[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (29 Mar 2017) 2 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 29, 2017
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	0	34	34
Osprey	0	0	0
Bald Eagle	0	30	30
Northern Harrier	0	2	2
Sharp-shinned Hawk	2	8	8
Cooper's Hawk	0	6	6
Northern Goshawk	0	1	1
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	20	20
Broad-winged Hawk	0	0	0
Red-tailed Hawk	0	26	26
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	0	0	0
Merlin	0	0	0
Peregrine Falcon	0	1	1
Unknown Accipiter	0	0	0
Unknown Buteo	0	1	1
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	3	3
Total:	2	132	132

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	8 hours
Official Counter	Zane Baker
Observers:

Visitors:
7 people visited the summit today. The hawkwatch was briefly turned into a nightclub by some local amateur DJ's. Birds apparently don't care for Limp Bizkit's music.

Weather:
The day started out with less sun than expected, with a light wind from the north and northeast, overcast skies and temperatures at about the freezing mark. By mid morning a surprise shower appeared to the west, which briefly touched the summit and partially blocked the visibility in that vicinity. By the afternoon, clouds gave way to more sunshine which was accompanied by strong winds from the north and northwest. Temperatures were in the high 40's by the final hour.

Raptor Observations:
Migrant numbers were low again today, possibly due to lack of sun and a headwind. Local birds were active during the morning hours. Bald eagles chased each other between time spent foraging. There still seems to be a discrepancy between the local Coop and Red-shoulder about established property lines.

Non-raptor Observations:
This morning looked like it could be a decent day for non raptor movement. Northbound birds included: 33 Canada Geese 13 European Starlings 9 Killdeer 5 Common Mergansers 2 House Finches A total of 20 species were seen or heard from the summit which included, first of year: Tree Swallow Brown Creeper Red-winged Blackbird House Finch

Predictions:
Tomorrow could be one of the best days yet for thermal production. Skies are expected to be sunny with highs reaching close to 50. Winds should be out of the north and northwest at 10-15mph. With likely thermal production from the sun, I don't see why tomorrow wouldn't bring some birds. Northwest winds have produced good flights at this sight in the past, even though they aren't the best.

---

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