Bradbury Mountain State ParkPownal, Maine, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 21, 2019 |
Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Turkey Vulture | 0 | 233 | 573 |
Osprey | 2 | 283 | 284 |
Bald Eagle | 0 | 24 | 69 |
Northern Harrier | 0 | 106 | 112 |
Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 311 | 326 |
Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 29 | 48 |
Northern Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 3 |
Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 38 | 91 |
Broad-winged Hawk | 10 | 1260 | 1260 |
Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 74 | 168 |
Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
American Kestrel | 0 | 336 | 362 |
Merlin | 0 | 31 | 36 |
Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 2 | 3 |
Unknown Buteo | 0 | 3 | 5 |
Unknown Falcon | 0 | 3 | 5 |
Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Raptor | 0 | 8 | 9 |
Total: | 12 | 2744 | 3358 |
Observation start time: | 11:00:00 |
Observation end time: | 14:00:00 |
Total observation time: | 3 hours |
Official Counter | Zane Baker |
Observers: | |
Visitors:Despite being Easter Sunday, which often brings families out to the park
for a hike, today was pretty quiet maybe due to the weather. Most people
who stopped by mostly commented on the poor view rather than inquiring
about the birds.
Weather:I was monitoring the conditions surrounding the mountain from a couple
different vantage points in Pownal this morning. The fog was so thick you
wouldn't have known there was a mountain protruding above the trees if you
weren't familiar with the area. Around 11:30 am the skies started to clear
and I could see the summit as I approached on route 9. Rain showers popped
up as I prepared to hit the trail, so I waited another few minutes. By the
time I hit the top the fog had returned, so I waited until high noon to
start data collection. Visibility briefly improved as the fog pushed back
to the SE about 1 mile, but only stayed there for about 15 minutes before
returning to the edge of the mountain. A few more light showers passed as I
waited for the fog to lift, which a few weather stations had been
suggesting would happen.But the passing showers, the temperature, relative
humidity, the light SSE wind and proximity to the coast allowed the fog to
stay put and I eventually closed 2 hours early.
Raptor Observations:83.33333 percent of the birds counted today were found during the fifteen
minutes of time when the fog had retreated back towards the Pownal fields.
Like some overzealous sports fans trying to start "the wave", a few
Broad-wings came together and tried to rally a kettle. It wasn't happening.
They quickly dispersed. The other birds I found were right in close to the
mountain, but even being a stones throw away you couldn't see color or
plumage patterns. It was purely birding by gestalt. One of the only thing
that really stood out as different today was the silhouette of a fish,
being transported by an Osprey, head first.
Non-raptor Observations:Chickadees were riled up today for a good fifteen to twenty minutes. I
never did see what might have caused the ruckus, but it sure sounded like
something bad was about to go down. Evening Grosbeak flight calls were a
nice change-up from the usual suspects. They were right in front of me but
I never saw them.
Predictions:An approaching low pressure system is headed towards the Gulf of Maine for
Monday which will bring in some more rain showers. The good news is that it
may be confined more towards the coast. Oh, wait, that's us. The morning
looks like it could be the better half of the day as long as some of this
fog disappears. Precipitation potential increases throughout the day, so
expect more rain in the afternoon. Winds may be from the NE around 8mph,
and temps should be scraping 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Let's hope this is
inaccurate and we get in at least a few hours tomorrow.
Report submitted by Jeannette Lovitch (
freeport...@yahoo.com)
Bradbury Mountain State Park information may be found at:
www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com/bradbury-mountain-hawkwatchMore information at
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