After seeing the  weather forecast for the next six days I grabbed my field 
glasses and headed out  for an all day birding binge. It was a bit nippy 
when I began at Area L (Dustin  Road) of the Hoover Nature Preserve. The old 
road that runs to the Little Walnut  Creek is submerged so I had to slosh 
through the water to get to the peninsula  that juts into the cove. The first 
bird to greet me was a male Prothonotary  Warbler. There was good activity in 
the leafing bushes and trees on the  peninsula. In addition to the 
Prothonotary Warblers there were Yellow-rumped,  Black-throated Green, 
Yellow-throated, Palm, Black-and-White, and Louisiana  Waterthrush. I worked my way up 
Little Walnut Creek to the trestle, then back  along the old rail road right 
away. Along the creek I found several additional  Prothonotaries, a female 
Hooded Merganser, Eastern Kingbird, Barred Owl, both  kinglets and a Spotted 
Sandpiper. Along the rail bed there were many Hermit  Thrush, Blue-gray 
Gnatcatchers, a few Wood Thrush, Brown Thrasher and a Yellow  Warbler.  
Next I checked Wiese  Road. This used to be a great underused location to 
bird. Things have changed  greatly as the habitat has been degraded by 
overzealous pruning by the utility  companies and a paved bike trail has been run 
down it. The road still holds some  respectable birding although it is a 
shadow of its former self. On snags out in  the reservoir there were some 
Caspian Terns mixed in with Double-crested  Cormorants and gulls. Two Ospreys 
were soaring overhead and an immature Bald  Eagle stopped on the old dead tree 
next to the trail. In the greenery along the  road there were Eastern 
Towhee, both kinglets, House Wrens (too close to my nest  boxes), a few Hermit 
Thrush, warblers present included Yellow, Yellow-rumped,  Palm, Prothonotary 
and an Ovenbird.     
My last stop at the preserve was Area N.  The rain from the past few days 
has raised the water level significantly and  boots are necessary to walk to 
the end of the old road. Prothonotary warblers  were in decent numbers 
although the best is yet to come for this area. The males  have just arrived and 
they are already having border discussions. In addition to  the PROW’s there 
were Northern Parula (FOY), Yellow-rumped, Black-throated  Green, 
Yellow-throated, Palm, Black & White, and lone American Redstart,  Yellow, Pine and 
Louisiana Waterthrush. The Yellow Warbler is out of its normal  habitat here 
and was a surprise. Red-headed and Pileated Woodpeckers and a Great  Horned 
Owl were slightly back into the swamp forest. The pair of Ospreys was at  
the nest platform nearest the boardwalk.                                       
                                        
Later  Linda joined me and we worked the trails at Sharon Woods Metro Park. 
Hermit  Thrush seemed to be everywhere we looked. I stopped counting at 16. 
Wood Thrush  were also present along the trails along with many Brown 
Thrashers, both  kinglets and Brown Creepers. At the lake there was still a Ruddy 
Duck. We  spotted a Cooper’s Hawk ducking into an evergreen tree, a 
possible nest site?  Along the path around the lake we  located Yellow, 
Yellow-rumped, Palm and Black & White Warblers. As we  returned to the car we added an 
Ovenbird and a Louisiana  Waterthrush. 
Charlie  Bombaci

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