May 9 [Day 76] (Valley View site) At last, a pleasant day! The temperature ranged from -4C to a high of 11C at 1600, ground winds were calm to light SW-N except between 1100 and 1230 when they were SW gusting to 25 km/h, and ridge winds were WNW generally moderate. Cloud cover was initially 5% cumulus which gradually increased with development of towering cumulus in the afternoon reaching 100% at 1700, and the only precipitation was a heavy snow squall from 1650 to 1710 which briefly obscured the ridges, and hail from 1900 to 1925. A total of 66 migrant raptors of a season high 13 species was counted between 0925 and 1835, the count being the highest since April 1 and the highest ever for May at the site. The 7 Ospreys counted between 1021 and 1353 was the highest ever daily spring count at the site, the previous highest being 4 on April 26, 2008, the Sharp-shinned Hawk count of 9 birds (4a,1j,4u) was the highest since April 17, and the single Rough-legged Hawk (juvenile light morph female) equaled the latest ever record at the site in 2009. The 31 Golden Eagles (1a, 9sa,21j) was the highest count since April 1, and the highest ever May count at the site. Other migrant raptors were 1 adult Turkey Vulture, 4 Bald Eagles (1a,1sa,2j), 1 juvenile (probably female) Northern Harrier, 2 Northern Goshawks (1j,1u), the season’s first Swainson’s Hawk [species # 71] (adult light morph), 6 calurus Red-tailed Hawks (3 light morphs: 1a,1j,1u and 3 dark morphs: 2a,1j), the season’s first American Kestrel (female) [#72], 1 adult male richardsonii Merlin and 1 Prairie Falcon. One or two non-migratory adult Cooper’s Hawks were also observed giving a day’s count of 14 species of raptor, which is a spring record for the site. A flock of 8 Ring-billed Gulls flying high to the south at 1602 was the 69th species of the season and a first spring record for the species. It was a day worth waiting for. 12.5 hours (865.9) TUVU 1 (6), OSPR 7 (14), BAEA 4 (385), NOHA 1 (14), SSHA 9 (51), NOGO 2 (83), SWHA 1 (1), RTHA 6 (105), RLHA 1 (39), GOEA 31 (2144), AMKE 1 (1), MERL 1 (10), PRFA 1 (13) TOTAL 66 (2892)