[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (31 Mar 2016) 108 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 31, 2016
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	35	222	222
Osprey	2	2	2
Bald Eagle	3	46	46
Northern Harrier	4	17	17
Sharp-shinned Hawk	9	39	39
Cooper's Hawk	6	44	44
Northern Goshawk	0	2	2
Red-shouldered Hawk	4	49	49
Broad-winged Hawk	0	1	1
Red-tailed Hawk	13	183	183
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	27	35	35
Merlin	2	4	4
Peregrine Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Accipiter	0	3	3
Unknown Buteo	1	5	5
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	2	6	6
Total:	108	658	658

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	8 hours
Official Counter	Anna Stunkel, Derek Lovitch
Observers:	Bob Huber, Rick Hartzell, Tom Downing, Zane Baker

Visitors:
32 people visited the hawkwatch.

Weather:
It was a nice warm day, with southwest winds becoming southerly and then westerly in the afternoon. Wind speed picked up during midafternoon, but calmed down again towards the end of the count. Skies were mostly cloudy.

Raptor Observations:
It was an excellent day for raptor migration, with the highest count of the season. The first Osprey of the season were seen today, one of which flew low over the mountain. There was a nice movement of kestrels, especially towards midday and late in the afternoon. From 11 am EST to 12 pm EST, there was a flurry of raptor activity, especially in the gap. The first identifiable immature Red-shouldered Hawk of the season was seen today, along with a good number of immature Red-tailed Hawks. There was quite a bit of Turkey Vulture activity, especially during the morning. Local Bald Eagles were very active, with a few birds flying low over the mountain and allowing close looks for visitors.

Non-raptor Observations:
Robins, grackles, and blackbirds were very active in the morning, with large flocks migrating through. There was an excellent diversity of species for the day. Several first of year species were observed, including Northern Flickers, Great Blue Herons, a Common Loon, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 36 bird species were observed in total. We also saw the first Mourning Cloak butterfly of the season. Species deemed migrating:

232 Common Grackles

133 American Robins

131 blackbird sp.

19 Red-winged Blackbirds

13 European Starlings

10 Bohemian Waxwings

9 Tree Swallows

7 American Crows

6 Northern Flickers

5 American Goldfinches

5 Great Blue Herons

5 passerine sp.

4 Brown-headed Cowbirds

3 Purple Finches

1 Canada Goose

1 Common Loon

1 Horned Lark

1 Pine Siskin

1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Predictions:
It is expected to be overcast throughout the day, with counting likely for the morning and early afternoon. Rain showers and possible thunderstorms may end the count during late afternoon. Moderate winds are predicted to be southerly, with warm temperatures. Due to the approaching rain, counting will probably be somewhat slow, but there could be a push of migrants before these showers arrive.

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Report submitted by Jeannette Lovitch (freeportwildbird@yahoo.com)
Bradbury Mountain State Park information may be found at: www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com/hawkwatch.asp