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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