Today Saundra Sklar and 8 Delaware County Preservation Parks volunteers joined me for a birding outing at the Hoover Nature Preserve. The morning began quietly as the birds appeared to trying to prove Murphy’s Law. The usually loud and obvious Prothonotary Warblers at Oxbow Road were silent for the most part with half-hearted songs. We managed to get a decent look at a male and decided to move on to another location. As we were driving out one of the normally cooperative males popped out and burst into song. We stopped the cars and got out and he commenced giving his show. He sang from low bushes and saplings, then dropped to forage on the ground, hopping at about, then he topped it off by alighting on a post in front of the group and gave us an aria. He’s forgiven for being late. Our next stop was Area N. As we started through, several Prothonotary Warblers sang in the distance but just about all the birds were unusually quiet. We observed the Osprey at the nesting platform and retraced our route to where I like to cut off to the back forty. Since there has been so little rain the water levels have dropped to where they should be in September rather than June. I took the group to my favorite area in the far recesses of Area N where normally I'm up to my knees in water. Here things improved rapidly as the group was able to watch a Ruby-throated Hummingbird at her nest. This was followed by watching a pair of Prothonotary Warblers coming and going from their cavity in an old stump. It was obvious from the behavior that they have hatchlings in the nest. This is the earliest date I have observed Prothonotary Warblers feeding young at a nest at the preserve. I then heard the Northern Parula that has its territory overlapping the Prothonotary‘s. He dropped down and foraged in front of the group providing everyone with nice views. He perched in front of us and sang until interrupted by the arrival of another male Northern Paula. This was followed by a chase scene worthy of a movie until the new arrival was driven from his territory. We then headed back to Galena for lunch and as we walked several other Prothonotary Warblers began singing and making their appearances. Can birds gloat? After lunch we were off to Area L where we observed more Prothonotary Warblers. We finished by walking the trail along the old railroad bed where we watched an Indigo Bunting sing. As we were returning to the cars 2 Yellow-billed Cuckoos made a quick appearance. They managed to frustrate half the group. The lack of activity and singing is unusual. The last few days have been too quiet, especially after the intensity of the activity last week. Birds seen: Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Green Heron Canada Goose Wood Duck Osprey Red-tailed Hawk Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo Ruby-throated Hummingbird Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Acadian Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Blue Jay Carolina Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher American Robin Gray Catbird Cedar Waxwing Warbling Vireo Northern Parula Prothonotary Warbler Northern Cardinal Indigo Bunting Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Baltimore Oriole American Goldfinch Charlie Bombaci Hoover Nature Preserve Delorme 58 C (2) & (3) ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. ______________________________________________________________________ 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]