Following Mike Bowen's report of the Black-capped Chickadee at Hains
Pt., I was able to leave work at my official time (instead of the usual
hour later) and swing through the park.  I parked by the first bathroom
on the river side, got out of my car, and started walking north (it was
4:30pm at this time).  It was really quiet, but I picked up a very soft,
high pitched call note.  I tracked it down and sure enough, it was the
Black-capped!  It gave great looks, including showing off its white
"hockey stick" on the wing panel, and a slightly ragged bib.  Once it
gave a chicka-dee-dee call, lower and raspier than Carolina.  It was
pretty much by itself, though there was also a Brown Creeper nearby.  I
first saw it in the trees between the road and the river, and then it
flew into the fruit trees between the road and the golf course (near the
2 black electrical boxes).  

I left it alone to go look for gulls, which were massing on the
Washington Channel.  But in spite of much searching, I couldn't find any
of the recently reported "white-winged" gulls.  The number of Herrings
(especially adults) was quite impressive (hundreds).  Equally impressive
was the dearth of Lesser Black-backed Gulls.  In years past, I would
have seen double digits under such circumstances.  I was barely able to
pull one out of the flock that was actually sitting on the Anacostia
(along with another large flock of Herrings).  Otherwise, it was all
Herrrings, Ring-billeds and Great Black-backeds.

It was too cold (and I wasn't really dressed for it) to search for the
scoter/Long-tailed Duck.  That said, I tried to search for it from the
comfort of my car with heated seats, but couldn't get a good bead on the
Bolling waterfront.

Good birding,
Paul Pisano
Arlington, VA