I went down to Hains Point this afternoon, from about 3:30 to nearly 5pm.  Saw mostly the usual suspects, tho getting 5 Great Black Backed Gulls near enough for good looks with only the bins was nice.  Also very nice was an excellent look at an immature Red Tail perched in the trees on the golf course near the fence by the little service road--he made a try for something almost next to me, just on the other side of the fence, but missed; he really looked discombobulated afterward--hopped up on a log and shook himself out before flying off.  The best thing, tho, after dipping on them all summer, was that I did get a dickcissel, keeping company with some song sparrows, also there by the service road.  They let me get a good look, but a brief one, before taking off in a hurry.  I suspect that of being the dickcissel's influence; this summer, the song sparrows along there didn't seem skittish.

After all that, the sunset was a gorgeous end to the afternoon, with the addition of seeing the planet Venus just above the red bands of color, and while the sky was still pretty light.  Jupiter was visible too, down and to the left of the moon.  Someone who stopped, and struck up a conversation about the sunset, told me you can see both those planets in broad daylight, if you know exactly where to look.  A new use for my Android phone--Google Sky Maps will show exactly where constellations, or  planets, are, even during daytime, but I never knew you might actually see even those two bright planets with the sun out.  Have to try that soon, while they're both around.

Patricia Wood
Silver Spring

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