Hi all,
And with this the 2015 Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch comes to a close. I want to thank Andrew Wolfgang for his hard work, dedication, and ceaseless enthusiasm for engaging visitors.
I'll post a blog soon with a little analysis of the season, but we did have a below-average total count for several weather-related reasons. Year-to-year variation in a hawkwatch's tally is not necessarily indicative of raptor populations. Instead it is the long term, broad-scale trend analysis that we look for.
Thanks to Leica Sport Optics, the 9th season of the count was possible, and we look forward to continuing to fund this project for years to come.
I want to reiterate Andrew's thanks to everyone who came out to lend him a hand, or offer moral support in what was sometimes a very trying season. The visitors to any hawkwatch is what makes these projects valuable, and fun!
Good job, Andrew, and thank you again!
And I hope to see everyone on the summit next year...we're back to work on March 15, 2016.
-Derek
Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: May 15, 2015 Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 374 Osprey 1 77 382 Bald Eagle 1 30 102 Northern Harrier 0 13 101 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 184 610 Cooper's Hawk 0 20 85 Northern Goshawk 0 0 4 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 104 Broad-winged Hawk 8 448 1190 Red-tailed Hawk 0 24 236 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 3 Golden Eagle 0 0 1 American Kestrel 2 86 307 Merlin 1 37 75 Peregrine Falcon 0 3 8 Unknown Accipiter 0 3 19 Unknown Buteo 0 0 10 Unknown Falcon 0 0 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 5 13 Total: 14 930 3628
Observation start time: 07:45:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours Official Counter Andrew Wolfgang Observers: Derek Lovitch, Douglas Prescott, Jeannette Lovitch, Zane Baker
Visitors:
35. A special thank you to all the friendly visitors at the Bradbury Mountain Hawk Watch this spring. The counter would also like to thank everyone for there generous donations of conversations and food! Without the help of our volunteer observers this count would not be what it is. Thank you to all those who came up to the summit to observe this year!
Weather:
This morning started off with sunshine and a few clouds. Cloud cover increased and by the end of the count skies were overcast. Winds were light from the west and changed to light from the south later in the day. Overall a comfortable day at the summit, and nice weather for the final day of the count.
Raptor Observations:
Fourteen migrants were counted today at Bradbury Mountain. There were several young Broad-winged Hawks and a fairly close Sharp-shinned Hawk that passed by in the early afternoon. The last migrant of the count for the 2015 season was a beautiful American Kestrel!
Non-raptor Observations:
Today 44 species were observed at the summit. This season 99 species of birds were recorded at Bradbury Mountain during the count period. Migrants today included: American Goldfinch 9 Barn Swallow 7 Chimney Swift 5 Tree Swallow 4 Double-crested Cormorant 4 Blue Jay 2 Common Loon 2 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2 Common Grackle 1 Baltimore Oriole 1 Bobolink 1
Predictions:
I would like to thank the sponsors of this year's hawk watch at Bradbury Mountain. Leica Sport Optics joined Freeport Wild Bird Supply in sponsoring the count for 2015. It was an amazing experience using Leica Optics, which are the best and highest quality optics. Derek and Jeannette of Freeport Wild Bird Supply have organized the project for nine years and counting. This year's sponsors and the folks at Bradbury Mountain State Park helped to make the 2015 season a great experience!
Report submitted by Jeannette Lovitch (freeportwildbird@yahoo.com)
Bradbury Mountain State Park information may be found at: www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com/hawkwatch.asp
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