May and June at Hoover Reservoir/Nature Preserve was a mixed bag. The water level was very high which caused migrating shorebirds to overfly the area; however the songbirds were to be found in good numbers throughout the forested and grassland areas. Throughout May there was a presence of wood warblers although there was never what could be called a big wave, more like a constant dribble.
The stars in this area of course were the Prothonotary Warblers. By the end of May their “Sweet, Sweet, Sweet, Sweet” could be heard at almost any area at the north end of Hoover Reservoir. The Bald Eagle and Osprey nests were active and by the end of the June the Bald Eagles were close to fledging. Cliff Swallows could be found nesting under every bridge and at the dam. When they collected mud for their nests they looked like flocks of large butterflies around puddles. As May came to a close the resident species had for the most part settled down to nesting and fostering the next generation.
We monitored the preserve and nearby areas by land and boat and, as of June 30, had identified 171 Prothonotary Warbler territories. The Prothonotary Warblers began fledging the last week of June and if success rates are normal a great crop of new Prothonotaries will grace the world.
But with the good one must accept the bad. Fishermen and photographers continue to interfere with the Osprey platforms at Area M. The nesting pair was driven off their platform and the nest failed. Fishermen have gone as far as to tie-up to the platform and fish, thus causing the distressed adults to abandon the nest for too long a time.
SPECIES LIST (** = Nest at Hoover)
Horned Grebe (May-June)
Double-crested Cormorant (May-June)
Great Blue Heron (May-June) **
Great Egret (June)
Green Heron (May-June) **
Black-crowned Night-Heron (May)
Black Vulture (May-June)
Turkey Vulture (May-June) **
Canada Goose (May-June) **
Mute Swan (May)
Wood Duck (May-June) **
Mallard (May-June) **
Blue-winged Teal (May)
Hooded Merganser (June) **
Osprey (May-June) **
Bald Eagle (May-June) **
Sharp-shinned Hawk (May-June) **
Cooper’s Hawk (May-June) **
Red-shouldered Hawk (May-June)
Red-tailed Hawk (May-June) **
Broad-winged Hawk (May)
American Kestrel (May-June) **
Ring-necked Pheasant (May-June) **
Wild Turkey (May-June) **
American Coot (May)
Killdeer (May-June) **
Spotted Sandpiper (May-June) **
Ring-billed Gull (May-June)
Herring Gull (May-June)
Caspian Tern (May-June)
Common Tern (May)
Forster’s Tern (May)
Rock Pigeon (May-June) **
Mourning Dove (May-June) **
Black-billed Cuckoo (June) **
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (May-June) **
Eastern Screech-Owl (May-June) **
Great Horned Owl (May-June) **
Barred Owl (May-June) **
Chimney Swift (May-June) **
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (May-June) **
Belted Kingfisher (May-June) **
Red-headed Woodpecker (May-June) **
Red-bellied Woodpecker (May-June) **
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (May)
Downy Woodpecker (May-June) **
Hairy Woodpecker (May-June) **
Northern Flicker (May-June) **
Pileated Woodpecker (May-June) **
Eastern Wood-Pewee (May-June) **
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (May)
Acadian Flycatcher (May-June) **
Willow Flycatcher (May-June) **
Least Flycatcher (May)
Eastern Phoebe (May-June) **
Great Crested Flycatcher (May-June) **
Eastern Kingbird (May-June) **
White-eyed Vireo (May-June) **
Yellow-throated Vireo (May-June) **
Blue-headed Vireo (May)
Warbling Vireo (May-June) **
Philadelphia Vireo (May)
Red-eyed Vireo (May-June) **
Blue Jay (May-June) **
American Crow (May-June) **
Horned Lark (May-June) **
Purple Martin (May-June) **
Tree Swallow (May-June) **
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (May-June) **
Bank Swallow (May-June) **
Cliff Swallow (May-June) **
Barn Swallow (May-June) **
Carolina Chickadee (May-June) **
Tufted Titmouse (May-June) **
Red-breasted Nuthatch (May)
White-breasted Nuthatch (May-June) **
Brown Creeper (May)
Carolina Wren (May-June) **
House Wren (May-June) **
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (May)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (May-June) **
Eastern Bluebird (May-June) **
Veery (May)
Grey-checked Thrush (May)
Swainson’s Thrush (May)
Wood Thrush (May-June) **
American Robin (May-June) **
Gray Catbird (May-June) **
Northern Mockingbird (May-June) **
Brown Thrasher (May-June) **
European Starling (May-June) **
Cedar Waxwing (May-June) **
Blue-winged Warbler (May-June) **
Tennessee Warbler (May)
Nashville Warbler (May)
Northern Parula (May-June) **
Yellow Warbler (May-June) **
Chestnut-sided Warbler (May)
Magnolia Warbler (May)
Cape May Warbler (May)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (May)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (May)
Black-throated Green Warbler (May)
Blackburnian Warbler (May)
Yellow-throated Warbler (May-June) **
Pine Warbler (May)
Palm Warbler (May)
Bay-breasted Warbler (May)
Blackpoll Warbler (May)
Cerulean Warbler (May-June)
Black-and-White Warbler (May-June)
American Redstart (May)
Prothonotary Warbler (May-June) **
Worm-eating Warbler (May)
Ovenbird (May-June) **
Northern Waterthrush (May)
Louisiana Waterthrush (May-June) **
Kentucky Warbler (May-June) **
Common Yellowthroat (May-June) **
Hooded Warbler (May-June) **
Yellow-breasted Chat (May-June) **
Summer Tanager (May-June) **
Scarlet Tanager (May-June) **
Eastern Towhee (May-June) **
Chipping Sparrow (May-June) **
Field Sparrow (May-June) **
Song Sparrow (May-June) **
Savannah Sparrow (May-June) **
Grasshopper Sparrow (June) **
Swamp Sparrow (May-June) **
White-throated Sparrow (May)
White-crowned Sparrow (May)
Northern Cardinal (May-June) **
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (May-June) **
Indigo Bunting (May-June) **
Red-winged Blackbird (May-June) **
Eastern Meadowlark (May-June) **
Common Grackle (May-June) **
Brown-headed Cowbird (May-June) **
Orchard Oriole (May-June) **
Baltimore Oriole (May-June) **
House Finch (May-June) **
American Goldfinch (May-June) **
House Sparrow (May-June) **