Today Logan Kahle, a teenage birder from San Francisco, and
I birded Blue Creek Preserve and several areas at the Hoover Nature Preserve,
both in Delaware County. Blue Creek was slow birding, possibly because they
began mowing in the park about the same time we began birding. Flycatchers were
the prevalent birds at the preserve although there were numerous common species
around but nothing noteworthy except for a lone Orchard Oriole. 
We later changed our venue to my home grounds at Hoover Reservoir.
This proved to be a better decision and more productive. At Hoover we located a
nice group of species led, in my book at least, by Prothonotary Warblers.
Earlier this week Rob Thorn reported locating single Prothonotary Warblers at
several locations. This afternoon Logan and I thought we heard a Prothonotary
while on the boardwalk. We phished and not one, not two, but 10 Prothonotary
Warblers suddenly surrounded us. The group included what appeared to be 5
juveniles and 5 adult males. This is late for the resident population as
usually I find migrants passing through at this late date. We later out did the
boardwalk crowd when we discovered a female carrying food to what must be very
recently fledged young hidden in a buttonbush at Old Sunbury Road. Last year I
located young being feed on August 15th in Area N, but they were
well developed and chasing the adults in the low canopy. These were likely out
of the nest for only a day or two. This brought second broods I have located
this year to 6. With a now total of 179 territories the year 2013 has been a
banner year for Prothonotary Warblers at Hoover Reservoir. I won’t even mind
cleaning all 250 nest boxes as I will be smiling as I do each one of them.
 
But Logan and I weren’t done yet. At the end of the
boardwalk along with the Ring-billed Gulls were 5 Herring Gulls and a Bonaparte’s
Gull. At Area L we located Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Red-headed
Woodpeckers, Osprey, Green Heron, Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Belted
Kingfishers and numerous other species. At Old Sunbury Road there were 4 Great
Egrets and many Double crested Cormorants, but not much else of great interest
other than the previously noted Prothonotary family.
 
The water level is beginning to fall and expose small
amounts of mudflats but they have a way to go before they will attract
shorebirds. This is a far cry from the usual year at the upper end of Hoover
Reservoir where up to 35 species of shorebird have been recorded for several
fall migrations. I’ll raise the flag to let birders know if/when there are
mudflats.
 
Charlie Bombaci

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