Some days life is good. Today marks the ninth anniversary of my open heart surgery. I celebrated still being here [my blockages were discovered by accident and before they got me] by getting out to give coverage to a new block in Delaware County for the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II. The site is on private property owned by a fine gentleman and his lovely wife who I have had the privilege to meet through a mutual friend. They have kept this land pristine and it is home to many animals and plants that are flourishing. I tip my hat to them for being wonderful stewards of this property. The 78 species of birds I observed there today was a great way to celebrate being alive. Some of the species I located I expected, but then there are the delightful surprises that seem to drop into your lap like the pair of Brown Creepers I discovered building a nest beneath the loose bark of a tree in a large natural forest pond. I had gone to this pond to get the two pairs of Red-headed Woodpecke
 rs and a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers that I knew should be there from a recent visit. Other things that stood out were Wild Turkey hens with their pullets in tow, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks constructing their nest, an adult Barred Owl with its owlet who is getting big, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher snuggling down on her tiny nest, finding two male Cerulean Warblers in the sunlight and then finding a female with one of them, the intense red of a male Scarlet Tanager in the sun, and a Yellow-breasted Chat that seemed to carry on a conversation with me. The list of species I observed in this special tract of habitats were:



Canada Geese with goslings

Wood Duck hens with ducklings

Mallard hens with ducklings

Hooded Merganser hen with ducklings

Wild Turkey hens with their pullets

Great Blue Heron

Turkey Vulture

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Killdeer

Mourning Dove

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Barred Owl and big owlet

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Red-headed Woodpeckers, 2 pairs feeding young at nest hole

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpeckers feeding young at nest hole

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Acadian Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe

Great Crested Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

White-eyed Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Tree Swallow

Barn Swallow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Carolina Wren

House Wren

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Eastern Bluebird

Veery

Wood Thrush

American Robin

Gray Catbird

Northern Mockingbird

Brown Thrasher

European Starling

Cedar Waxwing

Blue-winged Warbler

Northern Parula

Yellow Warbler

Yellow-throated Warbler

Cerulean Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

American Redstart

Ovenbird

Louisiana Waterthrush

Common Yellowthroat

Hooded Warbler

Yellow-breasted Chat

Summer Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

Eastern Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Northern Cardinal

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird

Orchard Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

House Finch

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow

Charlie Bombaci



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