Mount Lorette and Beaver Mines, March 30

March 30 [Day 29] (Blake Weis, assisted by Rick Robb) 0730-1450. It was a cool day with a starting temperature of 0C, a high of 5C at 1200 and 1300 and 4C at 1450 when heavy snow forced an early departure from the site. Ground winds were south 0-5 km/h that occasionally gusted to 10 km/h, while ridge winds were light SW to 0900 then moderate for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was initially 100% stratus that reduced to 70% cumulus, altocumulus and cirrus at 1100 before returning to 100% stratus after 1400. Snow fell to 0800 that obscured all ridges which quickly cleared after 0800; they were essentially clear to 1230 when they were again partly obscured by snow to 1300 and completely obscured when heavy snow began at 1400. Not surprisingly there was only a sparse raptor movement comprising 1 adult Bald Eagle and 3 Golden Eagles (1a, 2sa) that were seen between 1032 and 1243. Resident birds were 1 adult Bald Eagle, 1 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk, 1 adult Northern Goshawk and 1 adult Golden Eagle that was seen displaying above the SE ridge of Mount Lorette. There was a fair assortment of other birds including 2 drumming Ruffed Grouse, 1 Killdeer, 2 Northern Pygmy-Owls, 1 female Mountain Bluebird, 15 American Robins, 6 singing Varied Thrushes, 8 Dark-eyed Juncos and 2 Common Redpolls. The highlight of the day, however, was a closely observed American Marten on the trail to the south of the site at 0930, an animal whose tracks are regularly seen but which is only rarely seen in the flesh. Eleven visitors arrived at the site during the more pleasant parts of the day.

7.33 hours (314.6) BAEA 1 (144), GOEA 3 (1945) TOTAL 4 (2148)

Beaver Mines [Day 33] (Peter Sherrington) 0800-1900. The temperature was 5C at 0800, rose to a high of 11.5C at 1400 and was 6C at 1900. Winds were WSW-W 20-30 gusting 45 km/h to 1430 after which they changed to NW-NNW 20-30 gusting 37 km/h. The sky was cloudless with traces of cumulus to 1200 that became 10% to 1400 when 100% thin cirrostratus, altostratus and cumulus developed. At 1430, with the change in wind direction, the cloud quickly became 100% stratocumulus that persisted for the rest of the day and produced light rain after 1750. There was a reasonably strong raptor migration of 43 birds of 5 species between 0937 and 1743,which was just before the rain began. The flight comprised 8 adult Bald Eagles, 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks (2a, 1u), 1 juvenile Northern Goshawk, 11 calurus Red-tailed Hawks (9 light: 7a, 2u, and 2 adult dark morphs) and 20 Golden Eagles (18a, 2sa). The busiest hour by far was 1400-1500 when 18 birds moved that included a kettle of 5 Golden Eagles soaring above the valley with a Sharp-shinned Hawk at 1413. The 2 pairs of resident Red-tailed Hawks continued to be active, including display flights, even while steady rain was falling up to the end of observation at 1900.

11 hours (287) BAEA 8 (218), SSHA 3 (21), NOGO 1 (42) RTHA 11 (86), GOEA 20 (934) TOTAL 43 (1407)

Steeples (Vance Mattson) No observation.

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (March 1 to April 22)

DAYS 29

HOURS 314.6

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 0

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 144

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 1

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 2

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 0

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 10

Accipiter sp. (UA) 0

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 0

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 7

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 21

Buteo sp. (UB) 3

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 1945

Eagle sp. (UE) 9

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 0

MERLIN (MERL) 2

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 1

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 1

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 0

Falco sp. (UF) 1

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 1

TOTAL 2148