[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (15 Mar 2018) 44 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 15, 2018
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	14	14	14
Osprey	0	0	0
Bald Eagle	14	14	14
Northern Harrier	0	0	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0	0	0
Cooper's Hawk	3	3	3
Northern Goshawk	1	1	1
Red-shouldered Hawk	2	2	2
Broad-winged Hawk	0	0	0
Red-tailed Hawk	10	10	10
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	0	0	0
Merlin	0	0	0
Peregrine Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Accipiter	0	0	0
Unknown Buteo	0	0	0
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	0
Total:	44	44	44

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	8 hours
Official Counter	Zane Baker
Observers:	Jeannette Lovitch, Mathew Gilbert

Visitors:
A total of 6 people, some of whom I remembered from last year stopped by to say hello and ask a few questions. A few other people were seen passing by, enjoying the fresh snow in a variety of ways. I look forward to seeing everyone who has come by in the past and hopefully meet some new birders as well. Grab your binoculars and come join me sometime.

Weather:
The start of the 2018 season spurred on a sense of deja vu and felt like a scene from the movie Groundhog Day. I could have sworn I had already lived this. A day prior, like last year, the area was met with a large snow storm which blanketed the region with about 14". The snow removal was performed early in order to make the official start time. The first day was met with mostly cloudy skies for most of the day, with more abundant sunshine striking the mountain in the afternoon hours. Winds were breezy and predominantly from the west. Temperatures were mild, in the mid 30's. Visibility was very good for the entire day.

Raptor Observations:
There was a good variety of species and an unexpectedly high total to kick off the new season. Bald Eagles and Turkey Vultures tied for first in terms of numbers. Bald Eagles were mostly mature birds with a few immature thrown into the mix. Red-tailed hawks were all mature birds. A few tails may have over wintered in the area, as they were seen hunting in some familiar locations. Time will tell. The highlight of the day had be a Goshawk displaying for a Red-tail. The two birds appeared low to the trees to the southeast. Given the recent snow cover, the reflection of light gave birds the appearance of being extremely light in color, almost white. This made the I.D. a little confusing on top of the odd looking wing-beats of its display. Jeanette and I discussed our observations about the bird in question and we both agreed it was indeed a Goshawk. The bird was seen a couple more times in the same general area.Could this be a local bird? I'm not sure yet, but I hope so.

Non-raptor Observations:
Derek and Jeanette Lovitch of Freeport Wild Bird Supply,the official sponsor of the Bradbury Mountain Hawkwatch have hired me back as the official counter for a second season. This is the 12th year of data collection from this site, and the location of the first hawkwatch I ever attended. It's an honor to be in charge for another year. I'm looking forward to another great season. Jeanette and I started the day off together, bringing supplies up the summit, and making sure things were in order. Most bird activity was in the earlier part of the count period. Raptor or otherwise. The woods remained fairly quiet, becoming mostly silent by the afternoon hours. Non raptor species included: 38 northbound European Starlings 33 northbound American Crows Blue Jay Mourning Dove Tufted Titmouse Pileated Woodpecker Herring Gull Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee White-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Nuthatch Barred Owl Brown Creeper American Robin

Predictions:
Tomorrow looks to be chilly and a little breezy. Winds are predicted to be out of the west northwest at about 15mph. Temps may climb to the low to mid 30's but the wind chill could make it feel like the mid 20's. Cloud cover may be similar to today. Historically this site has seen decent numbers with the forecast wind direction. Lets hope the wind speed doesn't become too much of an issue.

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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
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]

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