On this gorgeous day, a rather uncommon bird for me along the canal -- a 1st spring Yellow-crowned Night Heron.  It flew down from a sycamore in a backwater channel of the Potomac river, just down from lock 9.

It had the black beak, large eyes (red), thin neck; gray in the face and on the nape.  Its crown was rusty.

I've seen several Black-crowned Night Herons around the canal, but never Yellow-crowned.

Other birds seen:

Canada Goose (5 m/f pairs)
Mallard (4 m/f pairs)
Wood Duck (m/f pair, Cabin John crk)
Common Merganser (male, alt. plumage, Cabin John crk)
Double-crested Cormorant (12, rookery, MP 8)
Cooper's Hawk (soaring, Lock 9)
Red-shouldered Hawk (1 on nest, Cabin John crk; 1 at lock 9)
Turkey Vulture (12+)
Black Vulture (2)
American Crow (7)
Belted Kingfisher (chattering around Cabin John crk; same date as last year)
Downy Woodpecker (5)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (4)
Pileated Woodpecker (m, drumming, lock 9 area)
Northern Flicker
Tree Swallow (2)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (6)
Tufted Titmouse (several)
Carolina Chickadee (many)
White-breasted Nuthatch (2)
Carolina Wren (3)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (several)
American Robin
No. Cardinal (several)
Song Sparrow 3-4)
American Goldfinch (many)

Good luck birding,
--
Frank Powers 
Glen Echo, MD 
Montgomery County
frankpowers at comcast.net