I spent about 5 hours starting 10 AM birding along the Potomac in 
Washington Co from opposite Harper's Ferry to opposite Shepherdstown, 
then up to Dam #4. I saw numbers of Herring and Great Black-backed 
Gulls, Black Ducks, and Common Mergansers to add to my county list. 
These were mainly in the area from Harper's Ferry to Dargan Bend a few 
miles upriver.

I didn't see anything resembling a Lesser Black-backed Gull in the 
rocks downstream from Antietam Creek (which had 4 Herring Gulls). 
Somewhere below Dargan Bend however I did see what I imagine was just 
a Ring-billed Gull (It seemed to have a ring on the bill). BUT its 
wings were mighty dark. My views were not high-quality and there were 
no other gulls nearby. I note in Bob Ringler's post about the LBBG 
"there was a prominent blackish spot on the bill". (Anything like a 
ring?) At any rate, future seekers might want to keep an eye out below 
Dargan Bend.

Species of note I had today were:

Double-crested Cormorant - 50+
Great Blue Heron (5 - a former super-nemesis bird for me in this 
county in the early '90's)
Black Duck ~8
Wood Duck ~20
Hooded Merganser - 2
Common Merganser ~5
Red-breasted Merganser - 8 by Antietam Creek
Ring-billed Gull (? See above)
Herring Gull ~20
Great Black-backed Gull - 5+
Common Raven - 1 by Harper's Ferry
Phoebe
Brown Creeper - 2
Winter Wren (singing)
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Cedar Waxwing ~25
Yellow-rumped Warbler ~10
Pine Warbler - 1 near Dargan Bend
Field Sparrow (singing)

It's a very pleasant area to bird on a weekday!

Steve Sanford
Randallstown MD (Balto Co)
scartanATverizonDOTnet