Once again the H.M.S. Hoover
set sail at Hoover Reservoir. Today Captain Shaune Skinner and I were joined by
Katrina Schultes and Ann Cramer. The weather obliged us by being better than
the day’s prediction. The temperature stayed reasonable and the rain held off
until we were heading back to the dock. 
My primary goal was to
assess the status of the Prothonotary Warblers in my nest boxes and those using
natural cavities along the northeast shore of the reservoir and Big Walnut
Creek. The recent rains during the June 21 through June 25 period raised the water
levels at Hoover Reservoir to the highest level in decades. Much to my relief
the water level stopped inches below most of the nest boxes. The water had
however inundated the habitat along the reservoir’s shore and the shores of Big
Walnut Creek. There were far fewer males singing in these areas than our
previous trip. The timing likely affected the results as many Prothonotary
Warblers are currently feeding hatchlings and fledglings and they are less
prone to sing during this stage. However, undoubtedly a number of low lying
natural cavity nest sites will have been flooded out. We did observe 21
Prothonotary Warblers, several of which put on a good show for us.
We observed 15 Red-headed
Woodpeckers during the day. We found active nest sites spread along the
reservoir shore and Big Walnut Creek.
The Bald Eagle nest has
fledged. We saw the two eaglets perched closed to the nest. They were calling (begging?)
for the adults to bring dinner. The adults were nearby and provided us with a
nice low flyover. Further north we located a third adult and to the south a
third-year juvenile.
Ospreys were in abundance, more
so than they should have been based on prior knowledge. I was aware of the two
pairs using the platforms near the boardwalk in Galena and a pair with a
natural nest below Oxbow Road. These were observed carrying fish in their
talons and flying to the platforms. But south of the lower pair we observed two
or three more adults. Are there additional nests we haven’t located? Recently I
was informed that the nests at the platforms had failed. To misquote Will Rogers,
the reports of their death are greatly exaggerated. We watched the two young hatchlings
at platform number 2 as we passed it.
Two Black Vultures were spotted among the Turkey Vultures.
We observed 4 Yellow-billed Cuckoos.
Warbles in addition to the
Prothonotaries included Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-throated
Warbler and the surprise, a Cerulean.
 
The day produced 62 species (listed
below) along with great company to share them with.
 
Charlie Bombaci
Hoover Nature Preserve
 
Species List
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
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
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow


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