Jim Green asked me to post the following for him -

"Andy: This is for the Osprey:  A BONA-FIDE PHENOMENON!
	On Monday AM (7-7:30) there were approx. 11 Bonaparte's Gulls
(including about  half in full breeding plumage) on the Potomac River at
Violette's Lock. Last evening I went back to the same location knowing that
the impending storm was coming. Most of the Bonies were still there. Looking
upriver you could see the storm with rain and wind and lightning fast
approaching. All of a sudden from upriver came a white cloud of birds on
wing. They were flying very close in shorebird-like formation and were
originally 100-150 feet up. As they approached Violette's Lock they dropped
from the sky and began flying low over the rapids for about the next ten
minutes staying in tight formation for the most part. It was a beautiful
sight watching them in flight and constantly banking in different
directions. I counted approx. 65-70 of the gulls. I had never seen a flock
of any gull species fly in shorebird-like formation like this. This is also
the most Bonaparte's Gulls I have ever seen in Montgomery County at one
time. After about 10 minutes they flew up river and set down on the river
near Riley's Lock. At this point I hightailed it to avoid the rain. I would
be curious to here if others have witnessed this type of flight.
	Also this morning there were 2 Bonies on the Potomac River at
Riley's Lock and I only saw 2 Great Black-backed Gulls (the previous day
there were about 12-15. At Hughes Hollow between 8 AM and 8:30 (very windy)
there were several Wilson's Snipe, 1 Greater Yellowlegs and 1 Savannah
Sparrow. The Ring-Necked Ducks that have been there for the last 2 months
were all gone."

Jim Green
Gaithersburg