May 16 [Day 83] (Valley View site) It was another beautiful day with the temperature reaching a season high 22C at 1600 from a low of 5.5C: in fact the temperature remained above 20C from 1200 to 1730 and was still 18.5C at 1900. Ground winds were calm to 1030 and then mainly light W-WSW except between 1200 and 1430 when they occasionally gusted to 15-23 km/h, and ridge winds were WNW-W light to moderate. Cloud cover was a 60-100% mixture of cirrus, cirrostratus, cumulus and altocumulus giving hazy sunshine all day and yet again provided an excellent observation backdrop. There was a slow but steady migration of raptors with 12 birds of 8 species moving between 1151 and 1749 including the season’s 7th Turkey Vulture (an adult) and 3rd Swainson’s Hawk (a light morph adult). Other migrants were 1 subadult Bald Eagle, 1 juvenile Northern Harrier, 2 juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 juvenile Cooper’s Hawk, 2 juvenile light morph Red-tailed Hawks and 3 Golden Eagles (1sa and 2j). Hunting and displaying resident Red-tailed Hawks were conspicuous through most of the day representing 3 or 4 pairs. The day’s second Golden Eagle at 1359 was the season’s 3000th migrant raptor, but we are heading for the lowest ever spring count at the site as the 2008 and 2009 totals were 4204 and 3837 respectively. A Calliope Hummingbird flying over at 1231 was the 82nd species of the season and a first spring record and a second unidentified hummingbird flew high overhead at 1805. Most remarkable was a small flock of 3 Common Redpolls at 0710 which is only the second record for the season (the other was 3 birds on March 8) and represents by far the latest ever record at the site. The exceptionally warm weather of the last three days appears to have significantly reduced the snow cover on the Piitaistakis Ridge, so I plan to return there to conduct the count tomorrow. 12.5 hours (951.9) TUVU 1 (7), BAEA 1 (394), NOHA 1 (18), SSHA 2 (75), COHA 1 (16), SWHA 1 (3), RTHA 2 (119), GOEA 3 (2174) TOTAL 12 (3006)