Went over to Rock Creek Park in DC fairly early this morning, and the most 
exiting sighting of the day occurred just after I stepped out of the car at 
Picnic Area 18 at about 7 a.m.:

5 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER flew over, quite low and very fast, heading due 
north.  This is a species I've never seen before in DC, not even on the 
river mud where you might perhaps expect them.

After that, the warblering was fairly ordinary.  I and others got at least 
11 species of warblers, mostly at the Maintenance Yard, which was fairly 
birdy.  Nice views of CHESTNUT-SIDED, MAGNOLIA, PARULA, BLACK-THROATED 
GREEN, and BLACKPOLL (which took honors as most numerous warbler, though 
there were a surprising number of YELLOW-RUMPED still around).  There were 
several VEERIES and SWAINSON'S THRUSH around, and lots of WOOD THRUSH 
singing in the woods.

I next went to Anacostia Park, but could find no shorebirds on the sandbars 
in the river.
The wetlands area had several ORCHARD ORIOLES and YELLOW WARBLERS, and a 
loudly "fitz-bewing" WILLOW FLYCATCHER.

At Kenilworth Park, NE DC, I ran briefly into a small flock (10, maybe) of 
BOBOLINK, most of them females. Alas, I could not find the Dickcissel Paul 
Pisano saw yesterday with a Bobolink flock in the same place.
Kenilworth Park also had one, and possibly two, singing BLUE GROSBEAK.  I 
found one very close in a low tree on the east side of the park.  Two 
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT were singing in the exact same places Paul P. had them 
yesterday.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens had the only other  shorebirds of the day:  3 
SOLITARY SANDPIPERS, 2 GREATER YELLOWLEGS AND 2 LEAST SANDPIPERS.

KAG also had numerous and vocal YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS, two of which I had 
really good close looks at -- often difficult with this species.

Good Birding!

Mike Bowen
Bethesda, MD

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