POWNAL – Hawk watching has returned to Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal, and Katrina Fenton again is the official counter.

Jeannette and Derek Lovitch of Pownal, who own the retail store Freeport Wild Bird Supply at 541 Route 1, are partnering with Leica Sport Optics to sponsor the Spring Hawkwatch, which began on March 15. It marks the eighth consecutive year for the project, which collects valuable data while providing an enjoyable and educational experience for visitors.

Fenton is stationed daily at the Bradbury Mountain summit now through May 15, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

During the best spring of the Hawkwatch, in 2010, they counted 4,474 hawks, 52 bald eagles, 500 ospreys and 1,746 broad-winged hawks. Data is analyzed to determine trends in species numbers and changes in distributions, to provide an idea of what is happening with raptor populations.

People are invited to grab their binoculars and join the Hawkwatch.

Fenton, born and raised in Nashua, N.H., always enjoyed the discoveries she found in the city parks and even in the cramped back yards.

“Fortunately for me, my parents loved the outdoors, and hardly a week went by without a trip to the mountains, seacoast, or some other wild corner of the region,” Fenton said. “I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by nature, and this childhood obsession has led me toward a career in field biology. So far, my focus has been on raptor migration research, and I’ve been involved with three raptor migration projects in Maine and New Hampshire, most recently as official counter at Carter Hill Raptor Observatory in Concord, N.H., this past fall.”

Fenton took a few minutes to provide the Tri-Town Weekly with details about Hawkwatch, and what she will be doing.

Q: What does the Hawkwatch entail?

A: I will be working at the Hawkwatch six days a week, and Derek and Jeannette Lovitch will be covering on my days off. Hawkwatch duties include recording data, talking to visitors about migrating raptors, and imputing the day’s numbers and a brief summary to Hawkcount.org.

Q: Who can participate?

A: Everyone is welcome at the Hawkwatch, all you have to do is show up. If you have a pair of binoculars, bring them along, and maybe a camera in case a bald eagle comes near. Don’t worry if you don’t own any equipment, plenty of birds come in close enough to be appreciated without optics, if you’re patient. Reading the daily reports can give you a clue about what species you can expect to see at any given point in the season and what the ideal weather is for a big flight. By far, the best way to find out what’s going on is to come up to the Hawkwatch and see for yourself. We’re always ready to answer questions and point out birds, and before long, you’ll be pointing out a few of your own.

Q: What data is collected, and what is its value?

A: Every day, we record hourly totals for each raptor species, making the effort to only count birds deemed migrating. We record weather data at the top of every hour, the number of observers at the Hawkwatch, and although the focus of the project is the raptors, we also keep track of other migrants ranging from waterfowl and songbirds to sandhill cranes. Raptor migration data becomes increasingly valuable with each consecutive season as yearly totals are skewed by weather and other factors, making the long-term average a more telling portrayal of migration. The site has also recorded species not normally seen in Maine, like Mississippi and swallow-tailed kites.

Q: What are Freeport Wild Bird Supply and Leica Sport Optics involvement? How do they work together?

A: Both companies are sponsoring the Hawkwatch this season. Freeport Wild Bird Supply is run by Derek and Jeannette Lovitch, who founded Bradbury Mountain Raptor Research Project in the spring of 2007. Since then, they have ensured that the Hawkwatch is staffed by a volunteer counter, and have maintained a high standard for outreach and education, as well as data collection. Leica Sports Optics joined the project this season, providing equipment and helping to cover expenses. The Hawkwatch is an opportunity for Leica to showcase their stellar line of optics, which Derek and Jeannette carry at their store.

Q: When do the hawks come, and where are they going? What do they like about this terrain?

A: Spring raptor migration begins as early as February for some species, and continues into June. The bulk of the migrants pass within the Hawkwatch’s official time frame of mid-March to mid-May. Many of the birds we see will spend the summer here in Maine, or continue north to the boreal forests of Canada. Rough-legged hawks and some peregrine falcons will even travel as far as the arctic tundra. Bradbury Mountain provides an excellent overlook of Maine’s coastal plain, which migrating raptors have been following north. The Hawkwatch is situated to catch migrants turning inland following the river valleys after hitting Casco Bay, and there’s plenty of sky to scan for birds pressing on to the north and east toward Down East Maine.

Q: These are magnificent birds. Tell us about that, and the majesty of their flight.

A: Any schoolchild can tell you about the speed of a peregrine falcon, and there are few Mainers who don’t have an eagle story or two. Throughout history, raptors have been revered or reviled, hunted or preserved. They never fail to bring out emotion, from the effortless grace of a soaring red-tailed hawk to the sudden attack of a sharp-shinned hawk at the feeders. The best way to appreciate these birds is to see them in their element. Bradbury Mountain and other Hawkwatches provide the opportunity to observe thousands of raptors a season, long-distant migrants like broad-winged hawks that spend the winter in Central and South America, powerful northern goshawks of the forests, colorful American kestrels of the fields, and more.

Q: What is a kettle? What are they up to?

A: A kettle is simply a group of hawks that are rising together in a column of rising air. When a migrating raptor finds a thermal or an updraft, they will use it like an elevator, circling higher and higher until they set their wings and glide toward the next thermal. This is a great way for these birds to save energy, which cuts down on the amount of time they have to spend hunting and allows them to spend more time on the move. When most people in the northeast think of kettles, they think of broad-winged hawks, which in the fall travel south in staggering numbers. In the spring at Bradbury, you’re more likely to find “mini kettles” of three or more birds of mixed species, using the same thermal for the sake of convenience before going their separate ways.

Katrina Fenton is the official counter at the Hawkwatch at Bradbury Mountain in Pownal. This year’s raptor count is running now through May 15.