Trying to share all of my DC weekend sightings with MDOsprey would be
tedious, so I’ll just try to capture the high points:
-	Friday night Crowded House concert at the 9:30 club (ok, not a bird
sighting, but a great show that ended later than I had hoped).
-	This means that Saturday morning (5/3/08) I’m not leaving the
Pentagon City Starbucks until 6:55am, missing my 6:30am rendezvous with Gary
Allport at Poplar Pt (Anacostia River Park).  I’m late anyway, so why not
swing by Hains Pt since it’s on my way.  As I’m turning into the park I
think to myself, “shoot, I forgot my camera.  Oh well, probably won’t see
anything of note anyway.”  At 7:05am I stop about ¼ mi. down the road on the
channel side to scan the Ring-billed Gulls.  An alternate plumaged hooded
gull flies by – oh, Laughing Gull I think to myself.  WHOA!  That gull has a
big white wedge between the gray upperwing and black wing tips – that’s a
FRANKLIN’S GULL!  And no camera!
-	Start working my way through the cell phone list.  Barry Cooper is
just pulling up to Constitution Gardens and decides to head over.  Gary
Allport and Greg Butcher are close enough to abort their Poplar Pt. birding
to come chase.  Rob Hilton is in Alexandria, and decides to try for it too.
As I’m on the phone a van pulls up with “Capital Kingbirds” on the side.
Birders – good timing.  They pause to look at the gulls, and I mention the
Franklin’s.  Tick and they’re off – must be doing a big day.
-	Barry pulls up a few minutes later and we enjoy looking at the very
cooperative bird.  Not a DC bird for either one of us, but a beautiful bird
to watch nonetheless.  Barry leaves at about 7:30 and the gull takes flight,
lands a little farther away, and then gets scared off by a big lawn mower.
It gains altitude and flies out of sight, heading west towards the river.
By 7:35am it’s gone.
-	Gary & Greg pull up seconds later.  I tell them the bad news.  We
jump in the car and drive to the river side (in 3 separate cars) as the
crowds grow because of a 5k race through the park.  Gary gets lucky and
catches sight of the bird as it’s flying upriver.  Greg & I stop and search,
but are unable to find the bird.
-	Rob arrives minutes too late and misses it.  We drive upriver a
little, hoping that it landed somewhere nearby.  No luck, but we add RUDDY
DUCK and BONAPARTE’S GULL to the list, and a little later I see a COMMON
LOON in the Tidal Basin.
-	Head to Kenilworth Park on my own and find 3 AMERICAN PIPITS, 2 BLUE
GROSBEAKS, 1 YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and 4 LEAST SANDPIPERS.  Get a call from
Gary saying that David Curson, Carl & Sandy found a Little Blue Heron at the
Aquatic Gardens.  Get there and meet up with the group, but no sign of the
heron.  We manage to add a few migrants and breeders to the list –
PROTHONOTARY W., CHESTNUT-SIDED W., NASHVILLE W. (2), SWAMP SPARROW,
numerous ORCHARD ORIOLES, plus WARLBING & WHITE-EYED VIREOS, among others.
-	Coffee, scones and good company, thanks to Carl & Sandy and crew.  I
leave at about noon, having to call it quits for the day.

-	Sunday morning (5/4/08) I head back to Hains Pt on the off chance
that the Franklin’s Gull has returned.  It’s 6:50am and the gate is still
closed.  Only birds of interest are 2 GREAT EGRETS flying north, fairly high
up.
-	Drive over to Anacostia River Park where it’s pretty quiet.  Best
birds are 2 WILSON’S SNIPE, 1 SOLITARY SANDPIPER, c.17 LAUGHING GULLS flying
downriver (overshots from yesterday?), and a small flock of BOBOLINKS (seen
only because I stop to talk to Dave Sperling).
-	Head back to Hains Pt. at 7:30ish.  The gate is finally open, but
there are already many golfers and very few gulls.  No sign of the
Franklin’s.
-	Stop at the south end of the golf course and walk along the
maintenance road.  A pair of COMMON YELLOWTHROATS and a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH
are the most interesting birds.  Another 44 LAUGHING GULLS flyover, heading
downriver, bringing the total up to 61.  On the river side of the
maintenance road I hear a funny song – is that a Parula or a Cerulean?  I
walk closer and finally see the bird – a NORTHERN PARULA.  There are other
migrants in the trees so I scan.  AMERICAN REDSTART, BLACKPOLL WARBLER,
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, and ho hum, just another CLAY-COLORED SPARROW!  I saw
the Constitution Gardens bird on Friday, and it’s embarrassing to admit how
blasé I was over this bird (and only my 3rd sighting for DC).  Probably the
same bird, but how do we know for sure?  If the Constitution Gardens bird
was migrating north, then why would it show up 2 miles to the southeast?
Anyone have a guess on whether or not it’s the same bird?
-	By 8:50am it’s time to head off to other commitments.  Quite a nice
selection of birds over 2 days and c.7 hours of birding.  I had all but
given up on Hains Pt. given all the “improvements” they’ve been making to
the park (stripping it of a lot of the best bird habitat), not to mention
the crowds.  But this weekend proved me wrong.  Clearly it can still bring
in the good birds.

I hope you all had as much fun this weekend.

Good birding,
Paul Pisano
Arlington, VA