This time of year I'm like an expectant father, pacing, pacing and waiting for the arrival of the first Prothonotary Warblers at my nest box trail at the north end of Hoover Reservoir in Delaware County. The SSW winds last night brought in the first males. I checked along the old roadbed at Area N in Galena this morning and as soon as I neared the water I heard them call, their "Sweet, Sweet, Sweet, Sweet" ringing in the air. The first male I spotted was at the area just beyond the first dip in the road. I phished and he flew right in to greet me. I later looped along the swamp forest over to Big Walnut Creek and then back to the car along the path that follows the creek. This netted 7 more males. Hopefully their buddies will arrive before the scheduled visit by the Ohio Young Birders Club on Saturday. I'll skip the common expected species and just list the others that are of more interest. Hooded Merganser (nester?) Spotted Sandpiper Osprey (at the platform) Bald Eagle - 1 immature Yellow Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Louisiana Waterthrush Yellow-rumped Warbler (high numbers everywhere) Hermit Thrush Brown Creeper (2 - the nesting pair returned?) Red-headed Woodpecker Sharp-shinned Hawk Barred Owl Pileated Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker (pair at nest hole) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (they seemed as thick as locust With the return of the Prothonotary Warblers I declare that my spring has arrived. Wishing everybody a great spring of birding and may you finally see the elusive species that has been your nemesis for years. Charlie Bombaci Hoover Nature Preserve ______________________________________________________________________ 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]