I checked out Georgetown Reservoir at around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday 
morning, September 24.  Not much there.  There were 4 Double-crested 
Cormorants -- 2 with the gulls in the usual rest area and 2 in the 
water in the largest cell.  The 2 in the water were quite some 
distance from the road.  As Peter is a very experienced birder, it's 
most unlikely that he misidentified a cormorant, so we don't know for 
sure.  It's very early for Red-throated and a bit early for Common, 
per the "Yellow Book."

My own DC Common Loon sightings over the years (12 sightings 
altogether) have all been in mid-winter or late April/early May; my 
DC Red-throated Loon sightings (only 3 in all) have been in 
mid-November, late January, and very early April. There was also a 
memorable Pacific Loon in the Washington Channel, seen by many 
birders, in late May, 1998.

Also at Georgetown Reservoir yesterday:  3 Killdeer in with 50+ 
Ring-billed Gulls and 3 Laughing Gulls.  An adult Osprey was perched 
on one of the standpipes on the cross dike.

Also yesterday, 9/25, there were 9 Caspian Terns in with a large gull 
flock on the western side of the Jefferson Memorial in DC, easily 
seen from the road bridge over the channel that links the Tidal Basin 
with the Potomac..  The birds were sitting in the wet grass in an 
area where high water regularly overruns the concrete walkway.

Mike Bowen
Bethesda, MD


At 06:21 PM 9/24/2010, Strobel, Warren wrote:
>All: Peter Kaestner reports that he had a Loon, possibly a 
>Red-Throated, in the Georgetown Reservoir around 3:30 this 
>afternoon. He was driving by, without bins, but the bill-tilt and 
>shape of the bird at a distance suggested Red-Throated.
>
>Might be worth checking out.
>
>Good Birding!
>Warren & Lisa Strobel
>www.birdcouple.com
>Annapolis, MD

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

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