Sunday, March 24 Mount Lorette [Day 22] 0715-2015 (Bill Wilson, assisted by Lori Anderson). The temperature at 0800 was 1C, the high was 4C (1400-1600) and it was 2C at the end of observation. Ground winds were NW-N but mainly NNW all day, 0-10 gusting 20 km/h except between 1500 and 1700 when they gusted to 32 km/h and ridge winds could not be assessed but were probably light to moderate and variable. Cloud cover was 100% stratus to 1200 that provided a very light snow flurry at 0900 and then reduced to 30% cumulus and altostratus at 1400 which gradually increased to 100% altostratus and cumulus by the end of the day. The eastern ridges were 100% obscured to 1200 and variably 40-90% obscured throughout the afternoon and were again 100% obscured at the end of the day; the western mountains were essentially 100% obscured all day. Despite these unpromising weather conditions there was a reasonably strong raptor movement of 76 birds between 1125 and 1735 that involved a season-high 17 Bald Eagles (11a, 2sa, 4j) 1 juvenile dark morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk and 58 Golden Eagles (52a, 1sa, 3j, 2u). Just 3 migrants were seen before 1300 but 33 eagles (9 Bald and 24 Golden) moved between 1300 and 1400 and 19 (2 Bald and 17 Golden) between 1400 and 1500 after which movement slowed but 5 Bald Eagles and 5 Golden Eagles migrated between 1700 and 1735. Movement was mainly on the western route over the western part of the valley to 1340 with many birds soaring into the base of the low cloud cover, but after 1400 all the movement was on the Fisher Range with some soaring before they glided at various altitudes to Mount Lorette. Non-migrant raptors included 5 Bald Eagles (4a, 1j) that were soaring with 4 Golden Eagles above the northern end of the Fisher Range but which were not seen to have proceeded any farther and may have settled to roost for the night; 2 sightings of adult Bald Eagles near the river; 2 sightings of hunting adult Northern Goshawks, and a resident adult Golden Eagle that hunted in front of the Fisher Range ridge. Other birds recorded in the area were 7 swans of undetermined species that flew south above the east valley, 13 Canada Geese including a flock of 10 that flew north, 2 male Mallards and 4 male American Wigeons on the river, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 male Pileated Woodpecker, 2 Canada Jays, 16 Common Ravens, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Varied Thrush, 1 American Robin and 70 European Starlings. Thirty-one visitors were at the site today.

13 hours (237.3) BAEA 17 (58), RTHA 1 (2), GOEA 58 (473) TOTAL 76 (546)

Sunday, March 24 Beaver Mines (Peter Sherrington) NO OBSERVATION (weather). Light snow and rain fell to mid-afternoon, the temperature ranged from 1C to -1C, and low cloud and fog obscured the ridge all day preventing any possibility of movement.

Sunday, March 24 Steeples [Day 19] 1200-1915 (Vance Mattson). The temperature at 1200 was 6C and rose to a high of 13C, it was calm mixed with light SE winds, and 60% altostratus, cumulus and altocumulus cloud cover gave mostly sunny conditions until 1630 when dark cumulus moved in from the south bringing light rain from 1640 to 1730 that slightly obscured the ridges. These quickly cleared after 1745 when calm conditions resumed. There was another strong raptor movement with 112 migrants of 4 species seen between 1226 and 1833 comprising 16 Bald Eagles (8a, 8j), 1 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk, the season’s first 2 Rough-legged Hawks (1 light morph, 1u), 92 Golden Eagles (87a, 4j, 1u) and 1 unidentified eagle. Hourly counts were 18 (1200-1300), 55 including 46 Golden Eagles (1300-1400), 18 (1400-1500), 13 (1500-1600), 3 (1600-1700), 1 (1700-1800) and 3 (1800-1833). Most of the birds moved even higher today and many moved west of the ridge and were initially spotted very high over the flank of Mount Bill Nye. Many of the birds also soared at length to impressive heights over the gap between ridges. At 1633 a gliding migrant Golden Eagle suddenly made a controlled hunting stoop, the result of which was unknown as it disappeared behind a ridge. There were three separate pair flights from non-migrant adult Bald Eagles and just one sighting of an adult resident Golden Eagle.

7.25 hours (97) BAEA 16 (166), RTHA 1 (3), RLHA 2 (2), GOEA 92 (368), UE 1 (4) TOTAL 112 (544)

Saturday, March 23 Mount Lorette [Day 21] 0735-1955 (Blake Weis, assisted by Patrick Farley). The initial temperature was -5C, the high at 1500 and 1600 was 12C and it was 7C at the end of observation. Ground winds were WSW 0-5 km/h to 1500 after which they were variable NW, N and NE 5-10 gusting 20 km/h, and ridge winds were light WSW to 1500 after which they were moderate N. Cloud cover was initially 30% cirrus that increased to 90% at 1200; it was 90% cirrus and altostratus to 1500 and then 100-80% Cirrus, altostratus and altocumulus for the rest of the day. There was a moderately strong raptor movement of 85 birds between 1005 and 1756 that comprised 6 Bald Eagles (4a, 2sa), 1u Northern Goshawk, 76 Golden Eagles (48a, 1j, 27u) and 2 unidentified eagles. The highest hourly counts were 34 between 1200 and 1300, 18 between 1300 and 1400 and 15 between 1400 and 1500 after which only another 8 migrants were seen. With the exception of 3 birds all movement was on the western route to 1430 with birds soaring high over Olympic Summit with some gliding to the NW behind Mount Allan and others gliding NW over Skogan Pass. After 1500 all birds switched to the eastern route and moved from the northern end of the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette. Non-migrant birds were an adult Northern Goshawk that hunted over Hummingbird Hill at noon, a resident adult Golden Eagle that displayed within a kettle of 9 migrant Golden Eagles over Olympic Summit at 1425, and an adult Bald Eagle that soared aimlessly over the Fisher Range late in the day. other birds in the area were 12 Canada Geese, 1 pair of Mallard, 1 drumming Ruffed Grouse, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 5 Canada Jays, 1 American Crow, 14 Common Ravens, 6 Black-capped Chickadees, 5 Mountain Chickadees, 3 Boreal Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2 Brown Creepers, 2 American Dippers, 2 singing Varied Thrushes, 1 American Robin, 2 European Starlings, 1 Common Redpoll, 2 Pine Siskins and 4 Dark-eyed Juncos. Many of the 37 visitors coincided with the peak raptor movement today.

12.33 hours (224.3) BAEA 6 (41), NOGO 1 (4), GOEA 76 (415) UE 2 (5) TOTAL 85 (470)

Saturday, March 23 Beaver Mines [Day 22] 0730-2000 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Gord Petersen and Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0730 was 6C, the high at 1500 was 12C and it was 7C at 2000. Winds were favourable W-WSW 30-40 gusting 50 km/h to 1800 when they became NE10-20 km/h. Cloud cover was 100% cirrostratus to 1100 that gave hazy sunshine which subsequently turned to uniform grey altostratus for the rest of the day that allowed only very hazy sunshine. Patchy cumulus cloud was developing below the stratus at the end of the day and there was very light drizzle after 1915. The winds produced a moderate raptor movement, which was the first for a week, of 55 birds of a season-high 6 species between 0931 and 1851, with a high hourly count of 17 between 1400 and 1500. The flight comprised a season-high 22 Bald Eagles (19a, 3j), the season’s first Northern Harrier, an adult male that glided high to the NW at 1439, 1 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk, 1 light morph Rough-legged Hawk, 28 adult Golden Eagles and 2 grey morph Gyrfalcons (1 adult female and 1u). Other birds seen were 34 Canada Geese that flew to the SW in 4 flocks between 1802 and 1918, a pair of Mallard, 1 female Common Merganser that flew high to the NE at 1030. 58 Wild Turkeys, 20 Rock Pigeons, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 8 Blue Jays, 2 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 6 Black-billed Magpies, 11 American Crows, 26 Common Ravens, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 3 American Robins, 200 European Starlings, 55 Evening Grosbeaks, 115 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, the first of the season, that flew high to the north in 3 flocks between 0904 and 1003, and 8 Pine Siskins.

12.5 hours (250.5) BAEA 22 (88), NOHA 1 (1), RTHA 1 (2), RLHA 1 (8), GOEA 28 (132), GYRF 2 (3) TOTAL 55 (239)

Saturday, March 23 Steeples [Day 18] 1130-1930 (Vance Mattson, assisted by Virginia Rasch). The temperature rose to a high of 14C from a low of 4C, winds were variable and light or calm and cloud cover was 100% thin altostratus that reduced to 20% at the end of the day that greatly assisted the two observers. The 152 raptors counted between 1144 and 1851 is a new spring site record behind the previous record of 133 on March 17, 2017. The flight comprised 26 Bald Eagles (8a, 1sa, 17j) which is the highest count so far this season, and 126 Golden Eagles (124a, 1j, 1u) which is the second-highest spring count ever at the site, the highest being 133 on March 17, 2017. Only 4 eagles moved before 1300, 14 were seen in the following hour, but 1400 to 1500 saw the passage of 59 eagles including 55 Golden Eagles. The next 2 hours saw 19 and 17 eagles respectively, 24 were seen between 1700 and 1800 and 15 between 1800 and 1851 that included 10 Bald Eagles, 9 of which were juveniles. In contrast to the previous week, movement today was generally fast, steady and high with extended soaring occurring only later in the day. Non-migrants were also plentiful, especially Bald Eagles (5a, 7j), but resident adult Golden Eagles were seen only twice, including one that perched high on the snow-covered peak of the front face of Mount Bill Nye.

8 hours (89.75) BAEA 26 (150), GOEA 126 (276) TOTAL 152 (432)

Friday, March 22 Mount Lorette [Day 20] 0745-2020 (Caroline Lambert, assisted by Eric Langshaw and Rosemary Power). The starting temperature was -5C, the high was 15C from 1600 to 1800 and was 7C at 2020. Ground winds were variable and light to 1400 after which they were NE 0-5 gusting 15-20 km/h becoming calm at the end of the day. Ridge winds could not be assessed but were probably mainly light, and cloud cover was cirrus all day, initially 10% that gradually increased to 70% at 1400 that persisted for the rest of the day. The 27^th anniversary of the start of the Mount Lorette count was celebrated by the first 100+ movement of the season with 109 eagles migrating between 1035 and 1925. The flight comprised 6 Bald Eagles, 101 Golden Eagles (58a, 1sa, 42u) and 2 unidentified eagles. Although the first Golden Eagle was seen to fly from the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette, most of the movement between 1100 and 1500 was on the western route with most birds soaring very high over Olympic Summit before gliding to the NW. After 1500 movement was highly variable but between 1800 and 1900 43 Golden Eagles that included most of the day’s unaged birds, glided very high above the middle of the valley above the observers to Hummingbird Plume Hill where they soared high before moving to the NW over Skogan Pass. A pair of resident Northern Goshawks flew to the east and there were 2 other sightings of single birds, a resident adult Golden Eagle displayed above Olympic Summit near noon and 2 single non-migrant adult Bald Eagles flew to the south, one on the Fisher Range and the other on the Western route. A singing Varied Thrush was the first for the season and other birds in the area were 1 Canada Goose, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 3 Canada Jays, 8 Common Ravens, 4 Black-capped Chickadees,  2 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Boreal Chickadees, 2 Brown Creepers, 1 European Starling 1 Bohemian Waxwing, 1 Pine Siskin and 2 singing Dark-eyed Juncos. A single Mourning Cloak was the first butterfly seen this year. Most of the 11 visitors to the site today stayed for long periods and greatly assisted in locating high-flying eagles, but unfortunately all had departed before the evening golden-rush.

12.58 hours (212) BAEA 6 (35), GOEA 101 (339), UE 2 (3) TOTAL 109 (385)

Friday, March 22 Beaver Mines [Day 21] 0745-2000 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Hilary Atkinson; 0900-1030 Gord Petersen). The temperature at 0745 was -1.5C, the high at 1500 and 1600 was 12.5C and it was 6C at 2000. Winds were initially W 15 km/h but after 1000 switched to light (0-8 km/h) NE and E and before reverting to light W at 1900. Cloud cover was thin cirrostratus for most of the day ranging from 0-20% up the 70-80% that provided a welcome relief from the cloudless skies of recent days. It did not provide any raptor movement, however, as the only migrant seen was a light morph Rough-legged Hawk that soared over the middle of the valley and glided to the NNW at 1450. A non-migrant adult Bald Eagle perched by a small pool of meltwater on the floor of the valley at 1937 was the only other raptor seen. Other birds seen were 2 Canada Geese, 63 Wild Turkeys, 3 Rock Pigeons, 4 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 6 Blue Jays, 5 Black-billed Magpies, 12 Common Ravens, 4 Black-capped Chickadee, 3 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 3 American Robins, 8 European Starlings, 41 Evening Grosbeaks and 4 Pine Siskins. Two small Polygonia butterflies, that were probably Green Commas, were on the wing, and I forgot to note earlier that the first was seen here on March 20. The forecast for Saturday is for moderate to strong W winds so we are hoping that the week-long raptor drought will finally be broken.

12.25 hours (238) RLHA 1 (7) TOTAL 1 (184)

Friday, March 22 Steeples [Day 17] 1200-1900 (Vance Mattson). The weather was nearly identical to yesterday with a high temperature of 15C from a low of 6C at 1200, and calm and cloudless conditions. A season-high total of 44 migrants of 3 species was counted between 1259 and 1751 that comprised 23 Bald Eagles (16a, 2sa, 5j) the first 2 Red-tailed Hawks of the season (1 adult light morph calurus and 1 dark morph of unknown race or age), 18 Golden Eagles (15a, 2j, 1u) and 1 unidentified eagle. Only 3 birds were seen before 1400 but the next 2 hours each saw the passage of 16 migrants after which movement again became sporadic. Migration was again mainly slow and low with much soaring, and at 1428 a gliding adult Golden Eagle nearly collided with a soaring adult Bald Eagle causing each to quickly veer off to avoid impact. Resident birds were 4 Bald Eagles (2a, 2j) and 3 adult Golden Eagles with some agonistic behaviour seen between them. Two flocks of Canada Geese, one of 31 and the other of 35 moved north at 1526.

7 hours (81.75) BAEA 23 (124), RTHA 2 (2), GOEA 18 (150), UE 1 (3) TOTAL 44 (280)

Thursday, March 21 Mount Lorette [Day 19] 0800-2000 (Cliff Hansen, assisted by Rick Robb). It was another warm day with a temperature high of 15C from 1600 to 1800 from a morning low of -5C and it was 5C at 2000. It was calm to 1100 and subsequently ground winds were variable and light as probably were the ridge winds, and it was completely cloudless all day. Only 5 migrant raptors were seen between 1147 and 1902: 1 adult Bald Eagle that flew north from the end of the Fisher Range at 1902, 1 adult Northern Goshawk that flew low to the NW and 3 adult Golden Eagles 2 of which flew to the NW from Olympic Summit and the third that flapped north along the Fisher Range ridge and roosted for the night at 1901on a rock outcrop at the northern end of the range. A resident adult Northern Goshawk was seen hunting in the vicinity of the Lorette Canyon, 2 adult resident Golden Eagles were seen several times around Olympic Summit and a non-migrant adult Bald Eagle flew east from the Fisher Range. Other birds seen were 4 Canada Geese, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, 2 Canada Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 5 Common Ravens, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 1 Brown Creeper, 2 European Starlings and 8 Bohemian Waxwings. Among the 25 visitors to the site today were a party of 16 from the Canmore Bird Association led by Caroline Lambert who were of great assistance in locating birds in the cloudless skies.

12 hours (199.4) BAEA 1 (29), NOGO 1 (3), GOEA 3 (238) TOTAL 5 (276)

Thursday, March 21 Beaver Mines [Day 20] 0730-1930 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Hilary Atkinson). It was slightly cooler today with a high temperature of 13C at 1500 from a low at 0730 of 0.5C, and it was 6.5C when observation ceased at 1930. The wind followed the same pattern as the last several days with W-WSW winds 10-15 km/h to 1030 and then E-NE winds for the rest of the day that were mainly light but gusted to 15 km/h from 1500 to 1700, after which it was calm for the rest of the day. It was cloudless to 1200 when very thin cirrostratus developed to the south which gradually moved to the north and reached 70% after 1900. The only migrant seen was an adult Bald Eagle that flew to the NW at 1804, and an unaged Golden Eagle seen in the same area at 1755 perched on a tree, was not seen again and was considered to be a non-migrant. Gord Petersen watched various ridges to the north and east between 1045 and 1650 including Burmis Hill near Lee Lake, Rock Creek Road, the area around Lundbreck and Cowley, the Snake Road on the western Flank of the Porcupine Hills, Highway 22 and finally the Livingstone Ridge at Frank. A total of 8 Bald Eagles were seen soaring and some appeared to be migrating to the NW, and a further 6 were perched or feeding, but the only Golden Eagle seen was a resident perched on a rock west of the Porcupine Hills that was later seen hunting. Surprisingly not a single Buteo was recorded and, significantly, only one Richardson’s Ground Squirrel was seen on the entire trip. Other birds at Beaver Mines were a total of 23 Canada Geese, 12 of which landed on a melt-water pool in the valley in the evening, 53 Wild Turkeys, 3 Rock Pigeons, 1 Wilson’s Snipe that called at 1115 and was not heard again, 4 Downy Woodpeckers, 2 Hairy Woodpeckers, 1 Northern Flicker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 12 Blue Jays, 8 Black-billed Magpies, 9 Common Ravens, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 14 European Starlings, 32 Evening Grosbeaks and 7 Pine Siskins.

12 hours (225.8) BAEA 1 (66) TOTAL 1 (183)

Thursday, March 21 Steeples [Day 16] 1300-1900 (Vance Mattson). Weather information was not provided, but conditions were probably similar to those of the last several days. A total of 36 migrants were seen up to 1803 when the first non-eagle migrant of the year, an adult female Northern Harrier, moved to the north. Other migrants were 22 Bald Eagles (11a, 2sa, 9j) and 13 Golden Eagles (10a, 2j, 1u). Only 8 eagles were seen before 1600 but 19 migrated between 1600 and 1700. Consistent with the last few days movement was generally low and slow with extended soaring by some of the birds, especially as the day progressed. Non-migrant raptors were 3 adult Bald eagles and 1 adult Golden Eagles. Two probable Trumpeter Swans were seen on small open patches of water on the still mainly frozen Wasa Slough on the way to the site.

6 hours (74.75) BAEA 22 (101), NOHA 1 (1), GOEA 13 (132) TOTAL 36 (236)

Wednesday, March 20 Mount Lorette [Day 18] 0755-1945 (Caroline Lambert, assisted by Glen Webber, Rosemary Power and Eric Langshaw). The temperature reached a season-high 17C at 1700 from a starting low of -7C and it was 5C at the end of observation. Ground winds were variable and light to 1700 after which they were SW 0-5 gusting 10 km/h and 20 km/h after 1800; ridge winds were probably light to moderate SW after 1700. It was completely cloudless all day. A total of 45 migrant raptors of 4 species was counted between 1050 and 1859 comprising 1 adult Bald Eagle, 1 juvenile Northern Goshawk, the first Red-tailed Hawk of the season which appeared to be an intermediate morph of uncertain age of the race calurus, 41 Golden Eagles (40a, 1u) and 1 indeterminate eagle. Apart from the first Golden Eagle that flew from the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette at 1050, all 35 birds up to 1600 migrated on the western route where most soared very high on the southern flank of Mount Allan with many simply disappearing into the clear blue sky. No migrants were seen between 1600 and 1800, but after 1800 the Red-tailed Hawk and 8 Golden Eagles glided high from the northern end of the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette. Resident birds were single adult Northern Goshawks seen on three occasions near the site and an adult Golden Eagle that flew south from Hummingbird Hill. The highlight of the non-raptor count was the season’s first occurrence of 2 Violet-green Swallows that appeared perfectly comfortable in the first-day-of-spring weather, but were the earliest seen at the site by 5 days. A Lapland Longspur heard in the Hay Meadow was also a first for the year. Other birds seen were 3 Canada Geese, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 3 Canada Jays, 8 Common Ravens, 4 Black-capped Chickadees, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Brown Creeper and 1 male Red-winged Blackbird. No finches were recorded today. Around 0800 a Grey Wolf howled east of the river, and later in the day and American Marten strolled along the path from the south to the site. Nine human visitors also made it to the site today.

12 hours (187.4) BAEA 1 (28), NOGO 1 (2), RTHA 1 (1), GOEA 41 (235) UE 1 (1) TOTAL 45 (271)

Wednesday, March 20 Beaver Mines [Day 19] 0730-1930 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Hilary Atkinson). The temperature at 0730 was 2C and reached a season-high 16C at 1600 and 1700 and was still 10C at 1930. Winds were W-WSW 5-15 km/h to 0930 and were then calm or very light (<5 km/h) and mainly from the NE for the rest of the day, and the sky was completely cloudless all day. Clouds were not the only thing lacking in the sky as 12 hours of observation yielded not one migrant or resident raptor! Gord Petersen spent from 1350 to 1650 in the Table Mountain-Carbondale Ridge area where a few eagles were seen soaring high or perched on Table Mountain, but the only birds that appeared to be definite migrants were 2 subadult Golden Eagles that soared high over the southern peak of Table Mountain at 1603 and glided high to the NW. An unidentified eagle high over the Continental Divide to the west at 1524 may also have been a migrant. A reconnaissance in the Beauvais Lake area between 1620 and 1650 yielded no raptors at all. There may therefore have been a small but insignificant migration to the west of the site, so it is possible that the birds seen at Lorette are in fact moving north to the east of the Beaver Mines site over the low foothills and high plains. A photograph taken today and sent to me by Bob Costa of 19 Bald Eagles perched in Cottonwoods on Highway 22 east of the Livingstone Range seem to support this conjecture, and Gord plans to do a reconnaissance survey to the east tomorrow. We shall probably continue to stare into a beautiful blue void as the weather forecast is for more of the same. Other birds noted were 45 Wild Turkeys on a grassy hill to the NE with males in full display mode, 7 Rock Pigeons, 4 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Northern Flicker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 5 Blue Jays, 2 Black-billed Magpie, 13 Common Ravens, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 1 American Robin, 7 European Starlings, 41 Evening Grosbeaks and 4 Pine Siskins.

12 hours (213.8) TOTAL 0 (182)

Wednesday, March 20 Steeples [Day 15] 1630-1900 (Vance Mattson). The temperature was 13C, it was calm and cloudless skies gave sunny conditions. Because of teaching commitments Vance couldn’t get to the site until 1630 but saw 15 migrants, including a kettle of 6 birds, by 1700. A further 5 birds moved between 1700 and 1743 giving a final count of 8 Bald Eagles (5a, 1sa, 2j) and 12 Golden Eagles (11a, 1j). Many other birds must have moved earlier. Non-migrants were 2 Golden Eagles (1a, 1j) and 1 subadult Bald Eagle.

2.5 hours (68.75) BAEA 8 (79), GOEA 12 (119) TOTAL 20 (200)