This morning I hosted Fred Lancia and his grandson Jordan at the preserve.
Jordan's target list was headed by Red-headed Woodpecker. I began our morning
at  Mudhen Marsh as I have two very cooperative pairs of Red-headed Woodpeckers
 nesting there. I made a bee-line to the closest nest cavity's area and the
birds accommodated nicely. From a safe distance we observed the pair interact
and pose in the sunlight. It's always a good morning when you are looking for
a  specific species for a young birder and the bird appears on schedule and
stays  around to let everyone enjoy watching it. As a bonus, a Green Heron,
another  species Jordan wanted to see, landed below the Red-headed Woodpecker's
tree, then crossed the creek and perched on a limb above the water. To finish
its act it struck downward and came up with a morsel. Behind the heron was a
Belted Kingfisher that dove into the creek and came up with its own morsel.
Reminded me of the old drive-in diners where the girls roller skated out to
your  car (am I really that old?).  Some other species we observed at Mudhen
Marsh included an Osprey flyover with the bird holding a fish, aimed
head-forward, in its talons, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird looking like Snoopy on  his
doghouse while perched on the end of a dead branch. Other species were Cedar
Waxwings, Gray Catbirds, Yellow Warblers, Indigo Buntings and the cast of common
regulars.

We next went to Wiese Road where we located a pair of Yellow-throated
Warblers, lots of Gray Catbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Cedar Waxwings, a few
Prothonotary Warblers and we heard a couple of Yellow-billed Cuckoos. The latter
leased us but didn't come into the open.

Our final stop was at Area N. With the recent rain the water level is up
considerably here and the far parts of the old roadbed are submerged. Near the
beginning of the trail we located a cooperative Yellow-throated Warbler that
perched on a tree stump and posed. His sidekick, a Northern Parula wasn't as
cooperative as it kept calling from the densest areas of leaves but would not
come into the open. We heard him calling most of the time in the area as he
was  probably taking pleasure in teasing us, so close but no prize. We had the
same  situation with the Yellow-billed Cuckoos at Area N. We could see their
movement  in the trees and hear them but no clean sight line. Two other species
decided to  be kind to us and give Jordan a great look. The first species was
Green  Heron. They stayed in view, posed and did a 360 degree turn to ensure
no field  mark was missed. Then of course there are the Prothonotary Warblers.
They were  calling in very good numbers and I phished to call them closer. One
male came in  close enough to sign Jordan's autograph book if he had one.
Terrific showoff. My  kind of bird. There were many other birds around Area N but
since it was like a  sponge full of water we didn't wander very far. We'll
save that for a dryer day  when I can show Jordan and his grandfather more of
the preserve. One of the  pleasure for a newer birder, so many great things yet
to experience.

Charlie Bombaci
Hoover Nature Preserve



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