I had not visited Hughes Hollow in Montgomery County at all this 
year.  Thus it was a real pleasure this morning not only to see that 
recent rains have completely filled both impoundments, but to 
experience the best duck spectacle I can ever remember seeing there:

There must have been at least 500 RING-NECKED DUCK.  There were also 
50 AMERICAN WIGEON, 2 GADWALL, 6 CANVASBACK, 8 REDHEAD, a few 
MALLARD, 2 HOODED MERGANSER, 8 WOOD DUCK, and a drake 
BUFFLEHEAD.  (Oh and a few Canada Geese, of course.)  A dozen TREE 
SWALLOWs were cruising about too.

Shortly before 11 a.m. I heard the sound of a good size flock of 
TUNDRA SWAN moving over quite close, but I could not see them through 
the trees.  I would guess that these were the individuals that Dave 
Czaplak saw through the mist at Violette's Lock earlier this morning 
and watched taking off between 10:30 and 11 a.m.

There was an adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER in the trees at the Kiwanis 
Camp area just off Sycamore Landing Road.

Before returning to Bethesda for lunch, I stopped at Violette's Lock, 
where the Tundra Swans had of course already left.  But there were 17 
REDHEAD (nearly all drakes) and 6 GADWALL on the river, together with 
a pair of COMMON MERGANSER.  The parking area at Violette's gave me 
my first EASTERN PHOEBE of the year.

A most enjoyable morning.

Good Birding.

Mike Bowen
Montgomery Bird Club
Bethesda


D.H. Michael Bowen
8609 Ewing Drive
Bethesda, MD  20817
Telephone: (301) 530-5764
e-mail:  dhmbowenATyahooDOTcom