Hi all:

After a month away from the area (in the U.K. and non-birding), it was good
to be back in good old traffic-clogged D.C. today at some of our capital
city's better birding spots.

I visited the following sites in between 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
today:  Georgetown Reservoir (GR); Hains Point (HP); Anacostia Park (AP);
Kenilworth Park (KP); and Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (KAG).  Because of
high water, the ponds and boardwalk trails at KAG were not accessible at
all, but the River Trail was, allowing views back across the water to the
main boardwalk lookout.

Highlights:

Great Egret  3    (KAG)
Ring-necked Duck   8   (GR)  same birds as seen by Paul Pisano last Sunday
Lesser Scaup   1 male     (GR)
RUDDY DUCK    18    Potomac off HP
BALD EAGLE   1 sub-adult    (KAG)
Sharp-shinned Hawk     1 imm. female     (HP)
AMERICAN KESTREL    2 different males    (AP and KP)
Killdeer    9    (KAG)
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL   1 winter adult   (GR)
Mourning Dove    tightly packed group of 70 on football field in KP
CHIMNEY SWIFT   30+ birds over GR and adjacent residential area, some very
low flying
Northern Flicker   6  (KAG)
TREE SWALLOW  20-30 low over GR
both Kinglet species   ca. 10  in Willow Oaks at HP
HERMIT THRUSH   1     (KAG)
Yellow-rumped Warbler     ca. 20  (KAG)
Chipping Sparrow   3    (HP)
Field Sparrow   1    (KP)
Savannah Sparrow    6     (KP - in abandoned football field)
Song Sparrow    20+     (KP)
Swamp Sparrow     6    (KP)
White-throated Sparrow     30+     (KAG)
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW    1 adult   (KP - "no-mow" area)

There were also a few CHIMNEY SWIFTs to be seen circling over the Tidal Basin.

Good Birding!

Mike Bowen
Montgomery Bird Club
Bethesda, MD




D. H. Michael Bowen (Mike)
8609 Ewing Drive
Bethesda MD 20817-3845
Tel/Fax: (301) 530-5764
e-mail: