April 1 [Day 29] (Bill Wilson) The temperature at 0730 was 0C, rose to a high of 6C at 1600 and fell to 1C at 2000. Surface winds were SW 5-15 gusting 35 km/h decreasing in the last couple of hours of counting and were S 2-5 at the end of the day, while ridge winds were strong SW gusting to 104 km/h to 0800, then mainly moderate SW gusting to 45 km/h to 1700 after which they were variably W-S light. Cloud cover was essentially cumulus all day, initially 5%, then 30-60% between 0900 and 1200 and 80-100% for the rest of the day giving good observing conditions. The only precipitation was a few flurries after 1900, but there was 3 cm of fresh snow on the ground at the start. The western ridges were obscured up to 20% throughout the day, but the east remained clear except during brief snow squalls late in the afternoon. A total of 58 migrant raptors were recorded between 0824 and 1825, with the flight peaking at 10 birds (2 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 Northern Goshawk and 7 Golden Eagles) between 1300 and 1400, although the maximum Golden Eagle passage was 9 between 1000 and 1100. All the birds moved high from the Fisher Range to Mount Lorette, although late in the day they were only seen after they had arrived at Mount Lorette. The flight comprised 1 adult Bald Eagle, 3 unaged Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 Northern Goshawks (1a,1u), 2 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks (the 3 former species each having their highest counts for the season), 1 indeterminate Buteo and 49 Golden Eagles (39a,3sa,2j,5u). The Northern Shrike still lingered around the meadow, 2 Varied Thrushes sang and 12 of the day's 17 American Robins flew north in a single flock. 13.16 hours (284) BAEA 1 (43), SSHA 3 (6), NOGO 2 (3), RTHA 2 (3), UB 1 (2), GOEA 49 (820) TOTAL 58 (886)

The further adventures of “Elaine” Today Elaine moved to the WNW and finished the day near the headwaters of the North Fork of the Salcho River, about 130 km E of Fairbanks. She is now some 300 km SSE of where she was on this date last year.