Beaver Mines and Steeples, March 31

Tuesday, March 31 Beaver Mines [Day 36] 07000-2000 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0700 was -8C and varied throughout the day between -8 and -10C until 2000 when it was -11C. Winds were NNE-NE all day 9-18 km/h and cloud cover was 100% stratus with light to moderate snow for most of the day that deposited 7 cm by 2000. The ridge was only clear between 1515 and 1536, 1610 and 1625, 1630 and 1655, and 1755 and 1835, and between 1527 and 1535 4 adult Golden Eagles flew high to the NW. Two low-flying Sharp-shinned hawks, a juvenile at 1843 and an adult at 1910, completed the count of 6 migrant raptors. No observation was possible at Mount Lorette as snow again fell all day and obscured all ridges.  Other birds seen at Beaver Mines were 14 Canada Geese, 2 pairs of American Wigeon, 7 Mallards, 1 Eurasian Collared Dove, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 3 Blue Jays, 56 American Crows, 4 Common Ravens, 6 Black-capped Chickadees, 4 Mountain Chickadees, 2 American Robins, 5 European Starlings, 30 Evening Grosbeaks, 29 Pine Grosbeaks, 152 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, 1 American Tree Sparrow, 45 Dark-eyed Juncos (2 hyamalis, 3 cismontanus, 40 montanus) and 1 male Red-winged Blackbird.

13 hours (434.7) SSHA 2 (19) GOEA 4 (895) TOTAL 6 (1274)

March Summary Beaver Mines (with percentage variance compared to 2015-2019 average) 29 days (+2.8%), 358.5 hours (+44.7%) TUVU 0, OSPR 0, BAEA 177 (+5%), NOHA 5 (-45.7%), SSHA 19 (+69.6%), COHA 4 (+233.3%), NOGO 28 (-0.1%), BWHA 0, SWHA 0, RTHA 27 (-42.1%), FEHA 1 (-54.5%), RLHA 29 (-47.8%), GOEA 843 (-1.4%), AMKE 0, MERL 5 (-21.9%), GYRF 2 (-52.4%), PEFA 3 (+114.3%), PRFA 5 (+25%), UA 1 (+100%), UB 1 (-76.2%), UE 0, UF 0, UU 0 TOTAL 1150 (-4.8%)

March Summary Mount Lorette (with percentage variance compared to 1993-2019 average excluding the anomalously low counts in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012) 25 days (-13.6 %), 284.4 hours (-8.8%) TUVU 0, OSPR 0, BAEA 75 (-27.4%), NOHA 0, SSHA 3 (+19.1%), COHA 0, NOGO 6 (-41.5%), BWHA 0, SWHA 0, RTHA 6 (+40.9%), FEHA 0, RLHA 2 (-59.7%), GOEA 1161 (-45.8%), AMKE 0, MERL 0, GYRF 0, PEFA 0, PRFA 1 (+12.5%), UA 0, UB 5 (+542.9%), UE 16 (+285.7), UF 1 (+170%), UU 1 (+35%) TOTAL 1277 (-44%)

Tuesday, March 31 Steeples (Vance Mattson). No observation possible. The ridges were obscured all day.

March Summary Steeples (with percentage variance compared to 2010-2019 average) 25 days (+20.2 %), 131.3 hours (+50.3%) TUVU 0, OSPR 0, BAEA 98 (-8.8%), NOHA 0, SSHA 0, COHA 0, NOGO 1 (-23.1%), BWHA 0, SWHA 0, RTHA 4 (-20%), FEHA 0, RLHA 1 (-54.5%), GOEA 300 (+1.5%), AMKE 0, MERL 0, GYRF 1 (first spring record), PEFA 0, PRFA 0, UA 0, UB 0, UE 2 (-9.1%), UF 0, UU 0 TOTAL 407 (-3%).