Just when it seems you have figured everything out, they change.  I 
came out in the dark this morning to see if I could determine where the 
egrets are roosting.  I had tried unsuccessfully at Sycamore Landing and in 
some fields to the SW of the impoundments to watch them flying into the 
marsh, so I thought they were coming from the dead tree area west of the 
main dike so I   positioned myself on the dike and waited.
     At 06:05 they started flying in low from the west more to the south of 
the dead tree area.  Most of the groups were small but one had 29 birds and 
another had 12 birds.  Most of them  arrived by 06:11, but there were 
stranglers at 06:20 (2) & 6:29 (1). At first they landed on the fallen tree 
along Hunting Quarter Rd and the tree tops of the island.  Then they moved 
to the NW corner of the large impoundment.  By 06:30 they were starting to 
move around the area.  My final count was75 GREAT EGRETS- a record for me 
and about the same number Chris Wright saw a couple of weeks ago.  I am 
going to have to find another spot to watch from the next time.
      Friday (8-13) there was another change in behavior.  I counted 62 
egrets early and when I returned about three hours later most of them (56) 
were still here.  Normally most of them would have disappeared by then.
      There has been a lot of back and forth the past couple weeks about the 
identity of the small white waders that have been
here.  I have concluded that they were little blues.  On Saturday (8-14) 
there was another E-bird report of a Snowy Egret. I  don't know the details 
and I was ready to dismiss it until today when I saw a bird near the SW 
corner of the island that I am reasonably sure was a SNOWY EGRET based on 
behavior.  It was wading around quickly and jabbing at the water while the 
Little Blues were standing around or moving slowly.
        The other birds of interest were 6 BLUE-WINGED TEAL flying around.

Paul Woodward
Fairfax City, VA