My twelve year old son (Ben) and I went to Lapidum today in search of the
rare birds recently reported.  There was already a group of birders there
with scopes out, and everyone was extremely helpful getting everybody on
the various birds.

We saw two (and possibly three) Little Gulls.  The ones we saw were in
mostly breeding plumage, with an almost complete hood and the
characteristic dark underwing.  We saw the gulls on both sides of the
river, feeding actively on the water.  Hundreds of Bonaparte's Gulls were
present, although it was kind of hard to get an exact number as they were
so spread out and constantly moving.  After about an hour, I finally got a
look at the Black-headed Gull (in mostly breeding plumage) on the far
shore.  And, also on the far shore (near the condos) we saw the Red-necked
Grebe.

Other birds we saw included a few Great Black-backed Gulls, a Double-
crested Cormorant, a few Mergs, and four or five Wood Ducks.  The Red-
necked Grebe was Ben's 200th life bird!

Fred Shaffer
Patuxent MOS