I had a good morning walk around Schoolhouse Pond today (1/20).  There was a nice variety of waterfowl present including several species of ducks that I don't usually see here.  Included with approximately 360 Canada Geese and 50 Mallards were 41 Northern Shovelers, 2 Hooded Mergansers (1 male and 1 female), 1 Ruddy Duck, 1 Northern Pintail (male), and 3 flyover Common Mergansers.  Also of interest were two counter-singing Winter Wrens along the rear of the pond.  This is not the first time I've heard these birds singing their beautiful song repeatedly (either singly or in duo) during mornings in the understory along the pond this winter.

There was already approximately 140 Ring-billed Gulls on the ice when I finished my walk, as well as large numbers of flyover Ring-billed and Herring Gulls, hopefully indicating large numbers today at lunchtime.  Yesterday during lunch, I had 1,320 Ring-billed Gulls and 41 Herring Gulls, but no black-backed or white-winged gulls.  Hopefully there will be some more variety later today.

Fred Shaffer

Crofton, Anne Arundel