After seeing the list from yesterday's outing with the Ohio Young Birders Club Linda handed me my field glasses after church which I took as a strong hint. After lunch we headed to the preserve with hopes she would see much of what the kids logged in Saturday. It was a positive sign when I parked the car and there was a Northern Parula singing in the open above us. At the head of the trail we took we were met by two male Prothonotary Warblers and before we finished and returned to the car 27 more males were logged in but no females have shown up yet. We watched several males collecting moss and rootlets and taking the material to cavities to construct their false nests in anticipation of the arrival of the females. It is amazing how tolerant Prothonotary Warblers are to the presence of humans (although Linda says that after 21 seasons it is because the know me). We sat on a convenient log and watched a male collect material. He often came within 4 feet of us and as long as we remained still he seemed oblivious to our being there. Not the same when another male came close. The ensuing chase was reminiscent of the RAF and the Battle of Briton. Having dispatched the competition he went back to collecting nest material. At several locations we watch 3 and 4 males chasing each other to determine who had rights to the territory. Following the creek we located numerous Northern Parula's and Yellow-throated Warblers in the Sycamore trees. The forested area hosted many Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers with some Black-and-white, Nashville and 1 Yellow Warbler. We located a single Louisiana Waterthrush near a vernal pool. Other species of interest included 2 pairs of Red-headed Woodpeckers, Baltimore Orioles, Wood Ducks, a Great Egret, Bank and Cliff Swallows and Wood Thrush. Charlie Bombaci Hoover Nature Preserve **************Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/used?NCID=aolcmp00300000002851) ______________________________________________________________________ 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]