May 16 [Day 81] From a low of 12C the temperature rose to a season-high 20C at 1800, but we were spared yesterday’s high winds with calm to light winds up to 1200 then W-WNW gusting 25-30 km/h for the rest of the day. The cloudless sky was relieved by the development of cirrus cloud between 1000 and 1500 which also gave welcome relief to the eyes. There was again a good late-season count of 19 raptors of 8 species, between a juvenile Northern Goshawk at 1049 and 1854 when a juvenile male Sharp-shinned Hawk flew north with a juvenile female Prairie Falcon with considerable mutual antagonism despite their size difference. All the accipiters counted were juveniles as was the only Golden Eagle to move today at 1119: maybe we are finally running out of them. The highlights of the day were 2 Turkey Vultures each of which glided to the north low overhead: a juvenile at 1509 followed at 1648 by an adult. Two male Brown-headed Cowbirds seen by Dawn as she climbed the ridge at 1011 and 2 Violet-green Swallows feeding over the ridge at 1840 were both firsts for the site. Two Snowshoe Hares on the ridge early in the morning were in brown pelage appropriate for the rapidly melting snow conditions, and Western Whites were the first for the season and one of 5 butterfly species found on the ridge today. 12.67 hours (939.8) TUVU 2 (8), SSHA 7 (186), COHA 2 (36), NOGO 2 (133), RTHA 1 (219), GOEA 1 (2971), AMKE 2 (4), PRFA 1 (17), TOTAL 19 (4164)