April 5 [Day 31] (George Halmazna, Cliff Hansen after 1745) The temperature reached 4C from a low of -5C and was 3C at the end. Ground winds were SW to variable reaching a maximum of 15-25 gusting 50 km/h at 1500 but for the rest of the day were between 10 and 20 km/h, while ridge winds were generally strong WSW to SSW gusting to 100 km/h in the late afternoon. Cloud cover was 60% stratus and stratocumulus at the start and thickened to 100% stratocumulus with snow at 1100, while for the rest of the day it was 60-100% with regular snow squalls moving from the west. As a result, the eastern ridges were periodically obscured for up to an hour at a time, while the western mountains were 40-100% obscured for most of the day. There was a disappointing raptor movement of only 4 birds: 1 late subadult Bald Eagle, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a, 1u) and the season's first Merlin, an adult male columbarius seen late in the day. Passerine highlights were 5 Varied Thrushes and 100 Bohemian Waxwings in two flocks. 11.08 hours (355.33) BAEA 1 (146), SSHA 2 (11), MERL 1 (1) TOTAL 4 (2964).

Beaver Mines I spent 30 minutes observing from the house between 1445 and 1515 during which time I saw 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 11 Golden Eagles (9a, 1sa, 1j) moving high to the SW from the Big Hill, and a low flying adult male richardsoni Merlin that exploded a perched mixed flock of 50 American Crows and 10 European Starlings as it passed. Sporadic short periods of observation later in the day produced 5 more Golden Eagles (3a, 1sa, 1j) and a light morph Rough-legged Hawk, suggesting that movement on this route may be more regular than I had thought. Winds were strong SW gusting to 60 km/h, but it was sunny with about 30% cumulus cloud cover.