Beaver Mines May 03, End of Spring 2020 Count

Sunday, May 03 Beaver Mines [Day 69] 0615-2045 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0615 was 9C, periodic light rain between 0645 and 1115 reduced the temperature to 6C at 1000 and 1100; it reached the day’s high of 10.5C at 1400 but snow and sleet flurries between 1435 and 1513 reduced it to 8C at 1500; it rose again to 10C at 1600 and 1700 and then gradually fell to 5C at 2045. Winds were strong WSW all day, 30-50 gusting 70 and occasionally 80 km/h, and cloud cover was 100% stratocumulus to 1300 after which it was mainly cloudless with up to 40% cumulus briefly moving from the SW, with the exception of around 1500 when it was 100% stratus that produced snow flurries. Despite the variable weather observation conditions were generally good but the last day of the count produced only 7 migrants of 4 species between 1239 and 1741 that occurred in two small clusters: 4 birds between 1239 and 1352 and 3 birds between 1712 and 1741. The count was 1 juvenile Bald Eagle, 3u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 juvenile Cooper’s Hawk and 2 Broad-winged Hawks (1 juvenile dark morph and 1 adult light morph that was the last bird of the spring 2020 count at 1721). Resident birds were 4 Bald Eagles (2a, 2j) that fed on the valley floor just after noon, 1 briefly sighted adult male Northern Harrier at 1239, 1 Red-tailed Hawk hunting at 1554 and a pair hunting at 1850, and a single adult Golden Eagle that hunted the ridge at 0755 and 1804. Other birds were 2 Canada Geese, 2 Cinnamon Teal, 5 Mallards, 1 drumming Ruffed Grouse, 12 Rock Pigeons, 2 Mourning Doves, 1 male Calliope Hummingbird, 2 Sandhill Cranes, 2 Wilson’s Snipe, 1 Red-naped Sapsucker, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Steller’s Jay, 2 Blue Jays, 2 Black-billed Magpies, 35 American Crows, 21 Common Ravens, 6 Tree Swallows, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 6 American Robins, 56 European Starlings, 19 Evening Grosbeaks, a flock of 14 Cassin’s Finches (5 males and 9 females), 3 White-crowned Sparrows (2 oriantha that is the local breeding race and 1 migrant intergrade oriantha– gambelii), 12 male Red-winged Blackbirds, 1 male Brown-headed Cowbird that is the first for the season, and 12 Common Grackles (10 males, 2 females).

14.5 hours (877.7) BAEA 1 (389), SSHA 3 (141), COHA 1 (30), BWHA 2 (23) TOTAL 7 (2348)

May Summary Beaver Mines 3 days (43 hours) TUVU 2, OSPR 1, BAEA 12, NOHA 0, SSHA 8, COHA 4, NOGO 0, BWHA 2, SWHA 0, RTHA 2, FEHA 0, RLHA 0, GOEA 9, AMKE 1, MERL 1 GYRF 0, PEFA 0, PRFA 0 TOTAL 42

Beaver Mines spring 2020 summary February 23-May 03 (With percentage variance from the 5-year average 2015-2019). 69 days (+36.4%), 877.7 hours (+88.1%), TUVU 16 (+627.3%), OSPR 18 (+462.5%), BAEA 389 (+44.6%), NOHA 45 (-5.9%), SSHA 141 (+118.9%). COHA 30 (+150%), NOGO 52 (+5.3%), UA 1 (-28.6%), BWHA 23 (+167.4%), SWHA 9 (+221.4%). RTHA 278 (+46.2%), FEHA 4 (-25.9%), RLHA 65 (-18.3%), UB 9 ((=31.8%), GOEA 1181 (+9.8%), UE 0, AMKE 22 (+120%), MERL 34 (+120.8%), GYRF 5 (-16.7%), PEFA 17 (+112.5%), PRFA 9 (+25%), UF 0, UU 0 TOTAL 2348 (+25.1%)

The additional 11 days (April 23-May 3) (161.5 hours) at Beaver Mines produced 322 migrants comprising 16 Turkey Vultures, 14 Ospreys, 39 Bald Eagles, 10 Northern Harriers, 62 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 16 Cooper’s Hawks, 9 Northern Goshawks, 15 Broad-winged Hawks, 6 Swainson’s Hawks, 20 Red-tailed Hawks, 0 Ferruginous Hawks, 3 Rough-legged Hawks, 1 unidentified Buteo, 76 Golden Eagles, 12 American Kestrels, 12 Merlins, 1 Gyrfalcon, 10 Peregrine Falcons and 3 Prairie Falcons.