[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (13 Apr 2019) 196 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park

Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 13, 2019
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	12	154	494
Osprey	47	101	102
Bald Eagle	1	17	62
Northern Harrier	11	56	62
Sharp-shinned Hawk	40	130	145
Cooper's Hawk	4	22	41
Northern Goshawk	0	1	2
Red-shouldered Hawk	10	23	76
Broad-winged Hawk	5	8	8
Red-tailed Hawk	14	43	137
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	2
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	46	82	108
Merlin	3	13	18
Peregrine Falcon	0	1	2
Unknown Accipiter	0	2	3
Unknown Buteo	0	2	4
Unknown Falcon	1	2	4
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	2	3	4
Total:	196	660	1274

Observation start time:	10:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	6 hours
Official Counter	Zane Baker
Observers:	Dave Fensore, Dave Gulick, Don Thompson, Leon Mooney, Mathew Gilbert, Tom Downing

Visitors:
The summit was pretty jammed today. Looking around at a couple points it seemed as though there were people covering just about every piece of real estate the summit had to offer. We had a first of season and maybe first for the watch, brunch, complete with portable stove and red and white Gingham checkered picnic blanket. Classy!

Weather:
The final few drops of rain came down as I approached the park today, so I was optimistic for opening on time. However, the summit was still engulfed in dense fog with no signs of lifting. Had it been a weekday I would have packed it in, but since it was the weekend I decided to set up and answer questions for the first three hours, officially opening at 11am EST, an hour before the first birds. The fog slowly started to push away from the mountain and by noon the visibility was pretty good. Winds started off light from the WNW increasing in strength by early afternoon before calming down once again. Winds at the summit were mostly from the W with an occasional breeze from the SW. Temperatures were quite spectacular and enjoyable, although there were a few complaints about the heat. High temps today were around 63 degrees Fahrenheit.

Raptor Observations:
The instant the fog cleared birds were of to the races with Sharpies in the lead. Things escalated quickly as more sun hit the ground along with a slight tail wind. By 1 pm we had ourselves a proper hawkwatch. Birds were spread out and high overhead with a couple falcons plowing their way north. We started to see a bunch more immature birds today, especially Red-tails and Red-shoulders, including one Shoulder who seemed to defy the laws of physics by flying while missing all but three primary feathers and most of its secondaries. The bird looked as though it was missing a wing upon first glance. By late afternoon birds started to become a little more of a trickle than a wave. It didn't look like we were set up for our late day Falcon flight we sometimes get.

Non-raptor Observations:
There were 33 species seen or heard today from the summit. There may have been a few more around but with the raptors and dozens of people hanging around making noise, it was hard to hear at times. The passerine of the day was the Tree Swallow, with 90 heading north. No big flights of Blackbirds, Geese or Cormorants today. We did have a couple first of the season birds including a Great Egret and a singing Winter Wren to the SW of the summit.

Predictions:
I'm having a hard time determining what tomorrow will bring for birds. If it's a decent count it will likely be in the am, as there is rain predicted to be moving in during the afternoon. Skies may start out rather clear but clouds should move in quickly. Winds don't look ideal, around 10mph from the SE, but that could mean Peregrines get pushed inland, so there could be a silver lining. Temperatures ought to be comfortable, in the 50s, just remember, if anyone plans to join me, that the onshore breeze can cool things down quickly.

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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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