[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (26 Apr 2018) 91 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park

Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 26, 2018
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	0	360	564
Osprey	9	250	250
Bald Eagle	0	18	73
Northern Harrier	3	70	73
Sharp-shinned Hawk	13	276	297
Cooper's Hawk	5	40	61
Northern Goshawk	0	2	5
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	28	74
Broad-winged Hawk	53	1162	1162
Red-tailed Hawk	1	78	181
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	3	215	224
Merlin	0	26	29
Peregrine Falcon	1	2	2
Unknown Accipiter	0	4	5
Unknown Buteo	1	5	6
Unknown Falcon	0	1	1
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	2	13	15
Total:	91	2550	3022

Observation start time:	11:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	4.75 hours
Official Counter	Zane Baker
Observers:

Visitors:
9 visitors today.

Weather:
Today's count was postponed until 12:15 EST. When I arrived, the conditions reminded me of playing lazer tag: relatively dark, cool, damp, and foggy. Clouds began to break apart, revealing the sun's warm rays. Temps at the start of the final hour were just about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Winds started out calm, from the WSW, and shifted to SSE by the end of the day, also increasing in speed.

Raptor Observations:
Despite being a partial day, today was one of the more enjoyable days of counting. Once the weather broke and the sun poked through, birds started to take flight. I was treated to some terrific looks at different birds which flew in close to the mountain, including a plodding immature Cooper's Hawk. By far the best highlight, was spotting our second Peregrine of the season. The bird was relatively far, out to the SE, traveling N towards the mountain at about eye level. The Peregrine was in powered flight, moving swiftly. I expected the bird to disappear quickly, but it stopped to circle for about 40 seconds, not really gaining much altitude. With the bird to the ENE, the sun was now shinning over my shoulder, highlighting the bird like a performance artist in a spotlight. That certainly made my day.

Non-raptor Observations:
Barred owls were very active today, calling back and forth. There were a few times when they began caterwauling. A Song Sparrow, who is an uncommon visitor to the site, joined me at the summit, calling, singing, and feeding, not more than fifteen feet from my tripod.

Predictions:
Some light SW winds should help start the day, but will likely shift to more SSE by midday. Temps may be in the mid 50's due to cooler onshore flow. Clouds should be increasing as the day progresses, with some moisture predicted to be moving in during the afternoon or evening hours.

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Report submitted by Jeannette Lovitch (freeportwildbird@yahoo.com)
Bradbury Mountain State Park information may be found at: www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com/bradbury-mountain-hawkwatch
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]

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