[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (27 Apr 2019) 62 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 27, 2019
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	0	233	573
Osprey	1	364	365
Bald Eagle	0	27	72
Northern Harrier	0	131	137
Sharp-shinned Hawk	6	478	493
Cooper's Hawk	1	37	56
Northern Goshawk	0	2	3
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	42	95
Broad-winged Hawk	50	2727	2727
Red-tailed Hawk	1	88	182
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	2
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	2	405	431
Merlin	1	53	58
Peregrine Falcon	0	1	2
Unknown Accipiter	0	2	3
Unknown Buteo	0	3	5
Unknown Falcon	0	4	6
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	11	12
Total:	62	4608	5222

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	5.33 hours
Official Counter	Derek Lovitch, Zane Baker
Observers:	Dave Fensore, Derek Lovitch, Katrina Fenton, Levi Burford, Mathew Gilbert

Visitors:
Well, the local weather reports and a quick glance out the window this morning may have deterred many people from making it up to the summit to visit the watch or attend Derek's workshop. There were a few hardy souls who sat on the cold wet felsic intrusive igneous rock long enough to hear Derek's always informative talk about the project and how we go about identifying raptors. A total of 34 visitors today.

Weather:
The beginning of the Feathers Over Freeport event was off to a wet start. Drizzle and dense fog kept me away for the first 45 minutes of the count. I opened just before 10:00am despite the poor visibility, mostly in preparation for people arriving for Derek's hawk ID workshop. Just after opening the fog pushed back and we had an almost unlimited view to our south and southwest but it only lasted for about ten minutes. Fog and drizzle continued to roll through with a westerly breeze, and our field of view was limited to the area immediately surrounding the mountain. Just before noon the drizzle became heavier and we decided to pack it up and headed down. I headed home briefly to dry out and watch the radar. Just before 1pm, chilled but determined to make something of the day, Derek decided to open back up amidst some more showers and cold westerly winds. Skies remained overcast but visibility had improved substantially. The rest of the day was off and on drizzle and the winds had increased in strength compared to the morning. A quarter past 4pm, with increasing rain, few birds and a rather empty park, we decided to call it a day and shut down for good.

Raptor Observations:
During the few minutes when the fog cleared this morning, I was able to put a few birds on the board. Most birds spotted were very far to the SW and low to the horizon, staying under the low cloud ceiling for the most part. The strong tail wind had birds traveling at high speed without much powered flight observed. The afternoon was similar to the brief period of birds we witnessed in the morning, just for a more extended time frame. Birds remained mostly out in front of the mountain, with one very close, vocalizing Merlin. Not a bad day given the intermittent periods of fog and rain.

Non-raptor Observations:
Hopefully Hawkwatch Junco was on his toes this morning, as an unknown Accipiter was seen skimming the granite at the summit as it dove into the surrounding scrub brush. It happened fast and all I got to see was a long rudder like tail as it disappeared into the shadows. Pine Warblers and Blue-headed Vireos were foraging out in the open which provided a little splash of color to the morning. Northbound migrants included: 4 Common Loons 2 American Goldfinches 2 Belted Kingfishers 1 Double-crested Cormorant 1 Greater Yellowlegs (First of Year)

Predictions:
Tomorrow hopefully brings a little more sun, most likely during the morning hours, as there is a chance for afternoon showers to develop. There could be a decent flight in the am, with SW winds predicted at about 10mph. Temps should be in the high 40s, maybe low 50s.

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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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