Lorette and Beaver Mines, March 14

March 14 [Day 13] (Brian McBride, assisted by Fred Bowen and Cliff Hansen) 0745-1815. It was a warm day with the temperature reaching a high of 8C at 1500 and 1600 from a starting low of -1C and it was 5C at the end of observation. Ground winds were SW 5-15 gusting up to 25 km/h in mid-afternoon, and ridge winds were moderate SW all day. Cloud cover was 100% stratus to 1300 when the cloud lowered obscuring all the ridges and bringing rain to 1330, after which it quickly cleared to 50-70% cumulus and altostratus for the rest of the day. Despite these apparently favourable conditions the only migrant raptor seen was an unaged Bald Eagle that flew high to the NW from Mount Lorette at 1140. Low thick cloud was observed on the mountains to the south of the site all day which may have blocked the movement of raptors. Other birds were also scarce and included 1 Ruffed Grouse and 1 European Starling that was presumably the survivor of the previous day’s Pygmy-Owl attack. Two visitors were at the site today.

10.5 hours (129.2) BAEA 1 (57), TOTAL 1 (329)

Beaver Mines [Day 17] (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Denise Cocciolone-Amatto) 0800-1830. The temperature was 4C at 0800, reached a high of 9C at 1400 and 1500 and was still 8C at 1830. Winds were mainly WSW all day, 10-30 km/h in the morning but increased to 20-40 gusting to 70 km/h in the afternoon. Cloud cover was 100% altostratus to 1330 when it quickly diminished to 20% cumulus to 1450 when it again thickened to 100% altostratus and cumulus for the rest of the day. With the exception of the Continental Divide ridges were clear all day. There was again a fairly strong raptor movement with 73 birds of a season high 8 species migrating between 1019 and 1758. The flight comprised 16 Bald Eagles (11a, 2sa, 3j), the season’s first Northern Harrier, an adult female, 2 Northern Goshawks (1a, 1u), 1 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk, 2 light morph Rough-legged Hawks, 47 Golden Eagles (46a, 1sa), 2 adult columbarius Merlins (1 male, 1 female) and 2 adult female Gyrfalcons (1 grey morph and 1 white morph). The Merlins moved within 2 minutes of each other and may have been migrating as a pair; the white Gyrfalcon passed low directly overhead at 1528. Birds moved steadily throughout the day with a maximum hourly movement of 18 between 1400 and 1500. An adult California Gull flying to the north at 1447 was the first for the season.

10.5 hours (119.6) BAEA 16 (89), NOHA 1 (1), NOGO 2 (9), RTHA 1 (3), RLHA 2 (13), GOEA 47 (209), MERL 2 (3), GYRF 2 (3) TOTAL 73 (333)

Steeples (Vance Mattson) No observation.

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (March 1 to April 22)

DAYS 13

HOURS 129.2

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 0

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 57

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 0

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 0

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 0

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 0

Accipiter sp. (UA) 0

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 0

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 1

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 4

Buteo sp. (UB) 1

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 252

Eagle sp. (UE) 4

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 0

MERLIN (MERL) 1

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 0

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 0

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 0

Falco sp. (UF) 0

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 0

TOTAL 320