Bradbury Mountain State ParkPownal, Maine, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 15, 2018 |
Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Turkey Vulture | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bald Eagle | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cooper's Hawk | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Northern Goshawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Red-shouldered Hawk | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Red-tailed Hawk | 10 | 10 | 10 |
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 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total: | 44 | 44 | 44 |
Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
Total observation time: | 8 hours |
Official Counter | Zane Baker |
Observers: | Jeannette Lovitch, Mathew Gilbert |
Visitors:A total of 6 people, some of whom I remembered from last year stopped by to
say hello and ask a few questions. A few other people were seen passing by,
enjoying the fresh snow in a variety of ways.
I look forward to seeing everyone who has come by in the past and hopefully
meet some new birders as well.
Grab your binoculars and come join me sometime.
Weather:The start of the 2018 season spurred on a sense of deja vu and felt like a
scene from the movie Groundhog Day. I could have sworn I had already lived
this. A day prior, like last year, the area was met with a large snow storm
which blanketed the region with about 14". The snow removal was performed
early in order to make the official start time. The first day was met with
mostly cloudy skies for most of the day, with more abundant sunshine
striking the mountain in the afternoon hours. Winds were breezy and
predominantly from the west. Temperatures were mild, in the mid 30's.
Visibility was very good for the entire day.
Raptor Observations:There was a good variety of species and an unexpectedly high total to kick
off the new season. Bald Eagles and Turkey Vultures tied for first in terms
of numbers. Bald Eagles were mostly mature birds with a few immature thrown
into the mix. Red-tailed hawks were all mature birds. A few tails may have
over wintered in the area, as they were seen hunting in some familiar
locations. Time will tell.
The highlight of the day had be a Goshawk displaying for a Red-tail. The
two birds appeared low to the trees to the southeast. Given the recent snow
cover, the reflection of light gave birds the appearance of being extremely
light in color, almost white. This made the I.D. a little confusing on top
of the odd looking wing-beats of its display. Jeanette and I discussed our
observations about the bird in question and we both agreed it was indeed a
Goshawk. The bird was seen a couple more times in the same general
area.Could this be a local bird? I'm not sure yet, but I hope so.
Non-raptor Observations:Derek and Jeanette Lovitch of Freeport Wild Bird Supply,the official
sponsor of the Bradbury Mountain Hawkwatch have hired me back as the
official counter for a second season. This is the 12th year of data
collection from this site, and the location of the first hawkwatch I ever
attended. It's an honor to be in charge for another year. I'm looking
forward to another great season.
Jeanette and I started the day off together, bringing supplies up the
summit, and making sure things were in order. Most bird activity was in the
earlier part of the count period. Raptor or otherwise. The woods remained
fairly quiet, becoming mostly silent by the afternoon hours. Non raptor
species included:
38 northbound European Starlings
33 northbound American Crows
Blue Jay
Mourning Dove
Tufted Titmouse
Pileated Woodpecker
Herring Gull
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Barred Owl
Brown Creeper
American Robin
Predictions:Tomorrow looks to be chilly and a little breezy. Winds are predicted to be
out of the west northwest at about 15mph. Temps may climb to the low to mid
30's but the wind chill could make it feel like the mid 20's.
Cloud cover may be similar to today.
Historically this site has seen decent numbers with the forecast wind
direction. Lets hope the wind speed doesn't become too much of an issue.
Report submitted by Jeannette Lovitch (
freeport...@yahoo.com)
Bradbury Mountain State Park information may be found at:
www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com/hawkwatch.aspMore information at
hawkcount.org: [
Site Profile] [
Day Summary] [
Month Summary]