Hi all,
Zane outdid himself with today's report. I think the weather of late may have impacted him. But anyway, thanks to Zane and all of our visitors and volunteers for making 2017 another great year of counting raptors at The Brad.
With 10 years of data (the 11th year of the project in all), we will now start the first analysis of trends for an eventual publication. And, this year, for the first time, our project was included in the Raptor Population Index from the Hawk Migration Association of North America.
Until next March 15th...
-Derek and Jeannette
Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: May 15, 2017 Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total Black Vulture 0 1 2 Turkey Vulture 0 0 511 Osprey 0 29 341 Bald Eagle 0 5 75 Northern Harrier 0 8 180 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 97 596 Cooper's Hawk 0 6 66 Northern Goshawk 0 0 7 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 3 127 Broad-winged Hawk 0 60 1363 Red-tailed Hawk 0 10 171 Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 15 433 Merlin 0 16 60 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: 0 258 3988
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter Zane Baker Observers: Derek Lovitch, Don Thompson, Jeannette Lovitch
Visitors:
First and foremost I would like to thank Derek and Jeannette Lovitch from Freeport Wild Bird Supply for offering me the official position as the 2017 hawk counter, and for starting this hawkwatch site to begin with. Secondly, thanks to our sponser Leica Sport Optics who supplied me with their amazing Trinovid 8x42 HD binoculars and Apo-Televid 65 spotting scope. I truly believe more data was collected on account of the optics. This has been a really fun experience for me, I certainly learned a lot, either by sharing knowledge with other people or from simply making observations in the field over the past two months. I got to see a lot of friends from previous seasons and made a few new ones as well. Thank you to everyone who came up to help me search the skies, step in to answer the occasional question when things were busy, or to share a bird story or two, even if I was a little skeptical of a Golden Eagle eating your chickens. The occasional cup of coffee on a chilly day, and baked potato were greatly appreciated.I hope everyone has a great summer, and happy birding!
Weather:
Well, it was a fitting end to the 2017 season. It wouldn't have felt quite right without one final day of some shivering and being a little soggy at times, not to mention closing things out a half hour early due to rain. Clouds remained densely packed all day, denying many photons from completing their 92.96 million mile journey to Earth. The first hour of the count was pretty wet with a steady drizzle/rain falling, which then subsided until late morning when a little more precipitation fell.Thankfully the high winds predicted for today were mostly blocked by the trees to my north. The noise of the wind at times was more ferocious than it felt. Temperatures remained unseasonably cool, climbing only to the high 40s. A very raw day all in all. One fun thing about days like today is how the visibility becomes extraordinarily clear. I was amazed at how clearly objects and buildings, which typically can't be seen at all, appeared to be right in front of me. At one point I could see which rooms in Maine Medical Center had their shades drawn. Maine Med is 17.8 miles away!
Raptor Observations:
It may not be a big surprise, but there was not much happening today. I may have set a record for identifying the most distant Bald Eagle ever seen from Bradbury, I just don't have a way to confirm that. On an average day I don't think it would have been visible.
Non-raptor Observations:
I did have a few countable northbound birds today, albeit non raptors. Thanks to Derek for making an identification on a flock of birds which I probably wouldn't have been able to call at the distance seen. A whopping: 26 Yellowlegs species 2 Great Blue Herons Only 25 species were seen and or heard today. With many of the days in the past week or two feeling like carbon copies of one another with few to zero birds, I started to feel like Jim Carrey in The Truman Show.
Predictions:
Tomorrow is predicted to.....uh, you know what, you're on your own, I'm off the clock. I can't really believe anyone is actually still reading these anyway. Hello? Bueller? Bueller? In case anyone is paying attention, here's a little something for you. Crisp Roasted Potatoes It's all about surface area folks! 2.5lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, rinsed and cut into 1/2 inch-thick slices. Salt & Pepper. 5 Tablespoons olive oil. 1) Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, heat oven to 450 degrees. Place potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt in Dutch oven and add cold water to cover by 1". Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and gently simmer until exteriors of potatoes have softened but centers offer resistance when pierced with paring knife, about 5 minutes. Drain potatoes well and transfer to large bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using rubber spatula, toss to combine. Drizzle with another 2 tablespoons oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Continue to toss until exteriors of potato slices are coated with a starchy paste, 1 to 2 minutes. 2) Working quickly, remove baking sheet from oven and drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon oil over surface. Carefully transfer potatoes to baking sheet and spreed into even layer (skin side up if end piece). Bake until bottoms of potatoes are golden brown and crisp, 15 to 25 minutes, rotating baking sheet after 10 minutes. 3) Remove baking sheet from the oven and, using metal spatula and tongs, loosen potatoes from pan, carefully flipping each slice. Continue to roast until second side is golden and crisp, 10 to 20 minutes longer, rotating pan as needed to ensure that the potatoes brown evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
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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