March 20 [Day 32] (Valley View site) It was a cold morning although the temperature ranged from 0C at 0715 to 4C at noon ground winds were N-NE gusting to 35 km/h which made viewing uncomfortable. In the afternoon ground winds changed to NW then W-SW rarely above 15 km/h and the temperature rose to a much more pleasant 9C between 1500 and 1830. Ridge winds were WNW moderate to strong all day, and cloud cover was 60-100% cirrostratus, cirrus, altostratus and altocumulus allowing hazy sunshine all day and providing excellent observing conditions. A total of 109 migrant raptors moved between 0840 and 1905, with momentum picking up after 1500 and peaking between 1600 and 1700 with 18 birds. Most birds moved singly and high along the Livingstone ridge and the flight comprised 10 Bald Eagles (4a,3sa,3j), 1 adult Northern Goshawk and 98 Golden Eagles (93a,4sa,1j). Although Golden Eagle movement has been fairly steady, we should be getting 200+ birds a day at this stage of the migration, especially considering the mainly favourable weather conditions that we have been experiencing. The day’s amazing bird was a Tree Swallow [species #41] that flew fairly low overhead to the north at 1740. Today may be the first day of spring but this bird is ridiculously early and may well be the earliest swallow ever recorded in Alberta. The earliest Tree Swallows that have occurred at the Lorette site is March 28, and the earliest swallow I have recorded there is Violet-green Swallows on March 25, 1993 (a date best remembered for the record spring passage of 849 Golden Eagles: those were the days!). 12.25 hours (365.2) BAEA 10 (242), NOGO 1 (27), GOEA 98 (1142) TOTAL 109 (1438)

Mount Lorette [Day 20] (Brian McBride) The temperature rose to 8C from a low of -6C, ground winds were SW 5-10 km/h to 1500 after which they gusted to 30-40 km/h, ridge winds were W moderate to 1100 and strong after, and cloud cover was 90% cirrostratus reducing to 50% at 1300 and after to 10-20% altostratus providing a lot of blue sky to search in the afternoon. It was again a disappointing count with only 17 migrants: 15 Golden Eagles and 2 unidentified eagles, moving between 0829 and 1416, with 8 of the Golden Eagles recorded between 1300 and 1330. A closely observed Bohemian Waxwing retaining its juvenile plumage this late in the year is noteworthy. 11.16 hours (218.5) GOEA 15 (630), UE 2 (8) TOTAL 17 (701)