[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (25 Apr 2016) 213 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 25, 2016
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	0	38	260
Osprey	17	415	417
Bald Eagle	1	13	59
Northern Harrier	2	104	121
Sharp-shinned Hawk	26	566	605
Cooper's Hawk	1	18	62
Northern Goshawk	0	0	2
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	25	74
Broad-winged Hawk	159	1531	1532
Red-tailed Hawk	0	53	236
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	4	365	400
Merlin	2	45	49
Peregrine Falcon	0	1	1
Unknown Accipiter	1	2	5
Unknown Buteo	0	7	12
Unknown Falcon	0	3	3
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	13	19
Total:	213	3199	3857

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	18:00:00
Total observation time:	10 hours
Official Counter	Anna Stunkel
Observers:	Don Thompson, Julie Krasne

Visitors:
25 people visited the hawkwatch, including an enthusiastic group from Chop Point School.

Weather:
Winds started off light for the first hour, and then became moderate and gusty before calming again during the last few hours of the count. Wind direction was variable, often from the northwest and west. As wind speed calmed, wind direction became westerly. Skies were mostly clear during the morning and early afternoon, becoming cloudy later on in the count period.

Raptor Observations:
The first raptor of the day was a close Merlin zipping past the summit. There was a slow but steady stream of raptors for most of the day. When wind speed calmed during late afternoon, there was quite a push of migration. These birds may have sensed the approaching storm system. A few kettles of Broad-winged Hawks (including a group of 17) and many single birds came through during the raptor flurry. Osprey and Sharp-shinned Hawk numbers also increased during this late movement. A Broad-winged Hawk flew close past the hawkwatch this afternoon, carrying what appeared to be a frog in its talons!

Non-raptor Observations:
One Sandhill Crane passed the summit this evening. Pine Warblers were frequently singing on exposed perches, providing great views for visitors. 39 bird species were observed.

Species deemed migrating:

164 Double-crested Cormorants

16 passerine sp.

10 Tree Swallows

4 European Starlings

3 Great Blue Herons

1 Common Loon

1 Sandhill Crane

1 warbler sp.

1 Yellow-rumped Warbler

Predictions:
A little bit of winter will be hitting us tomorrow. Snow showers are expected in the morning, with more steady snow in the afternoon. By the end of the afternoon, temperatures will probably warm enough for rainy rather than snowy conditions. Winds are expected to be light and mostly from the northwest. A few hours of counting may be possible especially at the beginning or end of the day, but migration is likely to be slow.

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Report submitted by Jeannette Lovitch (freeportwildbird@yahoo.com)
Bradbury Mountain State Park information may be found at: www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com/hawkwatch.asp