I spent the better part of three hours at Schoolhouse Pond, Upper Marlboro, Prince George's County, this morning, with a short hot chocolate break.  There was more ice on the pond than there had been on Friday morning, and so the gulls were closer to the road.  The only interesting gull today was an adult BLACK-HEADED GULL which took off from the ice just as I realized it was there, and flew out of sight.  The TRUMPETER SWAN was the only swan present; at first it was near the GREAT EGRET near the western shore of the pond, but it ended up walking across the Governor Oden Bowie Drive to beg some bread handouts from a person sitting in an SUV.  The Herring Gulls were predominantly adult-like birds, while there was a greater proportion of 1st cycle Ring-billed Gulls.  Among the Mallards were a dozen or more Northern Shovelers and a pair of Wood Ducks.  

Rob Hilton
Silver Spring