Mount Lorette and Beaver Mines, April 6

April 6 [Day 36] (Blake Weis, assisted by Rick Robb) 0700-2030. It was another fairly pleasant day with the temperature reaching a high of 10C from a low of 5C and it was 7C at the end of observation. Ground winds were variable, light N-NW to 0900, E, SE, S, and SW after 1600 5-10 gusting to 20 km/h that became light to calm after 2000; ridge winds were SW all day, moderate to 1300 and again after 2000 and strong for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was initially 100% altostratus and after 1000 was variable 60-100% altostratus, altocumulus, cumulus and cirrus; light rain showers persisted throughout the day. The east was essentially clear but the west was 10% obscured to 1300 and 80-40% obscured to 1600 and mainly clear thereafter. A total of 28 migrant raptors of 3 species moved between 0958 and 1949 with 18 of the birds recorded after 1600. The count was 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk and 26 Golden Eagles (6a, 4sa, 5j, 11u). Only 1 Golden Eagle used the western route, 10 glided high from the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette and the rest were located high above Lorette or over Mount McGillivray and may have originated from Wasootch Creek. Resident raptors were 1 adult Bald Eagle, 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 1 pair of Red-tailed Hawks and 2 adult Golden Eagles one of which hunted to the west and the other to the east. Other birds present included 2 drumming Ruffed Grouse, 2 Golden-crowned Kinglets (the first for the year), 6 Mountain Bluebirds (4m, 2f), 24 American Robins, 4 singing Varied Thrushes, 22 Dark-eyed Juncos, 1 male Red-winged Blackbird and 12 Common Redpolls. Just 2 visitors made it to the site today.

13.5 hours (403.3) SSHA 1 (4), RTHA 1 (20), GOEA 26 (2083) TOTAL 28 (2341)

Beaver Mines [Day 40] (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Hilary Atkinson) 1145-1830. The temperature at 1145 was 12C, rose to a high at 1500 of 14C and was 10C at 1830. Winds were variable and light to 1400 (which is why observation didn’t begin until 1145) after which SW-W winds 20-30 gusting to 40 km/h prevailed for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was 100% altostratus and cumulus to 1300 and then 70-90% cumulus, altocumulus and cirrus for the rest of the day which provided good viewing conditions. Raptor movement was again slow and sporadic with 17 birds of 7 species moving between 1310 and 1818, 9 of which were recorded after 1700. The flight comprised 5 Bald Eagles (4a, 1j), 1 adult male Northern Harrier, 1u Northern Goshawk, 1 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk, 2 light morph Rough-legged Hawks, 2 unidentified Buteos, 4 Golden Eagles (3a, 1sa) and 1 male Prairie Falcon. The 2 pairs of resident Red-tailed Hawks were in the air between 1418 and 1804. At 1410 a flock of 5 Greater Sandhill Cranes soared high above the ridge before moving slowly off towards the SW.

6.75 hours (355) BAEA 5 (265), NOHA 1 (20), NOGO 1 (47), RTHA 1 (124), RLHA 2 (59), UB 2 (9), GOEA 4 (977), PRFA 1 (9) TOTAL 17 (1573)

Steeples (Vance Mattson) No observation.

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (March 1 to April 22)

DAYS 36

HOURS 403.3

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 0

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 171

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 1

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 4

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 1

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 13

Accipiter sp. (UA) 0

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 3

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 20

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 21

Buteo sp. (UB) 3

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 2083

Eagle sp. (UE) 12

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 0

MERLIN (MERL) 2

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 1

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 3

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 1

Falco sp. (UF) 1

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 1

TOTAL 2341