I spent this morning monitoring Area N for Prothonotary  Warblers. I
meandered on a course that took me along Big Walnut Creek, then  through the
backwater sections, and then finished up along the old roadbed that  divides Area
N from Area M. The morning was productive as I identified 19 new  nest
sites and tallied 31 Prothonotaries. The area really got hit by the severe
thunder storm early this week and many trees have been knocked down but somehow
those with nest boxes were mostly spared. One nest box had the upper
portion of  its tree snapped off and two nearby trees came down, one on either
side of the nest box. I met a couple who visit Area N often and as we chatted
we  notice a pair of Prothonotaries busy bringing nest material to Box N-54.
This is  late to be nest building and I have to assume their first nest
attempt failed,  likely because of storm damage. They are probably making a
second attempt to  produce a clutch this year. Their new location appears to be
cramping another  Prothonotary's territory as the males spent much time
chasing each other and  flaring their tails in an aggressive manner.
Intimidation comes in some  interesting forms in nature. It reminded me of the Battle
of Briton with the RAF  fending off the attacking bombers. Eventually a
third male got into the mix and  there were bright yellow rocketing all over
the place.They put on quite a show  for us.

When I was returning to my car I passed by the vernal pool  nearest to
Front Street. There I listened to a sing-off between a male in the  vernal pool
and another across the roadbed. If both of these stay put they  should be
easy to see.

Other species worth a mention include 3 Northern Parula males,  a
Yellow-throated Warbler and a Louisiana Waterthrush along Big Walnut  Creek;
Red-headed and Pileated Woodpeckers at their nest cavities; the Osprey at  Platform
H-2; 5 Yellow-billed Cuckoos; and a pair of Scarlet Tanagers.

Charlie Bombaci
Hoover Nature Preserve

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