[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (30 Apr 2022) 53 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 30, 2022
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	1	1
Turkey Vulture	0	285	470
Osprey	2	227	228
Bald Eagle	2	22	82
Northern Harrier	0	58	73
Sharp-shinned Hawk	11	452	482
Cooper's Hawk	1	27	44
Northern Goshawk	0	1	3
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	26	120
Broad-winged Hawk	30	1233	1233
Red-tailed Hawk	1	32	133
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	0	230	240
Merlin	6	35	39
Peregrine Falcon	0	0	3
Unknown Accipiter	0	5	6
Unknown Buteo	0	4	5
Unknown Falcon	0	3	3
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	12	13
Total:	53	2653	3178

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	8 hours
Official Counter	Zane Baker
Observers:	Derek Lovitch, Jim Pinfold

Visitors:
With the Feathers Over Freeport in full swing the park and our site had more visitors than usual. Derek's talk attracted 28 people and with the other inquisitive passersby we had a total of 72 visitors to the site.

Weather:
Today felt a little more spring like, with temps getting into the mid 50's. Winds were fairly strong but nothing quite like the past few days. Wind direction was from the north all day with more periods of calm still air in the afternoon with some sudden gusts. Clouds were scattered about, which allowed more direct sun to reach the summit. Visibility was good except for the heat shimmer.

Raptor Observations:
Not bad by any means but we're still holding onto the though that a big day is approaching before the season wraps up. Birds were scattered about the sky for most of the time with the exception of a short lived period in the early afternoon, when it seemed as though we were going to get a nice influx of migrants. Around 2pm Derek spotted a kettle of six Broad-wings high to the SW which continued moving kind of NNE. Shortly after, more birds were seen in the same location in the sky and taking a similar flight line. The excitement was brief as the flight petered out and not much activity was recorded thereafter. Derek's hawkwatching workshop was a success as there were peaople and birds for them to see. Attendees were treated with a few close birds and far birds which allowed them to apply their new knowledge. As the talk finished there was a fantastic training and learning opportunity as a Broad-wing soared with an Eagle which was being bombarded by an Osprey. The birds were all in one field of view, giving great size and shape comparisons.

Non-raptor Observations:
A little light on other birds of note today. The summit was relatively quiet. A small number of Cormorants and a few Tree and Barn Swallows were counted moving north. A highlight today was the first singing Hermit Thrush I've heard.

Predictions:
Tomorrow could be good. Winds should start out from the NW, which isn't bad given the light wind speeds predicted. Around midday the winds may shift to SSW which may bring us some more birds. The clouds should be minimal allowing for more thermal production. Temps will likely be in the mid 50's again. Will birds be moving all day or will there be a sudden free for all once the winds shift? I feel good about tomorrow.

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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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