April 11 [Day 38] (Jim Davis) The temperature was -3C at 0730, rose to a high of 14C at 1500 and was still 10C at 2000. It was calm in the valley until noon after which ground winds were N 8-10 km/h gusting to 23 km/h around 1600, while ridge winds were NNE-N 6-15 km/h after 1100. Cloud cover was 100% altostratus and cirrus, reducing to 70-80% cirrostratus after 1500. Ridge tops were clear all day but the altostratus cloud was often static just above the ridges and when they dissipated after 1500 the following hour produced the day's peak movement of 15 birds. It is possible that before 1500 high-flying birds were moving above the low cloud and could not be seen. Despite this it proved to be an interesting day of raptor movement after two lean days, with a total of 47 birds of a season-equaling 9 species moving between 0851 and 1902, including 3 species seen for the first time this season: 1 Osprey, that was the last bird of the day, 1 adult dark morph Gyrfalcon seen at 1744 and 1 Prairie Falcon. The rest of the flight comprised 8 Bald Eagles (1a,1sa,6j), 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks (2a,2u), 1 adult Cooper's Hawk, 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 10 calurus Red-tailed Hawks (7 light morphs (6a,1j), 2 rufous (intermediate) morphs (1a,1j), and 1 adult dark morph), 1 indeterminate Buteo, 17 Golden Eagles (5a,1sa,2j,9u) and 2 unidentified eagles. Movement was slow but steady throughout the day with just the single peak of 15 birds between 1500 and 1600. Most of the early flight involved relatively low birds flapping north above the centre of the valley, but after mid afternoon birds were seen to the west gliding towards the NW and only a few birds were detected over the Fisher Range to the east. It is possible that these birds were moving ahead of a widespread weather system that threatens to bring rain and snow to the area over the next couple of days. There were also good numbers and variety of non raptors, with season first records of a pair of Hooded Mergansers, 1 male Red-naped Sapsucker, 1 Savannah Sparrow and a pair of Purple Finches. Other bird species included 10 Northern Flickers, 6 Varied Thrushes, 47 American Robins, 9 Mountain Bluebirds, 2 Song Sparrows, 49 Dark-eyed Juncos, 2 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches and 12 Common Redpolls, while a comma butterfly (Polygonia sp.) was also on the wing. 12.5 hours (386.41) OSPR 1 (1), BAEA 8 (78), SSHA 4 (17), COHA 1 (4), NOGO 1 (11), RTHA 10 (38), UB 1 (3), GOEA 17 (952), UE 2 (4), GYRF 1 (1), PRFA 1 (1) TOTAL 47 (1129)