Following in the footsteps of John Hubbell and Bob  Ringler, I walked the 
towpath from the railroad bridge over the river at Sandy  Point to near Milepost 
62 this morning (2/22/06)  It was windy and about  41º from 9:30 to 11:30.
    Immediately noted a fair collection of Herring  Gulls (at least 8, likely 
more) and within five minutes located the near  adult GREAT BLACK-BACKED 
GULL(still some dark in the tail feathers, bill not  fully adult).   It stayed on 
a rock in mid-stream for almost the  whole time I was there, flying up once to 
give me a good look at the tail.   A little later I located a "first 
winter/summer" GBBG.
    Still plenty of Black Ducks, Mallards and Canada  Geese.  Also seen: 13 
Double-crested Cormorants, 1 Great Blue  Heron, 11 Wood Ducks, 1 male 
Blue-winged Teal keeping company with a pair of  Wood Ducks, 8 Common Mergansers, 28 
Black Vultures on the West Virginia shore --  standing around and arguing among 
themselves.  Saw a first or second  year Bald Eagle which spooked the ducks 
and then settled down on a rock, a  Killdeer shot downstream, calling.
    Along the towpath I found: Red-bellied Woodpecker,  Northern Flicker, 3 
Eastern Phoebes, 1 Carolina and one Winter Wren, 2  chickadees (both looked 
very Carolina), 1 Tufted Titmouse, 1 Brown Creeper, 12  Yellow-rumped Warblers, a 
Song Sparrow, 5 juncos and a cardinal.
    My last view was of 5 American Crows on the rocks  in the river.
 
    I also drove and walked the dirt road past the  sewage plant in 
Brunswick.  In just 2 minutes I had a Pileated, a pair of  Downys, a Red-bellied and a 
mating pair of Hairy Woodpeckers (Attention   atlasers).
 
A good morning all around.
 
Louis Nielsen  
Reisterstown, MD