Fort Smallwood Park (29 May 2026) 59 Raptors

[SUE RICCIARDI]

Fort Smallwood Park
Pasadena, Maryland, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: May 29, 2026
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	25	143
Turkey Vulture	21	758	9090
Osprey	4	24	246
Bald Eagle	15	48	137
Northern Harrier	0	2	49
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0	58	649
Cooper's Hawk	0	25	194
American Goshawk	0	0	0
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	0	256
Broad-winged Hawk	16	51	134
Red-tailed Hawk	1	12	95
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	0	1	97
Merlin	0	2	33
Peregrine Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Accipitrine	0	1	10
Unknown Buteo	1	2	10
Unknown Falcon	0	0	7
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	2	16
Mississippi Kite	1	4	4
Swallow-tailed Kite	0	0	2
Total:	59	1015	11172

Observation start time:	9:00 am Daylight Time
Observation end time:	4:30 pm
Total observation time:	7.5 hours
Official Counter	Chris Reed
Observers:	Cindy Godwin, Hal Wierenga, Steve Steimel, Sue Ricciardi

Visitors:  Andrew Estrin

Weather:
Sunny becoming partly cloudy; 68-78 degrees; good to excellent visibility; winds light and variable at first, then westerly at 8-12 mph

Raptor Observations:
Slow at first, but once some clouds came in, the count accelerated and Turkey Vultures, Broadwings and Bald Eagles became more numerous. Plus, our fourth Mississippi Kite was sighted. Unfortunately, it was high and only in view for less than a minute as it headed north with no tarrying. Unaged. Fifteen Bald Eagles were an unexpected treat. Most were very high and streaming.

Non-raptor Observations:
A pair of Baltimore Orioles seemed to be investigating trees for a nest site.

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Report submitted by Sue Ricciardi (susi...@comcast.net)
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]

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Site Description
Fort Smallwood Park is located on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay at the
mouth of the Patapsco River, 11 miles south of Baltimore, MD. Best winds are
from the southwest.