[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (06 May 2023) 64 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: May 06, 2023
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	2
Turkey Vulture	0	0	500
Osprey	8	17	268
Bald Eagle	0	7	60
Northern Harrier	2	2	78
Sharp-shinned Hawk	8	27	338
Cooper's Hawk	2	2	34
Northern Goshawk	0	0	2
Red-shouldered Hawk	1	1	51
Broad-winged Hawk	31	56	1943
Red-tailed Hawk	2	2	68
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	1	1
American Kestrel	3	5	256
Merlin	4	12	64
Peregrine Falcon	0	0	4
Unknown Accipiter	1	1	8
Unknown Buteo	1	1	2
Unknown Falcon	0	0	4
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	1	2	18
Total:	64	136	3701

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	8 hours
Official Counter	Zane Baker
Observers:	Amanda Petry, Biz Houghton, Dick Baker, Jen Baker, Margaret Reimann, Mike Chace, Rich Fortin

Visitors:
Many more parkgoers on this gorgeous spring day. 29 people stopped by the table to chat and ask questions.

Weather:
I certainly reached my minimal erythemal dose, and then some today. The sun was shining bright for most of the day. The afternoon had a few more scattered clouds but we had very little shade at the summit, and it felt great. Temps climbed from the 50's into the low 70's. Winds were gusting from the NNW but we were mostly sheltered from the direct blasts of air. Visibility was good with some heat shimmer at greater distances. The lack of cloud cover in the morning hours was challenging for spotting birds.

Raptor Observations:
There was a good mix of birds today and overall not a bad tally but it felt slower given many birds were very far or very high. We still have not had any immature Broad-wings, at least not close enough to identify as such. A relatively close adult Harrier was a highlight of the day for me.

Non-raptor Observations:
A singing Black-throated Green Warbler was a new arrival for us this morning but other than that the trees were pretty quiet. In the afternoon Mike spotted our first Ruby Throated Hummingbird zipping over the mountain. There was not much of a passerine or waterfowl movement today, but I did get a small wave of 20 Blue Jays moving N which I always enjoy seeing this time of year.

Predictions:
Tomorrow looks like it might be a few degrees cooler but with similar NW winds and a mix of clouds and sun. I'm hoping this dry stretch of weather brings a few more birds with it.

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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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