Forwarding for Dana Bollin, Naturalist at Maumee Bay State Park. Julie Shieldcastle, Black Swamp Bird Observatory ********************************************************************* Horray for Spring! We are seeing the first "scout" purple martins hanging about and singing at the gourd racks in front of the Nature Center at the Maumee Bay Nature Center. Four adult males are apparent thsi morning. The scouts generally arrive a week or two in advance of the sub-adults and females, and are generally staking out territory and singing to attract the first returning females. Most landowners at this point rush to open the houses, but should wait until they see the first sub-adults or females, to discourage house sparrows or starlings from moving in before nesting season actually arrives. Think Spring! We need dragonflies! Dana Dana Bollin, Naturalist Supervisor Milton B. Trautman Nature Center Maumee Bay State Park 1400 State Park Road Oregon, OH 43618 (419) 836 - 9117 ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]