Fwd: Bradbury Mountain State Park (14 May 2022) 30 Raptors

[Derek Lovitch]

Bradbury Mountain State Park
Pownal, Maine, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: May 14, 2022
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	1
Turkey Vulture	0	0	470
Osprey	2	58	286
Bald Eagle	1	15	97
Northern Harrier	1	11	84
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	187	669
Cooper's Hawk	1	12	56
Northern Goshawk	0	0	3
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	3	123
Broad-winged Hawk	15	413	1646
Red-tailed Hawk	1	7	140
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	2	64	304
Merlin	0	38	77
Peregrine Falcon	0	3	6
Unknown Accipiter	2	2	8
Unknown Buteo	1	1	6
Unknown Falcon	0	2	5
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	1	10	23
Total:	30	826	4004

Observation start time:	07:00:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	9 hours
Official Counter	Zane Baker
Observers:	Biz Houghton, Dave Fensore, Frank Paul, Jim Pinfold, John Lorenc, Nate Johnson, Rich Fortin, Terez Fraser

Visitors:
The park was surprisingly empty today. Many people who did come up didn't spend much time at the summit once they stepped out into the sun. 18 people in total. Thanks to everyone who helped search today.

Weather:
Well it wasn't quite as waaaarm as the inside of a rhino but it got toasty today, with temps in the mid 80's. I had a nice sweat going from start to finish. Skies were rather clear during the morning and afternoon. Midday we had a little shade as some Cumulus clouds passed overhead. More Cumulus continued to grow during the afternoon but stayed well to our W. Winds were a little variable in the morning with some westerly component and by the afternoon the winds shifted to more southerly and slightly east. Wind speeds were strong in the pm and didn't let up. Heat shimmer was an issue.

Raptor Observations:
I got to the mountain a little earlier today given the predicted SW winds for early morning hoping to catch some early birds and listen for newcomers. I thought it was a good sign of things to come seeing a Harrier, BW plus a couple Sharp-shinned right out of the gate. Unfortunately it wasn't the flight we had hoped for. We did have some more immature birds come through but not enough for a record day. Lots of TV activity today with many of them diving on each other, a behavior we haven't yet witnessed this season. Onlookers got a great show from an immature Eagle in the afternoon as it flew right in close over the tree tops at the summit, pulling up abruptly in the strong winds and dropping it's talons. It's always a little startling at how big those birds are when they're right in front of you.

Non-raptor Observations:
I did add a couple newcomers to the list today, including a Northern Parula and Eastern Kingbird. Rich spotted a pair of Sandhill Cranes circling high to our NE and thanks in part to the clouds at the time everyone was able to find and view the birds for a couple minutes. Northbound birds include: 6 Tree Swallows 4 Eastern Kingbirds 4 European Starlings 3 Blue Jays 2 Common Grackles 2 Brown-headed Cowbirds 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 Chimney Swift

Predictions:
Tomorrow is the official end of the 2022 season and it looks to be a little more mild than today. Temps should drop back to the 60's with overcast skies for the day. Winds look like they'll be coming in from the SSE for the count period but staying light. There is a chance for rain but I'm hoping it's just some passing showers and doesn't shut us down early.

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Report submitted by Jeannette Lovitch (freeport...@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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