It always interests me to see how certain species, every year, show up in
other locations around the state, even up by the Lake, before they appear
at our farm at latitude 40 North. I attribute this to the fact that our
place is a destination, not a trap of any sort. "Average" Ohio Appalachian
upland in every sense. There are no real wetlands, although there are some
wet soils around the seeps and springs. And there are no conifers other
than a couple sickly cedars growing where they shouldn't. Just open
pastures, and a successional field with plenty of edge habitat, surrounded
by three forested ravines. The forested ravines are contiguous with the
largest patch of forest in these parts (western Muskingum County) according
to what can be seen on Google Maps. That forest is broken for sure, by
various clearings, farms and homesites, but there are some fairly mature
patches including some tall tulip poplars and black locusts on our place.

So it has come to pass that many seasonal residents have returned to our
forest, seemingly overnight. I have been afoot in our forest regularly,
morning and evening, the past two days, and none of these guys were around.
This morning, as we took our daily walk around the property, Jane and I
were serenaded by wood thrush, scarlet tanager, rose-breasted grosbeak, and
cerulean warbler; all first-of-season for me at this location. All were
singing or vocalizing in places where I observed nesting last year, with
additional ceruleans singing in the deep, eastern ravine. Very cool! As
usual, the ceruleans are impossibly hard to see, but so it goes. One of the
grosbeaks dropped down to just overhead, as if to say, "Hello" with its
sharp, metallic "kiik."

Either a second ovenbird or a Kentucky warbler has started singing from the
distance up the east bank above the falls. I have had both in this area in
previous seasons, and I can't quite tell the difference without closer
approach and study. Vireos of some sort, probably red-eyed, are singing
from the increasingly leafy canopy, having arrived earlier this week. Lots
of yellow-rumped warblers are everywhere. A few black-throated green
warblers joined them yesterday and continue today.

The whole place was moist and fresh following yesterday's rain. Life is
good!

Bob Evans
Geologist, etc.
Hopewell Township, Muskingum County

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