Hope springs eternal as I headed to Kenilworth Park and the Natl. Arboretum
in search of winter birds this (Saturday, 2/10) morning.  The other Watts
Branch, which flows into the Anacostia on the south side of Kenilworth Park
was free flowing (probably warmed by some nasty runoff), which kept a little
bit of the Anacostia open as well.  This was a draw for c.1,000 CANADA
GEESE.  I searched for something more interesting, but only found a
KILLDEER, MALLARDS and an AMERICAN BLACK DUCK.  The only other birds of note
were 2 SAVANNAH SPARROWS in the field, and several hundred AM. ROBINS.  Most
of the robins were along the treelines, coming down to either drink or feed
on berries.  Most of them took off and headed over to the Arb., so I tried
my luck over there.  I caught up with many of the robins, but couldn't pull
anything interesting out of the flock.  The sun was warming things up
nicely, but the wind made sure we didn't let our guard down.

Good birding,
Paul Pisano
Arlington, VA