[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (19 Apr 2024) 69 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 19, 2024
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	0	355	628
Osprey	7	326	327
Bald Eagle	0	14	36
Northern Harrier	3	117	129
Sharp-shinned Hawk	13	285	303
Cooper's Hawk	0	12	24
American Goshawk	0	1	1
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	8	30
Broad-winged Hawk	40	712	712
Red-tailed Hawk	0	18	48
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	6	264	264
Merlin	0	15	21
Peregrine Falcon	0	1	2
Unknown Accipiter	0	7	7
Unknown Buteo	0	4	4
Unknown Falcon	0	8	9
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	13	13
Total:	69	2160	2558

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	8 hours
Official Counter	Zane Baker
Observers:	Ben Fortin, Bill Hancock, Biz Houghton, Dave Fensore, Dick Baker, Don Thompson, Rich Fortin

Visitors:
14 visitors today.

Weather:
We did not see as much sun as we would have liked today, for birds and for comfort. Skies remained mostly cloudy with a few tiny blue patches which never quite aligned between the sun and summit. Temps felt much cooler as a result of a steady onshore breeze from the SE which picked up in the morning and stayed with us for the day. Visibility was good, got a little worse with increasing temps and brighter skies then got better again in the afternoon with denser clouds.

Raptor Observations:
It was a very slow start to our day, with zero birds counted the first hour, 1 the second and 2 the third. Local birds were very active displaying over their respective areas. By midday we started to see some more action. Birds were taking a similar line as yesterday which had similar winds. Birds were mostly coming from the W and quartering into the wind. Despite the clouds, birds were still getting substantial height as they passed by. We didn't witness many birds within thermals but they certain climbed high prior to reaching us. In the afternoon an Osprey with a fish prompted stories of Eagles badgering Ospreys until they released their catch. No sooner had the stories began and an Eagle showed up to chase the Os'. We couldn't see if the fish had been dropped but the tables eventually turned and the Osprey took a few swipes at the Eagle before parting ways. It didn't seem possible, but we eventually reached 69 birds and beat yesterday by three. Nice!

Non-raptor Observations:
Another quiet day. A Common Loon and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet were new for the season. Northbound birds include: 5 Tree Swallows 1 Double-crested Cormorant 1 Brown-headed Cowbird 1 Great Blue Heron 1 Belted Kingfisher 1 Common Loon 1 Eastern Bluebird

Predictions:
Tomorrow's SW winds look pretty good but overnight rain which will likely linger in the morning hours may cause a delayed start. Skies will likely remain cloudy even once the rain has stopped. Temps will be in the mid 50's. I'm hoping the rain stops on the early side and visibility isn't hindered.

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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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