April 15 [Day 56] (Valley View site) It was a very pleasant day with an initial temperature of -1C rising to a high of 14C at 1400 and dropping to 7C at 1900. Ground winds were calm to light variable occasionally gusting to 15 km/h and ridge winds were generally light W to 1400 and E subsequently although the mainly 100% cirrostratus, cirrus and altocumulus cloud cover made assessment of the upper winds difficult. It appeared that the light winds were going to produce yet another poor day of raptor migration with only 3 birds recorded before 1600 and the first not moving until 1315, but after 1600 another 31 birds were seen of which 10 moved after 1900, the last bird of the day being the season’s first Cooper’s Hawk [species #50] at 1932. The combined species count of 34 birds was the 4th highest of the month so far and comprised 8 Bald Eagles (5a, 2 sa and 1 undifferentiated immature bird), a season high 7 Sharp-shinned Hawks (6a,1u), 1 adult Cooper’s Hawk, 6 calurus Red-tailed Hawks (5 light morphs (4a,1u) and 1 adult rufous morph), 2 light Rough-legged Hawks, 9 Golden Eagles (2a,6sa,1u) and 1 adult male richardsonii Merlin. An influx of 6 Red-naped Sapsuckers (5 males and 1 female) was the first new seasonal species at the site since April 2 [species #49] and a single Tree Swallow was the first since the exceptionally early record of March 20. A CBC television news crew was at the site to interview me about the steady decline of Golden Eagle counts over the last 14 years, and it will be aired on the National news broadcast of Wednesday April 21 at 2200. It was of course predictable that birds only started to move after they had left the site today! 12.58 hours (644.9) BAEA 8 (353), SSHA 7 (15), COHA 1 (1), RTHA 6 (59), RLHA 2 (31), GOEA 9 (2023), MERL 1 (6) TOTAL 34 (2581)

Mount Lorette [Day 46] (Alan Hingston, Cliff Hansen and Joel Duncan) It was beautiful weather for the last day of the Lorette comparison count with the temperature reaching 14C between 1400 and 1800, variable light ground winds occasionally gusting to 15 km/h and light to moderate ridge winds which were hard to assess as cloud cover ranged from 0% to 20% cirrostratus and cirrus. A total of 5 raptors migrated between 1312 and 1630 comprising 2 adult Bald Eagles, the season’s first Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 light morph adult calurus Red-tailed Hawk and 1 juvenile Golden Eagle. A Tree Swallow was the first seen at the site this season. 12 hours (519) BAEA 2 (88), SSHA 1 (1), RTHA 1 (14), GOEA 1 (1160) TOTAL 5 (1312) The provisional final count for the 46 day (519 hour) count is BAEA 88, NOHA 1, SSHA 1, NOGO 21, RTHA 14, RLHA 7, GOEA 1160, MERL 1, GYRF 1, PRFA 1, UA 1, UB, 3, UE 12, UU 1 TOTAL 1312.