April has been a cruel month as it began with a bug that put me out of commission for several weeks and then a pulled back muscle that had me looking like topiary art. This morning I finally could stand straight and my wife said it was time to cure my cabin fever. We only visited one area of the preserve, Dustin Road, but it proved to be a good choice. The first species to greet us was a gorgeous male Prothonotary Warbler. He was quickly followed by about 8 more males and they came practically to us. I expect they are appearing at a similar rate at the rest of the preserve. They are my best medicine to cheer me up. The wooded area between the old rail bed and the water at Dustin Road was full of warblers and some vireos. In addition to the Prothonotary Warblers we observed Blue-winged, Nashville, Yellow-rumped, and Black-throated Green Warblers, and we heard Yellow-throated and Northern Parula's calling from up Little Walnut Creek. Warbling Vireos, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Green Heron and Eastern Phoebes were also abundant. Charlie Bombaci Hoover Nature Preserve **************The Average US Credit Score is 692. See Yours in Just 2 Easy Steps!(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1221421330x1201417418/aol?redi r=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID=62&bcd=Ap rilAvgfooter424NO62) ______________________________________________________________________ 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]