Beaver Mines and Steeples, March 5

Thursday, March 05 Beaver Mines [Day 12] 0700-1815 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0700 was -3C, the high at 1500 was 8.5C and it was 6C at 1815. Winds were mainly WSW all day, 20-30 gusting to 40 km/h in the morning, 30-40 gusting 65 km/h to 1700 after which gusts moderated to 45 km/h. Cloud cover was 100% altostratus and altocumulus to 1300 after which it was 80-90% altocumulus and cirrus, but the cloud was thin enough to give hazy sunshine all day and observing conditions were very good. A total of 19 migrant raptors of a season-high 5 species were seen between 0918 and 1647 that comprised 6 Bald Eagles (3a, 3j), the season’s first Northern Harrier, an adult male at 1645, which is the earliest ever for the site, 2 light morph Rough-legged Hawks, 9 adult Golden Eagles and the season’s first Merlin, an adult probable female of the race columbarius. Movement was generally sporadic but there were 2 clusters of 3 Golden Eagles between 0944 and 0951, and again between 1126 and 1129; and 2 Bald Eagles (adult and juvenile), the Northern Harrier and a Rough-legged Hawk were seen between 1645 and 1647. A non-migratory adult female Northern Goshawk also flew low to the ENE across the valley at 1101.  Other birds seen were 39 Canada Geese including a flock of 25 that flew very high to the north at 0711, 8 Rock Pigeons, 1 Eurasian Collared Dove, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Blue Jay, 2 Black-billed Magpies, 29 Common Ravens, 12 Black-capped Chickadees, 16 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 16 European Starlings, 3 Evening Grosbeaks and 45 Pine Grosbeaks.

11.25 hours (121.3) BAEA 6 (73), NOHA 1 (1), RLHA 2 (30), GOEA 9 (86), MERL 1 (1) TOTAL 19 (196)

Thursday, March 05 Steeples [Day 5] 1530-1800 (Vance Mattson).  The temperature was 8C, cloud cover was 80% thin to moderate altostratus and cumulus and winds were moderate SE. Four migrant Golden Eagles (1a, 1j, 1u) were seen and non-migrants were a resident adult Golden Eagle (seen three times) and a juvenile Bald Eagle.

2.5 hours (13.25) GOEA 4 (9) TOTAL 4 (14)