravens, 6 Black-capped Chickadees, 10 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 5 European Starlings, 5 Evening Grosbeaks, 45 Pine Grosbeaks, 1 American Tree Sparrow, the first of the year, and 26 Dark-eyed Juncos (1 cismontanus and 25 montanus).

12 hours (179.3) BAEA 1 (88), NOGO 1 (9), GOEA 16 (174) TOTAL 18 (308)

Tuesday, March 10 Steeples [Day 8] 1530-1700 (Vance Mattson). The temperature was 4C, winds were strong SE and cloud cover was 100% altostratus and low stratus that was not heavy but sufficient to obscure the ridges. After 1.5 hours no migrant or resident raptors were seen and it became apparent that the ridges were not going to clear to allow any chance of movement.

1.5 hours (21.75) TOTAL 0 (38)