I never made it down to the Mall last winter to see the hummingbirds, but I 
finally made the trek this morning.  Wasn't too sure where the Ripley Garden 
is, but stumbled upon it rather quickly, the spotted the hummingbird about 
the same time I found the feeder.  Watched for about a half-hour, during 
which she was visible essentially all the time (but at the feeder only a 
small part of that).

Although I wasn't able to see a band, I remember reading that somebody 
banded this bird, and determined conclusively that it is a Rufous.  Can't 
remember whether it was this winter or last.  Either way, is there any proof 
that this is the same female that was there last winter?

This is certainly a selasphorus female, but since I returned home, I have 
been studying Sibley to see if there is any way I could reliably ID the 
species.  In the big Sibley, Allen's and Broad-tailed are both shown with 
slightly decurved bills, while Rufous is shown with a very straight bill. 
(NG shows them all pretty straight.)  Is there really a difference in bills 
in this group?  If not, I don't see any convincing way to separate them at 
binoc range.  The HB I saw this morning had a very straight bill, certainly 
straighter than Sibley's Allen's and Broad-tailed.

Now my DC list has twice as many hummingbirds as my MD list, despite having 
spent 99% of my local birding time in MD!

After the HB, went over to Haines Point for the first time.  Was mildly 
excited about the 2 Snow Geese until I got home and read the e-mails from 
Mike and Warren.  Anyway, they're still there.  Looked without success for 
Cackling Geese in the many Canadas.  Thought for a while that I had an adult 
Lesser BB Gull (smaller, not as dark, and different leg color than the 
GBBGulls there), but decided it was too small to be a Lesser (more the size 
of the Herring Gulls nearby), and the legs weren't bright yellow, like the 
few I've seen before.  However, the note from Jim Felley about the immature 
Lesser nearby in the Tidal Basin now has me wondering.  The bird I saw 
certainly wasn't immature - as a matter of fact, it looked like alternate 
adult plumage, all-white head.

Other than the above, the only birds of note were  a half-dozen GB Herons. 
Didn't see the Scaup that Mike mentioned.

    Bob Hartman
    Colesville, MD