Fwd: HSR: Bradbury Mountain State Park (19 Mar 2014) 57 Raptors

[Derek Lovitch]

>
> Bradbury Mountain State Park
> Pownal, Maine, USA
> Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 19, 2014
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
> ------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
> Black Vulture 0 0 0
> Turkey Vulture 44 86 86
> Osprey 0 0 0
> Bald Eagle 4 17 17
> Northern Harrier 1 2 2
> Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 3 3
> Cooper's Hawk 0 3 3
> Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
> Red-shouldered Hawk 4 23 23
> Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
> Red-tailed Hawk 1 21 21
> Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
> Golden Eagle 0 0 0
> American Kestrel 0 0 0
> Merlin 0 1 1
> Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
> Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1
> Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
> Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
> Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
> Unknown Raptor 1 2 2
>
> Total: 57 159 159
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Observation start time: 08:00:00
> Observation end time: 16:00:00
> Total observation time: 8 hours
>
> Official Counter: Katrina Fenton
>
> Observers: Zane Baker
>
> Visitors:
> Of today's 9 visitors, only one hiked up before noon when the weather was
> still mild enough to enjoy without a winter jacket. Falcons were the topic
> of everyone's discussions, though the species of interest varied from
> person to person.
>
>
> Weather:
> Thickening clouds and a light, but persistent breeze from the east negated
> the warmth of a day where the temperature climbed above freezing. Morning
> haze brought a yellowish tint to the horizon that faded away to a matte
> aquamarine. The wind slowly swept from the ENE to the ESE, carrying with it
> an edge of clammy ocean air and a hint of wet weather to come. By the last
> hour of the hawkwatch, a few pellets of frozen precipitation were beginning
> to fall.
>
> Raptor Observations:
> Yesterday's prediction of "a few birds" turned out to be an understatement
> as the first strong push of Turkey Vultures came through. There were 25
> vultures just in the 10:00a.m. hour, breaking up the horizon with
> whirlwinds of 3-13 birds. Bald Eagles had the run of the Royal River,
> hunting, and interacting with each other in a show of talons. By
> mid-afternoon the flow of birds all but ended, save for a silvery Northern
> Harrier ghosting along far below and a Red-shouldered hawk carrying a crop
> full of lunch.
>
> Non-raptor Observations:
> Blackbird migration is showing signs of picking up. The first Common
> Grackle migrated past today, and one of the Red-winged Blackbird flocks was
> up to 14 birds. A Common Merganser was the final migrant of the day, its
> underside whiter than the retreating snow.
>
> Non-raptor Migrants:
> Common Merganser- 1 American Crow- 13
> Eastern Bluebird- 6 European Starling-31
> Red-winged Blackbird- 17 Common Grackle- 1
> blackbird sp.- 1 passerine sp.- 9
>
>
>
> Predictions:
> Snow will be moving in tonight, changing to rain which will hopefully clear
> out of the area sometime tomorrow morning. Behind the weather, the wind
> will be building out of the west, the sky will be clearing, and
> temperatures could rise into the 40s. There should be birds on the move
> once the front passes.
> ========================================================================
> Report submitted by Jeannette Lovitch (freeport...@yahoo.com)
> Bradbury Mountain State Park information may be found at:
> www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com/hawkwatch.asp
>
>