[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (10 May 2017) 2 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: May 10, 2017
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	1
Turkey Vulture	0	0	511
Osprey	0	22	334
Bald Eagle	0	5	75
Northern Harrier	0	6	178
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0	93	592
Cooper's Hawk	0	4	64
Northern Goshawk	0	0	7
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	1	125
Broad-winged Hawk	1	53	1356
Red-tailed Hawk	0	8	169
Rough-legged Hawk	0	1	1
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	0	9	427
Merlin	1	10	54
Peregrine Falcon	0	1	7
Unknown Accipiter	0	1	6
Unknown Buteo	0	0	6
Unknown Falcon	0	0	2
Unknown Eagle	0	0	1
Unknown Raptor	0	5	33
Total:	2	219	3949

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	8 hours
Official Counter	Zane Baker
Observers:	Dave Gulick, Mike Chace

Visitors:
16 people came by today, including a Falconer from England who shared a short clip of his Harris's Hawk and Golden Eagle. Out of all the people who inquire about Bald Eagles, this guy was the most enthusiastic. Like a mother who couldn't find her child, he asked me three times in a row where the Eagles were. Too bad our local birds were grounded at the time, as I think his reaction to seeing one would have been priceless. He is determined to see an Eagle before he heads home.

Weather:
Another cool May day. Temperatures were a little warmer today while the sun was shining through the partly cloudy sky. By later in the day, and with more dense cloud cover, the temps began to fall again. Winds started out light from the north and shifted to southeast by early afternoon. Visibility remained clear for the whole day.

Raptor Observations:
Still not much happening in the skies near the mountain. An immature local Red-tail flew back and forth a few times. I had one countable Broad-wing in the first hour of the day, having to wait another five hours before I saw my second migrant, which was a Merlin with a very full crop. The Merlin made very slow progress as it traveled north, circling its way over the mountain in plain sight for a couple of minutes.

Non-raptor Observations:
Like yesterday, it did not feel like the second week of May on top of the mountain. Birds were very quiet after about 10am. Common loons could be heard from northeast, which is the first time I have heard them vocalize from the mountain.

Predictions:
Tomorrow is predicted to be mostly cloudy with temperatures in the mid 50s. Afternoon showers could pop up over the region. Winds should be out of the north at about 10-15mph. I don't think migration is over just yet, but the current weather pattern is not helping. There are still young birds to be found.

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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