[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (16 Mar 2019) 83 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 16, 2019
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	32	50	50
Osprey	0	0	0
Bald Eagle	12	13	13
Northern Harrier	0	0	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1	1	1
Cooper's Hawk	2	3	3
Northern Goshawk	1	1	1
Red-shouldered Hawk	10	18	18
Broad-winged Hawk	0	0	0
Red-tailed Hawk	23	26	26
Rough-legged Hawk	0	1	1
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	0	0	0
Merlin	0	2	2
Peregrine Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Accipiter	0	0	0
Unknown Buteo	1	1	1
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	1	1	1
Total:	83	117	117

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	8 hours
Official Counter	Zane Baker
Observers:	Dave Fensore, Derek Lovitch, Mathew Gilbert, Rick Hartzell, Tom Downing

Visitors:
16 people came by during the first Saturday of the season, including some seasoned birders.

Weather:
Fairly steady westerly winds with powerful gusts swept the summit for the majority of the day. Skies were mostly cloudy but scattered, allowing for the sun's warmth to be felt on your face. Temps climbed up to a pleasant 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Visibility was very good, with some heat distortion.

Raptor Observations:
For day two of the season this was a big day. Our first hour produced the most birds, for a total of twenty three. Birds came through in slightly lowers numbers per hour after that but remained pretty steady. Birds were spread out and mostly out in front of the mountain today, probably having been pushed by the winds. Not many birds were seen flying in the direction they were pointing, often tracking sideways. We saw our first Sharp-shinned Hawk of the season in the afternoon. A few other birders braved the wind and were treated to a nice look at a mature Goshawk moving to the northwest. Later in the day another Gos' was spotted dropping into the trees within the park, very close to where I had seen a Goshawk drop below the trees, just before the start of the season. We may have a local Goshawk.

Non-raptor Observations:
There wasn't a lot of Passerine migration today. A couple dozen Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds moved early on before quieting down. There were 22 birds seen or heard from the summit, including 4 Hooded Mergansers and maybe our hawkwatch companion, Hawkwatch Junco.

Predictions:
Tomorrow should bring some clearer skies with lighter winds, from the west northwest. Temps will be a little chilly in the morning but should reach highs in the mid 30s. With such a good day today during high wind conditions, tomorrow could be pretty good as well.

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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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