Beaver Mines, April 28

Tuesday, April 28 Beaver Mines [Day 64] 0700-2030 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0700 was 4C, the high at 1700 was 15C and it was 12C at 2030. Yet again the winds were W-WSW all day, 35-45 gusting 55-60 km/h, and it was cloudless to 1440 after which cloud cover was 20-40% altocumulus and lenticular that gave excellent observing conditions. The conditions were also conducive for raptor migration after 1100 with a total of 33 birds moving fairly steadily between 1108 and 1930 comprising 14 species, which equals the season high species count and includes a rare “grand-slam” of all 5 falcon species. The count was 1 adult Turkey Vulture, 1 Osprey, 8 Bald Eagles (6a, 1sa2, 1 sa2), 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks (2a, 2u), 1 juvenile Cooper’s Hawk, 1 adult light morph Swainson’s Hawk, 2 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks, 1 dark morph Rough-legged Hawk, 6 juvenile Golden Eagles, 1 female American Kestrel, 2 male columbarius Merlins, 1 juvenile female grey morph Gyrfalcon that flew directly overhead at 1256, 2 adult Peregrine Falcons (1 male, 1 female) and 2 female Prairie Falcons. The highest hourly count was 8 birds between 1100 and 1200, and 3 other hours saw the passage of 5 birds. Residents were again a pair of Northern Harriers with the male seen displaying at 1711, and 2 pairs of Red-tailed Hawks seen regularly between 0903 and 1834 with males seen displaying at 1557 and 1710. Other birds were 4 Canada Geese, 3 Wood Ducks that were the first of the season, 4 Mallards, 1 pair of Northern Pintails, 8 Rock Pigeons, 2 Mourning Doves, 1 male Rufous Hummingbird that was seen by Gord Petersen across the road that was also a season’s first, 2 pairs of resident Sandhill Cranes and 1 pair that flew high to the SW at 0945, 2 Long-billed Curlews, also a season’s first,  that were seen by Troy Malish at 0750 flying in the direction of the site but which were not subsequently relocated, 1 Great Blue Heron, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Red-shafted Flicker, 2 Steller’s Jays, 24 American Crows, 13 Common Ravens, 3 Tree Swallows, 3 Black-capped Chickadees, 4 Mountain Chickadees, 6 American Robins, 6 European Starlings, 15 Evening Grosbeaks, flocks of 9 and 70 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches that flew to the N at 1743 and 1854 respectively, 1 second-year male House Finch, 2 Pine Siskins, 1 female Spotted Towhee, 1 White-crowned Sparrow of the race gambelii that was a first for the site this year, 5 Dark-eyed Juncos (1 hyemalis, 2 cismontanus and 2 montanus), 8 male Red-winged Blackbirds, 2 male Common Grackles and 1 Orange-crowned Warbler.

13.5 hours (806.7) TUVU 1 (13), OSPR 1 (11), BAEA 8 (373), SSHA 4 (119), COHA 1 (23), SWHA 1 (8), RTHA 2 (276), RLHA 1 (64), GOEA 6 (1153), AMKE 1 (18), MERL 2 (30), GYRF 1 (5), PEFA 2 (16), PRFA 2 (9) TOTAL 33 (2244)