Dave and all,
    Are you saying that you've seen Common Merg with young this far south
before? Your picture sent me scrambling for the Atlas and Common Merg isn't
even listed as a breeding bird for Maryland and/or D.C.
    I then pulled up my trusty Thayer program and looked at their map. I
know I have seen Mergs along the Clarion River in Pa during the summer, but
assumed that was probably the southern end of their breeding range. The map
shows them along the Susquehanna all summer, so I assume they breed there.
    The early date is of course shocking, but the fact that you saw them on
the Potomac is even more of a surprise. Were they confirmed for the new
Atlas under construction now?

    Jerry Tarbell
    Carroll County