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Date: | Wed, 6 Jun 2012 14:39:38 -0400 |
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This morning I played mountain goat as I checked activity on the east side
of Big Walnut Creek. This area is quite rugged compared to the west side
of Big Walnut and has almost four times the acreage. It has steep hillsides,
backwater swamp forest, feeder streams, hardwood forest and the creek
edge. There is a very thick canopy throughout from Sunbury Road to the
reservoir giving hundreds of acres of suitable habitat for Prothonotary Warblers. I
counted 37 male Prothonotaries and 13 females during my stay. There are
now hungry hatchlings to be fed at many nest sites so I’m seeing an marked
increase in the presence of the females. The numbers make the trek through
water, mud and insects worth it. It seems that this may prove to be a bumper
year for the PROWs.
Even I can’t live by PROWs alone and the other bird activity was good and
quite diverse. Green Herons were in good numbers and I suspect that if I
could see through the foliage better I likely walked under at least a couple
of their nest sites. Near the reservoir I observe several Osprey soaring
about, one adult Bald Eagle and a Black Vulture among the numerous TVs. I
spotted a Wood Duck hen as she exited a cavity in a dead tree. A lone Spotted
Sandpiper was bobbing as it went along a log at the water’s edge. Early June
seems to be Cuckoo time at the preserve. I saw three Yellow-billed Cuckoos
in the swampy forest areas and at a slightly more open area I ran into my
FOY Black-billed Cuckoo. A Great Horned Owl was a surprise as I spotted it
while sliding down a slope (stopped short of going in the creek). I
located a new Red-headed Woodpecker nest on the east side of Big Walnut to go
with the 5 confirmed on the west side of the creek in Area N. I added a couple
of Northern Parula, a Yellow-throated Warbler and a Common Yellowthroat
for color.
Charlie Bombaci
Hoover Nature Preserve
Galena, Delaware County
SPECIES LIST
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Osprey
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Spotted Sandpiper
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Great Horned Owl
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
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