[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (16 Mar 2018) 16 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park

Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 16, 2018
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	4	18	18
Osprey	0	0	0
Bald Eagle	6	20	20
Northern Harrier	0	0	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0	0	0
Cooper's Hawk	3	6	6
Northern Goshawk	0	1	1
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	2	2
Broad-winged Hawk	0	0	0
Red-tailed Hawk	2	12	12
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	0	0	0
Merlin	0	0	0
Peregrine Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Accipiter	1	1	1
Unknown Buteo	0	0	0
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	0
Total:	16	60	60

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

Visitors:
18 visitors stopped to chat about birds today. One individual commenting that the Hawkwatch is her official sign of spring. While describing to a couple about how the high winds could impact daily flights, I turned in time to see my spotting scope tripod turned into a bipod as it listed twenty degrees to the port side. Caught it just in time, and promptly lowered its stature.

Weather:
Despite the stronger westerly winds and cooler temperatures compared to yesterday, the more abundant afternoon sun and solar gain helped make things comfortably cold. Scattered cloud cover slowly receded throughout the day giving way to blue skies. Temperatures hovered right at, and just below the freezing mark. Wind gusts were strong at times. Visibility was good but there was considerable heat distortion and a minor haze.

Raptor Observations:
A handful of Turkey Vultures came through during the first hour but remained elusive the rest of the day; wind and snow cover being a plausible explanation. More Eagles were on the move again. There were a few more immature birds today. Even the Eagles could be seen fighting against the higher wind speeds. I'm feeling a little more confident about an established pair of Red-tailed Hawks on territory, in an area to the west often referred to as, The Gap. Like two synchronized swimmers, the birds occasionally would fly in unison, matching wing-beats and stopping to kite at the same moment, stacked, one just above and to the right of the other. For a second I thought I had double vision. They were seen a few times during the day actively hunting. Unfortunately, I had to mark my first unidentified bird today. I was hoping to make it through the first week, at least. A poor angle, distance, and heat distortion made for enough uncertainty, I couldn't be confidant in the species. A mystery Accipiter.

Non-raptor Observations:
Not a lot of bird song or sightings today. Northbound species included: 37 American Crows

2 European Starlings

2 American Robins

2 American Goldfinches

Other species seen or heard from the summit: Mourning Dove, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Common Raven, American Crow, Herring Gull, Dark-eyed Junco

Could Hawkwatch Junco be back? Tune in next time

Predictions:
A cold front is predicted to move in from the northwest tomorrow possibly bringing some flurries of snow. Wind direction may be similar to today, mostly from the west at about 15-20mph with some gusting. Temps probably won't break out of the twenties. It's possible to have a similar flight to today, which for the start of the season is pretty good. Bring extra clothing.

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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
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]

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