March 5 [Day 18] (Valley View site) Cloudless skies allowed the temperature to drop to -3.5C at 0700, but it steadily climbed to 10C at 1500 and it was still 5C at 1800. Ground winds were W-SW all day, light to noon and gusting to 25 km/h in the afternoon, and ridge winds were moderate W all day. It was cloudless until 1100 when thin cirrus began to develop that eventually reached 100% at 1700 and provided reasonably good observing conditions. A total of 49 raptors migrated between1028 and 1807 with 15 of the birds moving between 1500 and 1600, the total being the highest daily count so far this season. All migrants were eagles and both the Bald Eagle total of 18 (13a,3sa,2j) and the Golden Eagle total of 31 (29a,1sa,1j) were season high totals. The warm weather saw the season’s first butterfly on the wing: a Milbert’s Tortoiseshell at 1034. 11.5 hours (199.2) BAEA 18 (125), GOEA 31 (127) TOTAL 49 (279)
Mount Lorette [Day 5] (Cliff Hansen) The temperature rose to a high of 6C at 1600 from a low of -8C, ground winds were SW all day, light in the morning and gusting to 15 km/h in the afternoon, ridge winds were moderate W, and it was essentially cloudless all day with occasional traces of cirrus. The first migrants were 3 adult Northern Goshawks that flew to the north over Hummingbird Plume Hill and the first migrant eagle was a Bald Eagle at 1229. The total flight was 17 migrants comprising 3 adult Bald Eagles, 3 adult Northern Goshawks, 1 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk (which is the earliest ever at the site by 13 days), 9 Golden Eagles (8a,1sa) and 1 unidentified eagle. The last migrant was a Bald Eagle at 1704. Yesterday Joel recorded 2 Common Redpolls at the site, which are relatively uncommon birds this year. Today the headless body of a redpoll was found impaled on a branch of a shrub, presumably by the Northern Shrike which has frequented the Hay Meadow since the start of the count. 11 hours (54.33) BAEA 3 (7), NOGO 3 (5), RTHA 1 (1), GOEA 9 (29), UE 1 (1) TOTAL 17 (47)