Once again we launched the H.M.S. Hoover to
monitor the Prothonotary Warbler Activity at Hoover Reservoir. Today was our
splendid captain Shaune’s birthday. Along with the crew of Andy and myself, the
birds decided to make it a great birthday for her. 
We set sail from Oxbow Road and made a quick
check on the Bald Eagle nest. Last night the area had a 3” downpour and I
wanted to see how the eaglets fared. One was under a large bough of the
cottonwood tree and looking unfazed. The other was on the edge of their island
with its wings spread somewhat like a cormorant and it looked totally
disgusted. But all is basically good at the nest and both adults were observed
near or at the nest.
We then set out to give in-depth coverage to
the northeast shoreline area. We located 20 Prothonotary Warbler territories
and observed the first fledglings. The adults were busy bringing food to their
brood who were begging with no pride, just hungry demands. We observed several
families of fledglings. The pale patchy colors on the juveniles gave little
hint of the brilliant colors to come later, nature’s way of protecting the
young when they are so vulnerable. Prothonotary Warbler hatchlings will be
fledging their nests like popcorn at a theater beginning this week. As of today
we have 171 identified territories at Hoover in 2013. All through the breeding
season water levels and other conditions have been almost perfect at Hoover Reservoir
and it will be a banner year barring any unexpected severe weather.
Red-headed Woodpeckers are also doing great
at The Hoover Nature Preserve. We discovered several new nest sites today bring
the total to 17 nesting pairs. These beautiful woodpeckers put on a show for us
today with flyovers, posing on the trunk or branches of their nest tree, and
their neat behavior of flying out to catch an insect in the air like a flycatcher
and returning to their high perch. I could watch this showboating all day long
as it really shows off their brilliant coloration of bright red, glossy black
and brilliant white.
Next on the hit parade were Yellow-billed
Cuckoos. We saw 7 in all but one individual stood out above the rest. Yellow-billed
Cuckoos are supposed to skulk furtively in dense growth and be hard to see. It
displayed for us, extending its wing down and out to show off the rufous
coloration, it landed on a low bush right in front of us and proceeded to foraged
right in front of us for a very long time. This bird was a show stopper all
onto itself.
Shaune’s keen eye caught sight of some
movement at the water’s edge and out came Hooded Merganser juveniles. They
hugged the shore until they found a better place to hide. This is the second
location where we have observed evidence of nesting Hooded Mergansers this
season. Always a pleasant surprise.
A pair of Great Egrets did a flyover along
the west shore near Plumb Road and we saw several Spotted Sandpipers between
Area K and Area I as we worked our way south.
Many species are now feeding young and
activity was constant all morning and into the early afternoon. Even as spring
turns to summer, birding can be productive and enjoyable with a little thought as
to where to go.
Charlie Bombaci, for Shaune, Andy and myself
from the Hoover Nature Preserve.
 SPECIES
LIST
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret 
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Hooded Merganser
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Spotted Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

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