The Strobels and Gail/Barry have already reported here that the BRANT 
seen as recently as yesterday was a no-show at Hains Point, D.C., 
this morning.  We were near the "Awakening" statue at around 8 a.m. 
and again at about 10 a.m.  Not only no Brant, but almost no Canada 
Geese or Ring-billed Gulls there, either.  I photographed the two 
Bald Eagles sitting together nicely in a large tree.  Two SAVANNAH 
SPARROWS were playing hard to see in the short grass nearby.

Because my wife has a broken ankle, we did essentially all the 
birding without getting out of the car.  On the D.C. side of the 14th 
St. railroad bridge, a (the?) PEREGRINE FALCON was perched in the open.

Up the Anacostia, across from Anacostia Park on a large marina was 
the largest flock of LAUGHING GULLS I've ever seen in D.C.  Maybe 
300-400 birds.  Despite the number, I could not coax one into a 
Franklin's.  In Kenilworth Park -- always a good place to bird from 
the car --  we had 1 COOPER'S HAWK sitting on the ground, 1 
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK perched, and a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK chasing one of 
the resident AMERICAN KESTRELS.  There were also 3 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS 
flying around.  No larks or pipits.

En route home to Bethesda, we stopped briefly across from Georgetown 
Reservoir, where there were 38 RING-NECKED DUCK, 3 RUDDY DUCK and a 
PIED-BILLED GREBE.  Pretty uninteresting.

Good Birding.

Mike Bowen
Montgomery Bird Club, Bethesda

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