April 17 [Day 58] (Valley View site) (Bill Wilson) A temperature of 20C at 1500 was the highest so far this season, rising from 0.5C at 0620 and remaining at 11.5C at 2030. Ground winds were variable and light until 2000 when they gusted to 20 km/h from the WSW, and ridge winds were probably SW-W light all day. Cloud cover ranged from 30-100%, cirrus and altostratus to 1300 after which cumulus cloud predominated, all of which provided excellent viewing conditions. A total of 59 raptors migrated between 0919 and 1841 which is the second highest daily total so far this month. Because of the relatively calm conditions birds moved across a fairly broad front with a peak movement of 18 birds between 1100 and 1200. The flight comprised 9 Bald Eagles (3a,3sa,3j), a season high 12 Sharp-shinned Hawks (2a,1j,9u), a season high 3 Cooper’s Hawks (1a,1j,1u), 4 Northern Goshawks (1a,1j,2u), 2 unidentified accipiters, 8 Red-tailed Hawks that included 3 dark morph calurus adults and the season’s first “Krider’s Hawk”, 1 dark morph Rough-legged Hawk, 18 Golden Eagles (5a,5sa,5j,3u) and 2 Merlins (1 female/juvenile richardsonii and 1 of unknown subspecies, sex and age). Two Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a female Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warbler (the earliest ever record of the species at the site) and a male House Finch were all new for the year [species #52-54]. 14.33 hours (671.9) BAEA 9 (365) SSHA 12 (30), COHA 3 (4), NOGO 4 (74), UA 2 (5), RTHA 8 (74), RLHA 1 (34), GOEA 18 (2052), MERL 2 (8) TOTAL 59 (2668)