Today Shaune Skinner, Andy Schneider and I set sail in the HMS Hoover to monitor activity along sections of the east shore of Hoover Reservoir. One could not ask for a nicer day as the weather was as good as it gets for early July. Sunshine, light breeze and temperatures in the 70's. Since it is late in the nesting cycle for the Prothonotary Warblers we did not expect to find too much activity from them although we have observe a record number of second broods this year. We did manage to locate 10 Prothonotary territories that had previously eluded us. We also were finding recently fledged birds of all sorts throughout the day. Altogether we recorded 61 species from the boat. Some of the observations include:
Double Crested Cormorants - There are juveniles everywhere on Hoover Reservoir. In the area from Twin Bridges south to Area Q we counted 127 which is most likely a large undercount of the actual number.
Herons - Great Blue are everywhere along the shore and many flying overhead. They have a busy rookery to attend to. Green Herons were scattered with only single digits.
Vultures - Lots of Turkey Vultures soaring overhead and large numbers in the trees near the Twin Bridges Boat Launch. Andy spotted our sole Black Vulture soaring above us. On July 4th this was my FOY Black Vulture.
Ducks and Geese - Only Canada Geese, Mallard and a lone Wood Duck (fly over).
Hawks and the like - We observed 6 Osprey in the lower section. There are 3 nest sites up near Galena and these birds are not from those nesting pairs. From the number of times I have seen them near the lower east shore of Hoover I feel there are nests we have not located. Earlier this year Shaune and I located a new nest on a cell tower further north. We made a monitoring trip by the Bald eagle nest and the entire family was present, both adults and 3 young. The young are almost the size of the parents and they are getting very noisy. Also present were 3 red-shouldered Hawks and a Red-Tailed Hawk.
Shorebirds - We observed 4 Spotted Sandpipers. Given the extraordinarily high water level this year I wonder how their nesting went. Many may have been washed out.
Gulls and Terns - Little activity for this group. Only a small number of Ring-billed, 2 Herring Gulls and 4 Caspian Terns.
Cuckoos - A few were calling from the woods along the shore.
Chimney Swift - One lone bird flying above us in one of the inlets.
Hummingbirds - 2 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. They were checking out trumpet-Creeper flowers.
Kingfisher- Two near the nest holes we discovered on a prior trip.
Woodpeckers- The highlight was Red-headed Woodpeckers. We saw 11 including a pair feeding their fledglings. Also Red-bellied, Downy and Plieated.
Flycatchers- Eastern-wood Pewee, Easter Phoebe, Great Crested and Eastern Kingbird. In Area Q we encountered an eastern Kingbird at its nest over the water. As we drifted by it held its ground giving Shaune a chance to take some pictures of it.
Vireos- A lone White-eyed, a couple of Red-eyed and 5 Warbling Vireos.
Swallows, etc.- A lone Purple Martin (when do you ever see just one? They are like potato chips- they come in bunches), Tree, Bank Northern Rough-winged and Cliff Swallows. The Cliff Swallows (counted 140) are currently feeding young in their nests below every bridge at Hoover.
Wrens- 7 House Wrens and 11 Carolina Wrens. The Carolina included the parents and their hungry brood at the inlet at Yankee Street.
Gnatcatchers - Only 2 today. I always enjoy these personable little dynamos.
Mimics - Only Gray Catbirds, but they were everywhere.
Cedar Waxwings- 5 observed near the Eastshore yacht Club inlet.
Warblers- 5 Yellow Warblers, two adults and 3 juveniles. 10 Prothonotary Warblers, all males.
Orioles- 3 Orchard Orioles including a pair.

Charlie BombaciHoover Nature Preserve


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