I took advantage of today's cooler temperatures and spent the morning
monitoring my nest boxes at Area K (Wiese Road), Area L (Dustin Road, Little
Walnut Creek, and Area M (near the boardwalk in Galena). The Prothonotary
Warblers apparently also were enjoying the good weather as the males were out
singing for all they were worth. In the sunlight some of the best colored
males looked like they had been done using Neon Golden-Yellow fluorescent
paint.

When I arrived at Area L the first thing I heard was a Prothonotary singing
 at the water's edge. For a small bird they can belt out a song to be heard
far  and wide. I worked the area along Dustin Road first, then looped along
the edge  of the cove, the peninsula and finished following Little Walnut
Creek upstream.  Males were perched and declaring their territory at almost
every 100 to 200  feet. Finding the nest site was more of a challenge. At
this point the females  are either laying eggs at one a day or incubating
during the morning. As it got  closer to noon I began seeing females out
foraging. I make it a rule not to  disturb any boxes during the morning when the
females are on the nest. Counting  eggs or hatchlings is best done during the
afternoon hours and done  quickly.

Area L held a few extra pleasures this morning. Sometimes you can sense
someone or something is watching you. As I was taking a GPS reading for a
natural cavity site I turned around to find a Barred Owl looking down at me (do
 they people watch?). Later I encountered a Black-billed Cuckoo near  the
base of the old railroad bed. Usually I find Yellow-bill's here as the
habitat is more to their suiting, but the backyards along nearby Dustin Road and
the abundance of tent caterpillars are an attractive combination. Area L
also  had many Warbling Vireos, a few Green Herons and many Baltimore  Orioles.

At Area K the habitat has been altered dramatically from what is was for
years. A section of the Ohio-to-Erie Bike Trail has been run through the
abandoned part of Wiese Road. This changed the area from a quiet path with lots
 of edge flora to a paved bike path with wide swarths of flora cleared away
 on both sides. Many species that have been consistent nesters here are
totally  absent now, Others including White-eyed Vireo, Brown Thrasher, Wood
Thrush,  Common Yellowthroat and Ruby-throated Hummingbird are barely hanging
on. On the  other side of the ledger, Yellow Warblers, Eastern Towhee, Song
Sparrows and a  few others are showing an increase along the road edge
areas. The Prothonotary  Warbler status is still out and yet to be determined. I
had two males on  territory this morning whereas the area historically
hosted 5 to 7  pairs annually. A part of the bike trail runs right along the
water's edge.  I'm hoping I will find the prothonotaries adjusting and only
moving along the  shore to where the bike trail is further away. The jury is out
on  this.

Over at the boardwalk in Area M I installed additional nest boxes to make
the Prothonotary Warblers easier to locate. Thus far this seems to be a
success.  This was initially demonstrated on April 23rd when we hosted several
Ohio Young  Birders Club Chapters. I was discussing the area with a couple of
these great  kids when I heard a male Prothonotary calling from nearby. I
phished to try and  have it come out so the kids could see him. He did me one
better as he flew over  to the boardwalk and landed in front of the kids.
Twice since the same thing has  occurred at the boardwalk much to the
pleasure of the birders present. There  appears to be at least 4 males on territory
close to the boardwalk. Every time I  have stopped there one or two of them
has been in the open and viewable. Then as  an added treat one can walk to
the end of the boardwalk and see the Osprey on  platform H-2, built and
installed curtesy of Dick Tuttle. If you're lucky Dick  might be there
monitoring the nest with his spotting scope. He is an amiable  gentleman who loves to
share knowledge about these noble birds. And if the male  Osprey doesn't
chase it away too soon you might catch a glimpse of one of the  Bald Eagles
that hang around the north end of Hoover Reservoir. I keep hoping  that a pair
will nest there someday but so far no luck with that wish.

Next time out I plan to check out the back sections of Area N. It is an
area with many Prothonotaries as well as nesting Yellow-throated Warblers and
Northern Parula.

Charlie Bombaci
Hoover Nature Preserve

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