This survey was performed about 2 hours before low tide at Hunting Creek, Alex, VA today, 23 Sept 98, (just south of the beltway off of the GW Parkway). In addition to the usual 4 gulls, cormorants, heron, egrets and Canadian- American Geese... Osprey - 1 Black-bellied Plover - 1 Killdeer - 23 Greater Yellowlegs - 18 Lesser Yellowlegs - 34 Semipalmated Sandpiper - 10 Western Sandpiper - 1 Least Sandpiper - 10 Pectoral Sandpiper - 21 Short-billed Dowitcher - 2 Long-billed Dowitcher - 2 Caspian Tern - 47 Forster's Tern - 16 In addition, the hydrilla mats on the Potomac as seen from the north side of the Wilson Bridge (Jones Pt area) netted 13 Pied-billed Grebes (down about 30% from last week's 21). No Yellowlegs noted on the mats. I suspect the low Forster's numbers are not representative of actual numbers because the count was significantly earlier than other surveys and previous (though irregular surveys) show them in strong numbers at this time of year into the beginning of Oct. The Caspian numbers are still strong, but the peep numbers are clearly down probably flagging a decrease in inland migration of peeps from this point on. The Yellowlegs numbers are still very strong and the big "shake out" of Pectorals may have happened given the large numbers found. Both Long-billed Dows and Black-bellied Plovers are expected this time of year. Kurt Gaskill