[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (05 May 2017) 9 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: May 05, 2017
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	1
Turkey Vulture	0	0	511
Osprey	0	15	327
Bald Eagle	0	5	75
Northern Harrier	1	6	178
Sharp-shinned Hawk	6	77	576
Cooper's Hawk	0	4	64
Northern Goshawk	0	0	7
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	1	125
Broad-winged Hawk	1	40	1343
Red-tailed Hawk	0	6	167
Rough-legged Hawk	0	1	1
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	0	3	421
Merlin	1	6	50
Peregrine Falcon	0	1	7
Unknown Accipiter	0	1	6
Unknown Buteo	0	0	6
Unknown Falcon	0	0	2
Unknown Eagle	0	0	1
Unknown Raptor	0	4	32
Total:	9	170	3900

Observation start time:	07:00:00
Observation end time:	14:00:00
Total observation time:	5.75 hours
Official Counter	Zane Baker
Observers:

Visitors:
A few of the regular park goers stopped to say hello, one of which spotted the first two birds of the day for me.

Weather:
It was a chilly breezy start to the fifth day of May. Wind blew in from the southeast at a constant rate for the duration of the count, keeping temperatures around the low to mid 40s. There were no glimpses of blue sky today, although the sun could occasionally be seen through the clouds. Like growing bacteria in a Petri dish, an approaching storm front could be seen spreading itself northward. The front reached the mountain at 2:30, bringing with it a steady rain which shut down the count for the day.

Raptor Observations:
There was not a lot of activity in the world of raptors at the mountain today, above tree line that is. A few Turkey Vultures hung around the summit, and a local Coop was out flexing its muscle. I even started to quiver a bit, until I remembered I'm a human.

Non-raptor Observations:
Common Loons could be seen heading inland throughout the morning. I thought I might reach double digits before the rain, but I counted only 6. Right before closing time 4 Fish Crows passed by the summit. With my windbreaker hood pulled over my head and ears, I thought I was hearing a group of newborn babies approaching from the northern trail. Nope, just Fish Crows scheming about how they're going to raid another dumpster.

Predictions:
The rain looks like it will be sticking around through to tomorrow morning. There is a chance of some partial clearing in the afternoon but showers are likely. Highs may reach into the lower 50s. Winds should still be from the southeast at about 10mph. With the days counting down I am really hoping the current weather models are incorrect.

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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