Today I hosted Gary Moon at the Hoover Nature Preserve. Gary is a recent  
addition to our wonderful obsession, birding.  I took Gary to various  locations 
within the preserve to acclimate him to the preserve’s layout.   We added some 
nice birds to Gary’s life list and we did it with style. Of course  I made 
sure to include the Prothonotary Warblers. Today we were satisfied with  18 as 
compared to yesterday’s 45 observed. But I would have to rate the  following as 
highlights for the day:  (1) at the third pond at Hoover  Meadows we caught 
an American Bittern in the open. It immediately took the  classic pose and 
lifted its head skyward to try to blend in with the grasses and  reeds. It 
eventually slipped a little further into the reeds and crouched. On  our way back we 
again located and watched it. (2) in Area N we watched a  Ruby-throated 
Hummingbird working on its nest construction. What had been merely  the base on the 
tree branch yesterday is already about a 75 percent  completed nest. She would 
bring in material, strategically place it and then  settle in the nest and 
shape the material into place, then head off for more  material. (3) a male 
Northern Parula that worked a low branch of a Sycamore tree  in front of us. It 
had really rich colors and Gary got a good look at the  olive-green saddle on 
its back. (4) Prothonotary Warblers coming and going from  several of the 
natural cavities. An added bonus from the last was my locating  several new natural 
cavity Prothonotary  Warbler nest sites bringing this  year’s current total 
territories up to 131 at the preserve.
 

Some species of interest observed included:
Double-crested Cormorant  
AMERICAN BITTERN
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Wood  Duck
Osprey
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Acadian  Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern  Kingbird
Cliff Swallow
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Gray Catbird
Brown  Thrasher
Cedar Waxwing
Warbling Vireo
Northern Parula
Prothonotary  Warbler
Baltimore Oriole
 
Charlie Bombaci
Hoover Nature Preserve
Delorme 58 C (2) &  (3)





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