I only got to spend an hour at the preserve today as I was busy assisting with the preschooler programs at Gallant Woods Preservation Park during the morning and most of the afternoon. When I got home I took Linda to see some of the hatchlings and fledglings discovered Monday. I intended to start with the green herons but was detoured by some prothonotary warbler fledglings that insisted on being first, second, third, fourth and fifth. When they were done being cute we continued to the site of the heron nest. The nest is a pile, stack, mess (take your choice) of sticks that almost appear to have been randomly dropped onto the branch fork of the tree. If the green heron hatchlings become neurotic, the nest is a prime suspect for the cause. Linda had to laugh because at first I couldn't relocate the nest. I was looking in the tree next to the one with the nest, which if not viewed from the correct angle, is invisible. Once I had my bearings corrected we watched the nest and I was able to count five skinny, fuzzy hatchlings clinging to the nest and branch and trying not to be seen. Linda said to remember that their parents thought they were cute. From here we trekked to the area where the hawk's nest is located. On the way we observed more prothonotary warblers and an American crow feeding its fledglings. The young crows are as big as the adults but more of a sooty-gray than the black of the adults. In the vicinity of the hawk's nest I again had to hunt before I located the nest. Once located, with a direct line the nest was easily viewed. Today several heads popped up to gaze at us. The hatchlings are like large lint bunnies with a sharp beak. They are still far from ready to fledge and I should get an opportunity to watch their development for some time yet. Charlie Bombaci Hoover Nature Preserve **************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007) ______________________________________________________________________ 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]