Mount Lorette and Beaver Mines, April 19
April 19 [Day 48] (Joel Duncan, assisted by Caroline Lambert) 0900-2100. The temperature at 0900 was 4C, the high between 1600 and 1900 was 10C and it was still 7C at 2100. Ground winds were initially SW that backed gradually to SE by 1800 after which they were SW again. Velocities were 5-10 gusting 17-24 km/h to 1900 after which it was calm, while ridge winds were strong SW to 1500, moderate to 1900 and then light for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was 30-60% mainly cumulus all day, and the ridges were completely clear. A total of 13 migrant raptors of 3 species was seen between 1502 and 1935, 5 of which moved between 1502 and 1600. The count was 1a Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2a Swainson’s Hawks (1 light, 1 rufous) and 10 Golden Eagles (3a, 2sa, 4j, 1u). The adult rufous morph Swainson’s Hawk seen at 1712 was the earliest ever at the site and the first to be recorded within the current standardized count period that finishes on April 22. The previous earliest record was May 4, 1998. It was followed at 1802 by an adult light morph bird. Resident raptors were 2 Northern Goshawks (1a, 1j) seen over the meadow, 3 adult light morph Red-tailed Hawks, a pair of Golden Eagles that flew from the Fisher Range to Olympic Summit and a columbarius Merlin that was briefly glimpsed as it hunted birds in the meadow. Other birds present included 2 Ruffed Grouse (1 of which was drumming), 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 10 Tree Swallows, 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a flock of 12 Mountain Bluebirds (8m, 4f), 9 American Robins, 1 Varied Thrush, 7 American Pipits, 31 Dark-eyed Juncos and 1 Common Redpoll. Wood Frogs sang from the small pond near the observation site for the first time this year. Nine visitors came to the site and 2 people from the French language Radio Canada network filmed and conducted interviews for 3 hours for a television piece on our 25th anniversary of counting at Mount Lorette. Cliff Hansen creditably carried the main burden of the interview in french.
12 hours (555.3) SSHA 1 (12), SWHA 2 (2), GOEA 10 (2214) TOTAL 13 (2577)
Beaver Mines [Day 53] (Peter Sherrington) 0800-2015. The temperature at 0800 was already 6C, the high at 1400 was 13.5C and it was still 10C at the end of observation. Winds were W-WSW all day 30-40 gusting to 60 km/h to 1800 after which they diminished to 20-30 km/h for the rest of the day. It was cloudless to 1030 after which it was 30-80% cumulus, altostratus and lenticular to 1600 that became 100% thin altostratus and cumulus that provided superb viewing conditions for the rest of the day. Raptor movement was steady between 0846 and 1921 and peaked at 12 birds between 1300 and 1400. The total of 52 of 13 species is the highest April count so far this season and comprised 1 Osprey, 1a Bald Eagle, 10 Northern Harriers (5 males: 3a, 2u; 4 females: 2a, 2u; and 1u), a season high 11 Sharp-shinned Hawks (3a, 1j, 7u), 1u Cooper’s Hawk, 3 Northern Goshawks (1a, 1j, 1u), 1a light morph Broad-winged Hawk, 16 Red-tailed Hawks (calurus 14: light 11a, 1u; dark 2a; and 2 unknown race, morph and age), 1a light morph Ferruginous Hawk, 1u Rough-legged Hawk, 1 dark morph Buteo, 3 Golden Eagles (2j, 1u), 1a male columbarius Merlin and 1a Peregrine Falcon. The Osprey and Broad-winged Hawk soared high together at 1908 to bring the day’s species total to a season high thirteen. At least 5 resident Red-tailed Hawks were active and conspicuous between 0845 and 1916.
12.25 (482.1) OSPR 1 (9), BAEA 1 (296), NOHA 10 (61), SSHA 11 (66), COHA 1 (9), NOGO 3 (70), BWHA 1 (8), RTHA 16 (195), FEHA 1 (6), RLHA 1 (68), UB 1 (17), GOEA 3 (1048), MERL 1 (18), PEFA 1 (9), TOTAL 52 (1909)
Steeples (Vance Mattson) No observation.
MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (March 1 to April 22)
DAYS 48
HOURS 555.3
TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0
OSPREY (OSPR) 0
BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 210
NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 3
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 12
COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 4
NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 24
Accipiter sp. (UA) 0
BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 3
SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 2
RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 47
FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 22
Buteo sp. (UB) 3
GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 2214
Eagle sp. (UE) 13
AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 4
MERLIN (MERL) 5
GYRFALCON (GYRF) 2
PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 4
PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 1
Falco sp. (UF) 2
Unidentified Raptor (UU) 2
TOTAL 2577
