April 17, 2012 Migration continues apace here at Valhalla Acres, our farm on the Flint Ridge upland in western Muskingum County. Several dozen yellow-rumped warblers filled the trees of the forested ravines this morning, having arrived overnight. I didn't see them here at all yesterday. It is interesting to see this change. During this morning's walk I told Jane that the trees were crawling with birds, so she told me she would go on without me and I could linger. After she left I poked my way around leisurely around six-acre successional filed I call the Back Forty. I wanted to check on the "bluebird" boxes there, to see how the bluebirds were doing in #6, to see who what species was really nesting in #5, and to see if there was any action in or around the other boxes I cleaned out of sparrow nests and dead swallows a few days ago. #7 had tree swallows very interested, with a male perched atop and calling to a circling female, now that their dead kin was absent. This is a promising sign. The bluebirds are defending their spot in #6. #5 held a house sparrow nest, confirmed by the presence of the male on the sprigs nearby and the two eggs I cleaned out with the nest. At least four tree swallows are now cruising over this field, so there could be hope for the trail yet this year. As I was was out there I could hear and see multitudes of yellow-rumped warblers in the trees around the edge, with lots of soft, warbly chatter on the air. Then I heard something different, the quality of a blue-winged warbler's song but with several short intermediate notes between the "fee" and the "bzzzzz." I pished once and it popped up out of the brush. The bird looked like a standard blue-winged warbler, the brilliant yellow shining wonderfully in the morning sun. It sang again as I watched, and I don't think it was any kind of a hybrid, just a bird with slightly unusual song. I get blue-winged out there every year, so It's nice to mark the advancing season with the arrival of this welcome nester. I didn't hear yesterday's prominent blue-gray gnatcatchers this morning, so perhaps they have moved through. I did have two brown creepers. As I approached the house, ascending from the Spring Hollow, I was serenaded my the season's first house wren. I leave tomorrow morning for five days of business travel. Incidental with that I will get in some pelagic observations off southern California. But I look forward to seeing the changes when I return. I expect there will be some. Bob Evans Geologist, etc. Hopewell Township, Muskingum County ______________________________________________________________________ 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]