Beaver Mines and Steeples, March 21

Saturday, March 21 Beaver Mines [Day 26] 0715-2015 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0715 was 0C, the high at 1200 was 7C and it was again 0C at 2015. Winds were moderate SSW-WSW 10-20 gusting 30 km/h to 1300 after which they were ENE-NNE 10-15 km/h and finally N at 2000 with very light snow beginning at 2015. It was cloudless to 1300 when trace amounts to 30% cumulus developed to 1800 after which cloud cover was 100% stratus for the rest of the day. In an attempt to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus, at midnight last night the Canada-US border was closed with the exception of passage of essential goods. It appears that migratory raptors fall into the category of inessential goods as not one was seen today despite ideal migration conditions, at least up to early afternoon. I recall that a similar coincidence occurred on the infamous date of September 11, 2001when all air traffic in North America was brought to a halt. I was counting at Mount Lorette where ideal migration conditions again produced zero migrants, and this proved to be the only day in the 101-day count when this happened! The only resident raptor seen today was an undifferentiated immature Bald Eagle that soared very low above the ridge and flew off to the SE at 1849. At Mount Lorette Blake Weis reported 23 migrants in a snow-shortened 8.67 hours that comprised 4 Bald Eagles (3a, 1j), 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2 unidentified Buteos and 16  Golden Eagles (13a, 3u), a count very similar to that at Beaver Mines yesterday.  Other birds seen at Beaver Mines were 50 Canada Geese that flew high to the NE at 1030, 7 Rock Pigeons, 1 Eurasian Collared Dove, 3 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 4 American Crows, 8 Common Ravens, 10 Black-capped Chickadees, 8 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 3 American Robins, 13 European Starlings, a flock of 25 Bohemian Waxwings that flew low to the NE down the valley, 6 Evening Grosbeaks, 26 Pine Grosbeaks, 31 Dark-eyed Juncos (1 cismontanus and 30 montanus) and 1 male Red-winged Blackbird.

13 hours (292.3) TOTAL 0 (498)

Saturday, March 21 [Day 17] 1145-1930 (Vance Mattson). The temperature was initially 2C and reached a high of 9C before dropping to 7C at the end of observation. It was calm and cloudless to 1700 when 60% cumulus cloud cover and moderate NW winds developed. A total of 28 migrant raptors of 3 species moved sporadically between 1401 and 1916 comprising 11 Bald Eagles (9a, 2j), 2 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks and 15 Golden Eagles (13a, 1j, 1u). Birds generally moved low above the ridges but the last pulse between 1817 and 1916 involving 12 migrants (of which 8 were Bald Eagles), occurred at a great height above the valley to the east of the ridges above the site. Non-migrants were 9 Bald Eagles (7a, 2j) with two pair-flights observed, the resident pair of Red-tailed Hawks that were vocal near the site at 1436, and 4 Golden Eagles (2a, 2j) with the juvenile birds interacting. Spring is much more advanced west of the Rockies!

7.75 hours (76.25) BAEA 11 (81), RTHA 2 (4), GOEA 15 (247) TOTAL 28 (336)