[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (10 Apr 2016) 21 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 10, 2016
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	1	37	259
Osprey	3	21	23
Bald Eagle	0	5	51
Northern Harrier	1	5	22
Sharp-shinned Hawk	6	26	65
Cooper's Hawk	2	8	52
Northern Goshawk	0	0	2
Red-shouldered Hawk	3	7	56
Broad-winged Hawk	0	0	1
Red-tailed Hawk	2	16	199
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	1	30	65
Merlin	1	4	8
Peregrine Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Accipiter	0	0	3
Unknown Buteo	0	1	6
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	1	1	7
Total:	21	161	819

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	8 hours
Official Counter	Anna Stunkel
Observers:	Zane Baker

Visitors:
67 people visited the hawkwatch.

Weather:
Skies were beautifully clear, with moderate winds mostly from the northwest. Windspeed became lighter during the afternoon, and temperatures warmed as the day progressed. As with yesterday, it seemed unusual that these conditions did not yield more migratory movement.

Raptor Observations:
It was another slow day, but with good species diversity. One of the late afternoon Osprey was "packing lunch," with a large fish in tow. A beautiful adult male Merlin was another highlight towards the end of the count. The local Red-tailed Hawk was hunting frequently in the gap. A close local adult Bald Eagle put on a good show for some visitors.

Non-raptor Observations:
The first Double-crested Cormorants of the season were seen streaming out near the Cousins Island power plant. An American Crow with large white wing patches flew by today- this is an interesting characteristic of some individuals within the species.

28 bird species were observed today. Species deemed migrating:

8 Double-crested Cormorants

6 European Starlings

3 American Goldfinches

3 Tree Swallows

2 Purple Finches

1 Eastern Bluebird

Predictions:
Showers are predicted in the morning, and should lessen in intensity during the afternoon. This weather may cause a loss of some morning counting time. Moderate to strong winds from the south, combined with overcast skies, will probably make for a slow day.

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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