Beaver Mines, May 1

Thursday, May 01 Beaver Mines [Day 67] 0630-2030 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0630 was 5C, the high at 1400 and 1600 was 15C and it was 10.5C at 2030. Winds were yet again WSW-W 15 km/h to 0800, then 25-35 gusting 45-50 km/h for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was 60-100% cumulus, altocumulus with minor altostratus and cirrus to 1725, after which it was cloudless with up to 10% cumulus for brief periods. The first ever May count at Beaver Mines was slow and sporadic with 22 raptors of 7 species moving between 0953 and 1856 that comprised 1 Osprey, 7 Bald Eagles (6a, 1j), 4u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 adult Cooper’s Hawks, 6 Golden Eagles (1sa, 4j, 1u), 1u American Kestrel and 1 male columbarius Merlin. Seven of the birds moved between 1300 and 1400. Two pairs of Red-tailed Hawks were seen hunting above the ridge but no displays were seen to enliven a rather lethargic day. Other birds were 17 Canada Geese, 3 Mallards, 3 male Common Mergansers, 4 Rock Pigeons, 2 Mourning Doves, 3 Sandhill Cranes, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 1 female Pileated Woodpecker, 2 Steller’s Jays, 4 Blue Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 17 American Crows, 13 Common Ravens, 17 Tree Swallows, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 3 Mountain Chickadees, 6 American Robins, 13 European Starlings, 23 Evening Grosbeaks, 3 male and 3 female Cassin’s Finches, 1 intergrade oriantha– gambelii White-crowned Sparrow, 1 male Dark-eyed [montanus] Junco, 12 male Red-winged Blackbirds, 8 male Common Grackles and 1 male Yellow-rumped [Audubon’s] Warbler.

14 hours (848.7) OSPR 1 (18), BAEA 7 (384), SSHA 4 (137), COHA 2 (28), GOEA 6 (1178), AMKE 1 (22), MERL 1 (34) TOTAL 22 (2328)