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Subject:

DC Waterfowl on 2/18

From:

Michael Bowen

Reply-To:

Maryland Birds & Birding

Date:

Fri, 18 Feb 2005 16:56:13 -0500

Waterfowl diversity in the District of Columbia is on the downswing.

Today, February 18, I failed to find any Snow Geese (or anything more 
exotic) with various groups of Canada Geese in D.C.

The ponds on the DC side of Chain Bridge, just upstream, had a single 
female COMMON MERGANSER.   This may well be the very white bird reported to 
VA-Bird by a Virginia commuter in a moving vehicle earlier this week.

Georgetown Reservoir had 7 CANVASBACK (I saw the same birds there on 
February 8, and they probably have been there even longer), 3 LESSER SCAUP, 
1 AMERICAN COOT and very little else.  Even the gulls (Herring and 
Ring-billed) were in small numbers.  The flock of Ring-necked Ducks that 
spent most of the winter in the reservoir might have moved on -- I didn't 
find a single Ring-neck.

In the Washington Channel and Potomac River flanking Hains Point the 
sizeable (200+?) flock of LESSER SCAUP remains, though it seems to be 
breaking up into numerous scattered, smaller groups.  One of the close-in 
groups held at least 2 drake GREATER SCAUP.  The Channel also held a 
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT and a PIED-BILLED GREBE.

Good birding.

Mike Bowen
Bethesda, MD

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