April 1 [Day 44] (Valley View site) It was a sunny day with the temperature rising to 6C at 1700 from a low of -4.5C although mainly SW winds gusting 15-30 km/h after 1100 made it feel much cooler. Ridge winds were moderate WNW to noon after which they were W, and cloud cover was 10-60% cumulus which at times made detection of high flying raptors a challenge. With seemingly ideal migration conditions I was expecting an early start but I had to wait nearly 4.5 hours for the first migrant, a Rough-legged Hawk at 1124, but thereafter movement was both steady and varied with the last of the day’s 92 migrant raptors, a Golden Eagle, gliding high to the north at 1911. The combined species total of 92 is the second highest April daily count ever at the site and the Golden Eagle total of 68 is the 3rd highest for the month. For the first time this season immature Golden Eagles (36: 27 subadults and 9 juveniles) outnumbered adult birds (32), and Bald Eagles also moved strongly (15: 8a,4sa and 3 undifferentiated immature birds). The highlights of the day, however, were 2 adult Ferruginous Hawks: a light morph at 1233 and a dark morph at 1320, both of which soared high against a pure blue sky, and one of the day’s 3 Red-tailed Hawks was an adult dark morph “Harlan’s Hawk” 12.67 hours (509.9) BAEA 15 (330), NOGO 1 (65), RTHA 3 (29), FEHA 2 (3), RLHA 2 (28), GOEA 68 (1907), MERL 1 (4) TOTAL 92 (2391)

Mount Lorette [Day 32] (Joel Duncan) The temperature rose to 3C at 1500 from a low of -9C and was -2C at 1930, ground winds were light in the morning becoming SW 10-20 gusting 30 km/h in the afternoon and ridge winds were SW moderate, then strong after 1400 and again moderate after 1800. Cloud cover was initially 50% cumulus decreasing to 30% by 1500 then increasing to 70% cirrostratus and cumulus by the end of the day. Despite the apparently good migration and observing conditions, raptor migration was disappointing with only 8 Bald Eagles (6a,2sa) and 3 Golden Eagles (2a,1u) and an unidentified eagle moving between 1016 and 1758. 11 hours (358.1) BAEA 8 (72), GOEA 3 (1054), UE 1 (11) TOTAL 12 (1172)