April 7 [Day 34] (Jim Davis and Cliff Hansen) Cliff arrived at the Hay Meadow at 0735 and watched there to 1700. Jim joined Cliff at 0754 and at 1300, when the weather deteriorated, went to Lusk Creek and watched there until 2010. The starting temperature at the Hay Meadow was -6C and rose to a high of 3C at 1700, while the temperature at Lusk was 1C throughout. Ground winds at the Hay Meadow were variable W-WSW-SW mainly light but occasionally reaching 15 km/h, and limited data from the Nakiska Ridgetop indicated light to moderate SW-SSW ridge winds. At Lusk Creek it was calm to 1430 when 30 km/h NW winds brought snow to 1640, after which they became light. Cloud cover at the Hay Meadow was initially 10% cumulus and altostratus that thickened to 80-90% after 1000, snow fell between 1215 and 1345 obscuring all the ridges, which subsequently remained more or less clear for the rest of the day. At Lusk it was cloudless until the NW wind rapidly brought 100% low stratus and snow, but after 1640 it was clear to the N and E but a wall of cloud remained static to the S. At Hay Meadow a total of 24 migrants (3 adult Bald Eagles, 1 adult Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 juvenile Cooper's Hawk, 2 adult Northern Goshawks, 1 indeterminate small Accipiter, 5 adult calurus Red-tailed Hawks (4 light and 1 rufous), 1 light morph Rough-legged Hawk, 8 Golden Eagles (6a,2sa), 1 indeterminate eagle and 1 male American Kestrel) moved between 0939 and 1704, with only 7 of the birds moving after 1300 and only 1 after 1500. At Lusk Creek 14 birds were seen between 1338 and 1449, they shut down for 1.16 hours as the snow fell, then there was a secondary peak as 9 birds moved between 1700 and 1800, and the last Bald Eagle went north at 2009. The count at Lusk comprised 4 adult Bald Eagles, 1 unaged Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 adult Cooper's Hawk, 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 9 adult Red-tailed Hawks (8 calurus of which 6 were light morphs, 1 rufous and 1 dark, and 1 adult dark morph harlani), 13 Golden Eagles (7a,1sa,2j,3u) and 1 columbarius Merlin of unknown age and sex. It appeared that the Lusk birds increased as the Hay Meadow birds declined so the movement was probably displaced to the east by the weather; the 2 counts can probably be legitimately combined. This being the case, the 9 species seen today is the highest diversity seen so far this season, and the combined-site total of 54 birds has finally pushed the total season 's count over 1000 birds. The non-raptor highlight at the Hay Meadow site was a loose flock of 5 Fox Sparrows (4 were probably of the locally breeding race schistacea, and 1 was the eastern and northern race iliaca), 6 Song Sparrows and the season's first White-crowned Sparrow, while the Lusk count was enlivened by 730 Bohemian Waxwings that occurred in 8 flocks. 12.58 hours (335.41) BAEA 7 (58), SSHA 2 (12), COHA 2 (3), NOGO 3 (7), UA 1 (6), RTHA 14 (27), RLHA 1 (7), GOEA 21 (915), UE 1 (2), AMKE 1 (2), MERL 1 (2) TOTAL 54 (1045)

Piitaistakis-South Livingstone (Mark Sherrington 1145-1530) The temperature was 2-4C, winds were mainly W-NW gusting to 40 km/h and cumulus cloud cover went from 10% to 1300, to 60% at 1400 and quickly reduced to 5% at 1430. There were extensive snow squalls to the south, west and north that periodically hit the site. Migration conditions were good and most birds glided to the north low above or just below the ridge. The 13 migrants counted between 1145 and 1518 comprised 2 adult Bald Eagles, 10 Golden Eagles (7a,2sa,1u) and 1 Prairie Falcon. 3.75 hours BAEA 2, GOEA 10, PRFA 1 TOTAL 13

The further adventures of “Elaine” Today Elaine covered the last 70 km to the NE and is now in her home range where she presumably nested last year. Many thanks Elaine for another highly instructive journey and congratulations and thanks to Rob Domenech and his colleagues from the Raptor View Research Institute in Montana.