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Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch Begins

March 14, 2010 - POWNAL -- Hawkwatching season is upon us! Freeport Wild Bird Supply (FWBS) will once again be partnering with Nikon Sport Optics to sponsor the Spring Hawkwatch at Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal. 2010 marks the fourth consecutive season for this project through which valuable data is collected while providing an enjoyable and educational experience for visitors.


The hawkcount will be staffed from 9-5 every day between March 15 and May 15. Daily totals will be entered into Hawkcount.org, and will be automatically posted to the Maine-birds and BirdHawk listserves. Also, you can access data from Hawkcount.org for this, and past seasons, as well as directions to the park via our hawkwatch website."


This year, we welcome Steve Kolbe from Stowe, Ohio as our official counter. A 2007 graduate from Miami University in Ohio, Steve has worked on a variety of avian research projects over the past four years that have taken him all over the country. Most recently, Steve worked for the Cape May Bird Observatory as an interpretive naturalist during the fall of 2009. In this well-rounded position, he participated in the Hawkwatch, Morning Flight, and Avalon Seawatch, helping visitors with bird identification and fielding a wide variety of questions about migration. Other projects he has worked on include nesting studies of sagebrush songbirds in Wyoming, Willow and Dusky Flycatchers in California, and American Redstarts in Michigan as well as the Breeding Bird Atlas in Ohio.


Rising 485 feet above the southern coastal plain, Bradbury Mountain provides unimpeded views to the south and east all the way to the islands of Casco Bay. Whether using updrafts off the mountain, gliding overhead, or soaring over the plains, observers watch raptors utilizing a variety of migratory methods as they work their way north. The goal of the project is to document this migration by identifying and counting all raptors that pass by the mountain. Last spring, we counted 4116 hawks, including 46 Bald Eagles, 321 Ospreys and 1652 Broad-winged Hawks. Over a period of years, these data can be analyzed to determine trends in species numbers as well as changes in distributions, which when studied in conjunction with other monitoring sites across the continent, give us a broadscale idea of what is happening with raptor populations. For example, we have learned that Black Vultures are steadily moving north out of their stronghold in the southeastern United States, most likely due to climate change. This species has been documented at Bradbury Mountain 5 times in the past 3 seasons of counting. This would have been unheard of just a few years ago. Other trends occurring along the entire east coast are decreases in numbers of Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrels (both of significant conservation concern) and increases in Bald Eagles and Cooper’s Hawks. Due to the northerly location of Bradbury Mountain, this site is in prime position to provide valuable data for species expanding northward, such as Black and Turkey Vultures, and shed further light on the cyclical movements of Northern Goshawk, for example.


But, it is not just about the numbers. Hawkwatching is a very social activity that is accessible to birders of all abilities. Seeing your first kettle (group of birds rising up on an updraft or thermal) of 50+ Broad-winged Hawks, or learning how to tell the difference between a Bald Eagle and a Turkey Vulture is an eye-opening experience for many folks. Organized hawkwatch sites, like Bradbury Mountain, are great places to meet new people and learn about raptors and the conservation issues they face at the same time.


So, grab your binoculars and join us atop Bradbury Mountain this spring. Even if you don’t have optics, Nikon is generously providing binoculars for visitors to try out! Steve will gladly answer questions about the raptors you will see and help visitors learn what to look for to identify the 18 species that may pass by. The hawkwatch is free, though there is an entry fee to the park.


And, for the first time in the 4-yr history of the count, the season begins with a completely snow- and ice-free trail to the summit! Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, and Rough-legged Hawks are all now on the move, so head on up and pay Steve a visit!


See you on the hill!

by Derek Lovitch, March 14, 2010, Portland Press Herald

Lakes: Sebago Lake
Regions: Sebago


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