[Maine-birds] Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (14 Apr 2023) 58 Raptors

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 14, 2023
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	0	190	500
Osprey	9	102	102
Bald Eagle	2	7	44
Northern Harrier	6	36	60
Sharp-shinned Hawk	11	96	116
Cooper's Hawk	1	6	17
Northern Goshawk	1	1	1
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	13	46
Broad-winged Hawk	9	44	44
Red-tailed Hawk	1	10	61
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	16	123	131
Merlin	1	13	20
Peregrine Falcon	0	2	3
Unknown Accipiter	0	3	5
Unknown Buteo	0	0	0
Unknown Falcon	1	3	3
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	6	8
Total:	58	655	1161

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	8 hours
Official Counter	Zane Baker
Observers:	Biz Houghton, Dave Fensore, Tom Downing

Visitors:
27 visitors

Weather:
Today was hot! Finally. Temps started out right around 70 and quickly climbed into the upper 70's, likely 80's in the direct sun on the summit. Clouds were high thin and wispy. Winds were calm and mostly from the ENE for about the first five hours of the count. Right about 2pm EDT a stiff and unrelenting wind picked up from the SE bringing in colder ocean air and dropping temps back down into the upper 60's. Thick white smoke could be seen far to our S as there was a controlled burn on Richmond Island off the coast of Cape Elizabeth.

Raptor Observations:
Still a little slow given the time of year and dry conditions. Winds weren't ideal but they weren't strong for much of the day either. Just as the SE winds sprung up there was a sudden burst of birds which was our most successful hour. The flight quickly shut down after that. A high bird approaching head on I thought was a BW at first glance was a little suspicious as I caught a glimpse of it's long tail yet not excessively long and it's overall heavier appearance. It remained in a glide as it passed by far in front of us. I could barely make out some streaking on it's belly and was feeling confidant about a 'Gos. The bird disappeared behind a Pine. I quickly moved my scope and was disappointed to find a 'shoulder soaring. I was sure it was a Northern Goshawk. Dave commented "are you sure you re-found the same bird?" Nope. Second inspection revealed the Gos and 'shoulder together. The two bird theory playing out in real time. The final 6 birds of the day which all showed up independently of one another were all spotted first by Hawckwatch Junco, which led me to them. An Accipiter was seen leaving the summit with a full crop and a snack in it's talons. I'm not sure who we lost but it wasn't my early warning detection.

Non-raptor Observations:
30 species were seen or heard today and northbound bird include: 41 Double-crested Cormorants 11 Tree Swallows 2 American Goldfinch 1 Red-winged Blackbird

Predictions:
Tomorrow will be cooler than today, in the 60's with winds out of the E for most of the day. Clouds will likely be increasing during the count period. Hopefully winds stay light as there is a chance for some gusts in the afternoon. This time of year you never know what could happen. We'll see.

---

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]

---