Linda and I made a sweep of Area M/N and Hoover Meadows at the Hoover Nature Preserve, Delaware County. Signs of Spring are popping up everywhere and soon birders will be in seventh heaven trying to decide which bird to focus on. Area M/N had all its regular cast of characters, but there were several newcomers and of course the nesting Osprey. Yellow-throated Warblers were mixed in with a good sized group of Yellow-rumped Warblers. At the first dip in the old road going south from Front Street in Galena we encountered a mixed group of about 25 Yellow-rumped and 3-4 Yellow-throated Warblers. From this vantage point you can also view the Osprey platform although the best viewing is from the boardwalk that begins in the Area M parking lot. We walked along Big Walnut Creek where there was a breeding plumage Horned Grebe and Blue-winged Teal. Also seen here was a Red-headed Woodpecker. I took an about way to Hoover Meadows via Vans Valley Road and Miller-Paul Road. On Miller-Paul we saw our FOY Purple Martin and many Horned Larks. Hoover Meadows was flush with singing birds. Most of what one might expect was there but a few newbie’s have arrived. Among these were Fox Sparrows, Field Sparrows, Eastern Towhees and Hermit Thrushes. Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds were everywhere. It is hard for me to remember when the preserve first acquired this 91 acre tract. Back in 1987 it was an active grazing pasture for cattle. Today the meadows are a series of lush wetlands, vernal pools, grasslands, pine grove and forest. With TLC nature can recover from past disasters. Charlie Bombaci ______________________________________________________________________ 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]