With the temperatures predicted to be at, or near to the 90's, over the
next 5 or 6 days I got out today to monitor my nest box trail. With the lack
of  rain over the past month the water level at Hoover Reservoir is  dropping
rapidly and the base of many nest boxes are being exposed. This  puts
numerous nest boxes at risk to predators which is always a concern. The  warmer
than usual spring and early summer has provided a partial solution. Many
species, including the Prothonotary Warblers, appear to be ahead of their
average dates to fledge their hatchlings. As I checked nest sites at Wiese Road,
 Dustin Road, Oxbow Road and parts of Area M/N I discovered numerous nests
that  fledged within the last several days. The button bushes held the most
recent  fledgelings whereas the earlier fledglings have taken refuge in the
higher  branches of trees close to their nest sites. There still are many
nests with  either hatchlings or eggs still in them.

Other fledglings and hatchlings observed included Canada Geese &  goslings,
Mallard and Wood Ducks with ducklings in trail, Osprey getting very  close
to fledging, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern
Kingbird, American Crow (a begging young crow is shameless), Tree Swallow,
House  Wren, Tufted Titmouse and a White-breasted Nuthatch in my boxes, lots of
Gray  Catbirds everywhere, adult Yellow Warblers feeding their fledglings
along a  stretch of the old road in Area N where there is water on both sides
(not  habitat that I expected them to be at), Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays
and  finally a Baltimore Oriole on its nest. Activity was constant but less
than just  a week ago but you take what you get.

The water level at the northern end of Hoover Reservoir is receding rapidly
 with no rain to replenish it. Mudflats have begun to be exposed on both
the east  and west shore of the reservoir. The last time this occurred to this
degree was  2005, a year that produced 33 species of shorebirds during the
period from July  through October including both godwits, avocets, willets
and just about every  plover and sandpiper except for the rarities. Are we in
for another banner year  for shorebirds? If we are, now birders have the
boardwalk available rather than  sloshing through mud the consistency of wet
cement.

The two days with the best weather this week I was inside assisting with
PreK programs at Highbanks Metro Park. No birds but tons of fun as Debbie
(Naturalist), Donna (incredible story teller) and I did a program about
ecology  via the "Lorax."

Charlie B.

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