[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (19 Apr 2017) 91 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 19, 2017
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	1	1
Turkey Vulture	0	251	511
Osprey	11	272	272
Bald Eagle	0	26	61
Northern Harrier	2	155	159
Sharp-shinned Hawk	9	363	375
Cooper's Hawk	1	42	50
Northern Goshawk	0	5	7
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	75	123
Broad-winged Hawk	61	660	660
Red-tailed Hawk	1	88	150
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	4	370	371
Merlin	0	27	28
Peregrine Falcon	0	1	2
Unknown Accipiter	0	4	4
Unknown Buteo	1	3	4
Unknown Falcon	0	1	1
Unknown Eagle	0	1	1
Unknown Raptor	1	18	22
Total:	91	2363	2802

Observation start time:	07:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	8.5 hours
Official Counter	Zane Baker
Observers:	Dave Gulick, Don Thompson

Visitors:
Not as many people visited today, compared to the past few days. I did receive help from a couple of my regular hawk watching companions even though it was a little uncomfortable for mid April. Thanks for the help everyone.

Weather:
Today started off in the mid 30s with almost no wind. Skies were mostly cloudy for the morning hours and completely cloud covered by 1pm. At about 10am wind speeds started to increase and were coming in, off the ocean from the southeast. From 1pm until the end of the day winds were blowing at a very steady 20-25mph with gusts getting above 30mph, at least on top of the mountain. Winds were strong enough, at times, to make me take a couple of steps, in order to catch my balance. A few people reported that the winds were not nearly as strong at lower elevations in the surrounding towns.

Raptor Observations:
Even though the conditions deteriorated quickly today, birds continued to make forward progress. I was a little surprised to see some of the smaller Accipiters and Falcons flying in such high winds. The only bird I saw who had some serious trouble with the wind was a local Turkey Vulture. The bird approached the summit from the south like bullet from a gun. About fifty feet before crashing into the summit, the bird started to tumble through the air, flashing its back, head, underwing, and rump, feathers being displaced all over. Like a skydiver whose reserve chute opened at the last possible moment the bird righted itself and avoided a catastrophe. I though for a moment I might get to catch a falling Turkey Vulture.

Non-raptor Observations:
High winds kept things grounded, or pushed them to our west before I could spot them. The wind also made listening for birds difficult. Only 28 species were spotted or heard from the summit today.

Predictions:
Tomorrow should be a little warmer, in the 50's with mostly cloudy skies. Wind at the start of the day may be from the southeast, but will likely shift to a more east or northeast direction at 5-10mph. With birds on the move in today's winds, it seems plausible to see some more birds tomorrow, even though it could be a light headwind.

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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