Hi all --

Barry and I went down to Hains Point today to see if we could catch up with
the Red-throated Loon, a very good DC bird (we couldn't go yesterday,
alas!). Unfortunately, we couldn't locate the bird although there is a huge
amount of floating debris in the river and the bird may simply have been
hidden -- but our bet is it took advantage of the clearing weather and left.

We did see about 150 Bonaparte's Gulls, perhaps more, scattered from below
the 14th street bridge to offshore of the Kennedy Center. We couldn't find
parking to look at all of these (tourists are here!) but we did carefully go
through about 2/3 of them and no Little Gull. BUT -- if there is going to be
a LIGU in DC, this seems to be the time.

Also seen were several Horned Grebes, one in full summer plumage, about 150
Lesser Scaup, 20 or so Red-breasted Mergs, and a couple Bufflehead, plus a
Merlin perched over the golf course.

Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper
Colesville, MD