On my way back from Kenilworth this morning, I tried to drive around Hains
Pt., but the darn National Marathon had all the roads messed up.  So I went
home.  Over the course of the day I saw all the great reports of fallouts,
so after paying bills and such, I had to go back out.  By this point (about
4pm), all the roads were open.  My first stop was Gravelly Point in
Arlington since I thought it would be a good vantage point.  After hearing
the E. Meadowlark and seeing the Savannah Sparrow (as mentioned by Rob), I
gave up because it looked like most of the birds were near Hains Pt plus the
sound of the airplanes was driving me nuts.  So I drove over to Hains.
Halfway down the Washington Channel I was happy to see a flock of 12 COMMON
GOLDENEYES.  The last year I saw goldeneyes in DC was 2004, which was also
the last year I saw Long-tailed Ducks in DC.  With the goldeneyes were 24
RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, some doing courtships displays, and c.10
BUFFLEHEADS.

At the tip of Hains, looking both downriver and up the Anacostia, I saw:

c.10 BONAPARTE'S GULLS
3 LAUGHING GULLS
1 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (plus the 3 common gull species)
c.20 HORNED GREBES
3 PIED-BILLED GREBES
c.50 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS
1 AM. BLACK DUCK

About a mile or so downriver I saw:
c.1,000 LESSER SCAUP
c. 200 BUFFLEHEAD
more COMMON GOLDENEYES (hard to get a count, but I'm guessing another 15-20
more) and I'm sure there were other species in this big mixed flock, I just
couldn't see them very well since they were so far away.

Up the Anacostia there were:
2 HOODED MERGANSERS, 
and the best bird of the day
3 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS (as Rob reported earlier).  
I've only seen this species once before in DC, and I don't know the year.
It was before I was actively birding the District; I inadvertently chased
some birds that Dave Czaplak found in the Washington Channel.  I'm guessing
it was about 15+/- years ago.  Dave, if you're reading this post and you
remember those birds, please let me know when you saw them.

So a great variety of waterbirds in DC today.  Can't help but wonder what
also passed through this morning.

Good birding,
Paul Pisano
Arlington, VA