[Maine-birds] Fw: Bradbury Mountain State Park (09 Apr 2024) 128 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 09, 2024
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	78	269	542
Osprey	10	42	43
Bald Eagle	5	10	32
Northern Harrier	11	23	35
Sharp-shinned Hawk	9	34	52
Cooper's Hawk	0	3	15
American Goshawk	0	0	0
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	3	25
Broad-winged Hawk	0	0	0
Red-tailed Hawk	0	5	35
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	14	25	25
Merlin	0	1	7
Peregrine Falcon	1	1	2
Unknown Accipiter	0	2	2
Unknown Buteo	0	0	0
Unknown Falcon	0	1	2
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	0
Total:	128	419	817

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, Rich Fortin

Visitors:
21 visitors stopped by to ask questions and share eclipse experiences.

Weather:
Another nice day atop The Brad. Skies were mostly clear with a whole lot of jet traffic today. Temperatures were warm and climbed into the 50's for a little while. Winds were very calm from the NNE for the first half of the day. Just after noon, the winds swung around to the SE, increasing in intensity and bringing in some cool ocean air. Temps dropped and another article of clothing was added.

Raptor Observations:
It was a good day of hawkwatching, with a mixed bag of species. Birds were much closer and more enjoyable to look at. During the lighter E winds late morning, birds were being brought in close to the mountain with a couple distinct flight lines developing. Kestrels and Northern Harriers stole the show by making some close passes by the summit. Turkey Vultures have been moving in larger numbers again after some time of thinking they were wrapping up. Groups of 15-30 are still passing through.

Non-raptor Observations:
It sounded a little more like spring this morning, with more bird song. Hawkwatch Junco was very talkative today and seemed very mellow as he pecked at the ground under the juniper bushes. Great Blue Herons moved through in two separate groups of 9 and 5. We had our first-of-year Pine Warbler flyover today, and I look forward to it's trilling in the coming days. Double Crested Cormorants look like they are starting to show back up in larger numbers.

Predictions:
I'm not sure how many times I've said this but tomorrow looks interesting. There is some more rain approaching by tomorrow afternoon which could push birds out ahead. Winds from the S don't look terrible, as they should be fairly light. Skies should be cloudy, which may improve visibility and spotting. Given the time of year I think there is a better chance of having birds in front of the approaching weather.

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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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