[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (28 Apr 2016) 192 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 28, 2016
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	0	38	260
Osprey	7	431	433
Bald Eagle	0	13	59
Northern Harrier	0	106	123
Sharp-shinned Hawk	13	605	644
Cooper's Hawk	1	19	63
Northern Goshawk	0	0	2
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	25	74
Broad-winged Hawk	160	1789	1790
Red-tailed Hawk	0	54	237
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	4	374	409
Merlin	7	57	61
Peregrine Falcon	0	1	1
Unknown Accipiter	0	2	5
Unknown Buteo	0	7	12
Unknown Falcon	0	4	4
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	14	20
Total:	192	3539	4197

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

Visitors:
24 people visited the hawkwatch.

Weather:
Winds started off at moderate speeds and were generally from the northwest, eventually shifting to south and strengthening towards the end of the count. Skies were mostly clear, with some heat haze along the horizon especially towards the middle of the count.

Raptor Observations:
The day started off with a burst of activity during the first two hours of the count. Broad-winged Hawks were circling up in many directions- far in the distance, close, and directly overhead. This seemed a little puzzling considering the weather conditions, but the birds put on a good show! After this period of activity, migration slowed and most birds were distant. There was a nice little flurry of fast, close Merlins late in the afternoon. Few birds came through when the wind shifted to southerly, which may have been because of the increase in gusting.

Non-raptor Observations:
The first Chimney Swift of the season zipped by! A Pine Warbler was gathering nesting material (some sprigs of lichen) at the summit.

36 bird species were observed. Species deemed migrating:

60 Double-crested Cormorants

7 Tree Swallows

1 Chimney Swift

1 warbler sp.

Predictions:
Light southeast winds, partly cloudy skies, and temperatures in the forties are predicted for tomorrow, which should make for a great day. Winds may be more easterly in the morning, but activity should pick up as they switch over to southeast in the late morning and afternoon (unless birds pleasantly surprise us with a morning rush despite the wind direction, like they did today).

---

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