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Date: | Wed, 30 May 2012 16:26:47 -0400 |
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I took advantage of today’s nice weather to get out and monitor my PROW
nest boxes. The weather was wonderful after the oppressive conditions over
the holiday weekend. Even the birds showed their appreciation by singing and
cooperating with me all morning. I covered several areas including Mudhen
Marsh, Oxbow Road and some of the shore areas between them. I located 12
PROW territories, 7 at Mudhen Marsh and 5 at Oxbow Road, which I hadn’t
previously recorded. I could hear multiple males singing from shore areas I couldn
’t access and from the islands offshore. This coming weekend, all going
well, we launch the SS Hoover with Shaune at the helm and chase down the
offshore territories.
At Mudhen Marsh most of my nest boxes are on the north side of Big Walnut
Road. This is an area where most people don’t visit as it is difficult to
get to and the terrain is not user friendly. There are several nest boxes on
the south side near the bridge. The PROW pair that is nesting there chose
a natural cavity in a snag just to the southwest of the bridge. The male
flew in a landed about 5 feet from me to reaffirm that he held the
territorial rights. He was rather direct about it and even checked out the marker I
put out although his interest in it was short lived. A male from the north
side of the bridge landed on a branch on the south side and he determinately
convinced the interloper that he belonged on the north side. Nothing shy
about these guys and when the chase is on it’s like trying to follow two
neon orange-yellow blazes through the air. I also discovered a flying squirrel
napping in a nest box. Only the second time I’ve found one using a nest
box. Neat little guys. I quickly closed the box and let him snooze on.
At Oxbow Road the fishing crowd has settled down at last. During the past
weeks they had been all along the water’s edge and I was concerned as I had
only located one PROW nest site. Today the PROWs were more active and I
locate 5 territories. Several are already feeding young which was a surprise
considering how they managed to keep their presence undetected during the
fish run. My Alpha male was belting away from the cottonwood tree opposite
the end parking area. The small cove on the north side is prime territory
and usually the first claimed every spring. Prior to today I had not seen or
heard a PROW from the large vernal pool on the south side of Oxbow Road.
Today made it at least 25 years there has been a pair of PROWs here. The male
sang from the tall dead tree in the water then alit and sang from the
cottonwood sapling at the road edge where I had just place a territory marker.
If I had a camera he would have been too close to focus. That’s my kind of
view. He was spectacular as he sang in the sunlight.
Following is a list of some of the more interesting birds at each
location.
Charlie Bombaci
Hoover Nature Preserve
Mudhen Marsh
Green Heron 3
Wood Duck 2
Osprey 1
Bald Eagle 1
Cooper's Hawk 2
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Barred Owl 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Red-headed Woodpecker 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3
Acadian Flycatcher 5
Eastern Phoebe 3
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
Eastern Kingbird 4
White-eyed Vireo 1
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo 6
Red-eyed Vireo 4
Wood Thrush 1
Gray Catbird 9
Brown Thrasher 2
Cedar Waxwing 11
Northern Parula 1
Yellow Warbler 2
Prothonotary Warbler 7
Louisiana Waterthrush 1
Common Yellowthroat 2
Indigo Bunting 3
Orchard Oriole 2
Baltimore Oriole 5
Oxbow Road
Green Heron 1
Wood Duck 7, 1F & 6 y
Osprey 1
Bald Eagle 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Eastern Phoebe 3
Eastern Kingbird 2
Warbling Vireo 4
Red-eyed Vireo 2
Gray Catbird 7
Brown Thrasher 1
Cedar Waxwing 8
Yellow Warbler 2
Prothonotary Warbler 5
Common Yellowthroat 2
Indigo Bunting 1
Orchard Oriole 1
Baltimore Oriole 5
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