It wasn't until after 2 p.m. that I could get to a few D.C. points today, 
to see what was around.. Between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. I had:

At the Chain Bridge "ponds" just upstream of the bridge on the DC side:

1 HOODED MERGANSER (female, in the only portion that wasn't frozen)

At Georgetown Reservoir:

ca. 50 RING-NECKED DUCK
1 adult winter LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (on the center dike, with the usual 
Herrings and Ring-billeds)

In the Tidal Basin:

2 HOODED MERGANSER
2 COMMON MERGANSER (both females)

At Hains Point and in Washington Channel:

1 SNOW GOOSE (almost certainly the same bird reported by Paul Pisano a few 
days ago -- it was feeding with a very large flock of Canada Goose on the 
lawns of Fort McNair)  Could be the same bird I saw near the Lincoln 
Memorial on September 10, 2004 -- which was the first of this species I had 
ever seen in D.C.
6 BUFFLEHEAD
1 LESSER SCAUP (a lone drake)
1 imm. RED-TAILED HAWK  (but no Merlins or Peregrine)

Merry Christmas and Good Birding.

Mike Bowen
Bethesda, MD

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