March 23 [Day 35] (Valley View site) The temperature was -2C at 0715 but gradually rose to a high of 8.5C at 1600 and was still 4C at 1900. Ground winds were mainly N-NW gusting 25 km/h to1300 when they switched to SW gusting 20-35 km/h for the rest of the day, and ridge winds were moderate WNW except between 1300 and 1730 when they were moderate to strong. It was cloudless at first but cumulus and cirrostratus cloud gradually increased reaching 100% between 1200 and 1430, but was otherwise 40-70% giving excellent observing conditions all day. A season high total of 259 raptors of 7 species (also a season high) moved steadily between 0844 and 1909 with peak movement between 1600 and 1700 of 57 birds. The count included season high totals for Bald Eagle (29: 21a,6sa,2j), Northern Goshawk (4a), Red-tailed Hawk (2a calurus light morph birds), Golden Eagle (218: 210a,7sa,1j) and columbarius Merlin (3: 2 adults, male and female, and 1u) which were the first for the season, 6 days later than the average first record, and the 45th bird species recorded so far. The totals for combined species, Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle were all the 3rd highest daily spring counts ever at the site. The only other migrants were a flock of 6 California Gulls flying high to the east at 1854. The newly designed RMERF website was launched today and can be checked out at www.eaglewatch.ca as before. Many thanks to RMERF Director David Thomas for producing this splendid piece of work. 12.42 (400.1) BAEA 29 (280), SSHA 1 (4), NOGO 4 (34), RTHA 2 (3), RLHA 2 (19), GOEA 218 (1457), MERL 3 (3) TOTAL 259 (1809)

Mount Lorette [Day 23] (Brian McBride) The temperature rose to 5C at 1600 from a low of -6C, ground winds were S-SW 10-15 gusting 30 km/h all day, ridge winds were moderate NW and cloud cover was 10% cumulus in the morning increasing to 50% at noon before gradually decreasing to 5% at the end of the day. The first migrant raptor was an unidentified Buteo at 0837, but the first Golden Eagle didn’t appear until 1112 and subsequent movement was steady with a minor peak of 19 birds between 1300 and 1400, but 51 of the day’s 110 birds were seen after 1800 and of those 30 moved between 1900 and 1937. The total of 106 Golden Eagles (99a,2sa,5u) was the 3rd highest of the season so far, and the only other migrants were 3 Bald Eagles (2a,1sa). 12.67 hours (256.3) BAEA 3 (44), UB 1 (1), GOEA 106 (875) TOTAL 110 (951)