May 8 [Day 71] (Valley View site) The temperature reached 9C from a low of 1C, ground winds were variable to WSW increasing from 10 km/h at 0700 to 45 km/h at 1600, and ridge winds were WNW moderate becoming moderate to strong after 1300. Cloud cover was 20-50% mainly cumulus up to 1530 giving excellent observing conditions, but after 1530 the clouds thickened and darkened and at 1735 the site was hit by a thunderstorm bringing hail, sleet and finally wet snow as the temperature fell to 2C at 1900. Raptor movement started fairly early with a Cooper’s Hawk at 0918 and by 1200 14 migrants had moved north. Movement continued to be strong all afternoon and the final total of 47 birds of 12 species was the highest since April 18 and is the second highest daily May count at the site. The count included 6 Bald Eagles (4 subadults and 2 juveniles) and 13 Golden Eagles (2 subadults and 11 juveniles), 9 Red-tailed Hawks (including an adult dark morph Harlan’s Hawk which was the last bird of the day moving north at sleet started falling at 1736), the season’s 8th Ferruginous Hawk (an adult light morph) and the season’s 1st Broad-winged Hawk, an adult light morph, at 1730. This is now the second consecutive year that we have recorded all 18 species of Alberta diurnal raptor during the spring count. If this was not enough, the highlight of the day was a tight flock of about 80 American Golden Plovers that flew to the west at 1655 passing across the face of Turtle Mountain where it was clear that the entire underparts, including the undertail coverts, were black. The flock often wheeled in unison as a large black dot or comma in the sky and at one time suddenly burst apart before quickly reassembling as a tight group a few seconds later. The species is rare in the mountains and the flock was probably diverted to the west by developing thunderstorms over the prairies to the east. It is a new species for the count and is the 154th bird species recorded so far. 12.25 hours (796.1) OSPR 2 (16), BAEA 6 (426), NOHA 1 (21), SSHA 6 (67), COHA 2 (10), NOGO 3 (100), BWHA 1 (1), RTHA 9 (170), FEHA 1 (8), GOEA 13 (2664), AMKE 2 (5), UF (large) 1 TOTAL 47 (3572)