April 9 [Day 45] (Valley View site) It was another warm day with a high of 14C and a low of 4C, ground winds were mainly SW gusting to 25 km/h and ridge winds were moderate WSW all day. Cloud cover was a 60-90% mixture of altostratus, altocumulus, cirrus, cumulus and lenticular providing mainly hazy sunshine and excellent observing conditions. Although raptor movement was better than it was yesterday, the 27 birds counted is still below what would be expected for this time of year. The first raptor was a juvenile Golden Eagle at 1042 and movement peaked at 8 birds between 1500 and 1600 with only 2 more birds recorded after 1600, the last being a subadult Bald Eagle at 1806. Conditions for migration were excellent all day so the reason for the relative lack of birds lies elsewhere. The 11 Bald Eagles comprised 6 adults, 2 subadults and 3 juveniles, while all but one of the 9 Golden Eagles were juveniles, the other being an adult. The resident Golden Eagle situation continues to be confusing with 3 adults performing low-intensity displays together at 1815 while a fourth adult displayed about a kilometre to the south. 12.33 hours (490.7) BAEA 11 (364), NOGO 3 (66), RLHA 3 (37), GOEA 9 (2382), MERL 1 (11) TOTAL 27 (2912)
Mount Lorette (Cliff Hansen) The temperature rose to 12C from 4C, surface winds were light W to variable until noon, gusting to 30 km/h in the afternoon before becoming light again after 1700. Ridge winds were light to 1100 then moderate to 1700 when they were strong for an hour before diminishing again. Cloud cover was 20-80% altocumulus, cirrus and cumulus. The first migrant raptor was an adult Bald Eagle at 1051 followed by a long raptor-less period broken at 1702 when 5 eagles (1 Bald and 4 Golden) were seen soaring together over the Fisher Range. Eleven of the day’s 17 migrants moved between 1700 and 1800, and the last bird, an adult Golden Eagle, was recorded at 1927. At 1830 a Tree Swallow feeding over the Hay Meadow cut a clear swath through a swarm of moths that were highlighted by sun breaking through snow clouds to the west. 11.25 hours (406.7) BAEA 3 (71), NOGO 1 (7), GOEA 13 (820) TOTAL 17 (925)