[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (08 May 2018) 23 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: May 08, 2018
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	0	0	564
Osprey	0	47	322
Bald Eagle	0	1	76
Northern Harrier	0	4	82
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	121	463
Cooper's Hawk	0	6	75
Northern Goshawk	0	2	8
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	2	78
Broad-winged Hawk	13	371	1599
Red-tailed Hawk	0	5	189
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	5	72	314
Merlin	1	14	50
Peregrine Falcon	0	1	3
Unknown Accipiter	0	1	8
Unknown Buteo	0	2	8
Unknown Falcon	0	0	1
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	1	10	25
Total:	23	659	3865

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	8 hours
Official Counter	Zane Baker
Observers:	Dave Fensore, Tom Downing

Visitors:
Only 16 visitors stopped by, on this beautiful blue sky day.

Weather:
Dense fog cleared out just in time to start the watch today. Visibility was pretty good, right up until the final hour, when a dark fog bank developed offshore and began to devour some of our landmarks. Wind from the S and SSE increased in intensity throughout the day, with some strong gusts. There wasn't much time spent more than an arms length away from the tripod. The onshore breeze brought in some cool air, but with the plentiful sunshine and the heat radiating off the granite face, it was quite pleasant for most of the day.

Raptor Observations:
We're just now beginning to see some immature Broad-winged Hawks passing by the mountain. One young bird today, came by with a very full crop, having just packed away a nice snack. Mid morning, while there were some onlookers present, a mature Bald Eagle came in from the east, at eye level, and not much further out than people were seated, and glided right by, every detail visible due to the close proximity of the bird.

Non-raptor Observations:
Another quiet day for non raptors. I did hear our first Black-throated Blue Warbler of the season. Other birds deemed migrating included: 64 Double-crested Cormorants 9 Tree Swallows 7 Barn Swallows 3 Chimney Swifts 2 Common Loons

Predictions:
More high pressure is in store for tomorrow, which should mean more clear skies, and abundant sun. Any morning fog should burn off quickly. Winds should be light, but a sea breeze is expected. Winds may start out from the N, and slowly shift to the E and SE. Temps should climb into the low 60's.

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Report submitted by Jeannette Lovitch (freeportwildbird@yahoo.com)
Bradbury Mountain State Park information may be found at: www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com/bradbury-mountain-hawkwatch
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]

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