Hey Folks, Your gulls have all sounded so splendid, and the Wildlife Refuge obs. location warm and inviting. Lured by the sun and warmer temps, I finally was able to get out today (Sunday), though very late. Got to the spot and -- *surprise!* -- not a gull in sight! Went outside to check the lake from the dam area and still nothing but 4-5 Canadas. So I explored the new-to-me walkway down to and over the muddy, ice-crusted marsh. While trying to figure out a sparrow, I heard a Bald Eagle above and turned my binos that way. OK, they're pretty common nowdays, but most of all, they're gorgeous! Turning back to the sparrow(s), I saw something larger. It was a Common Snipe -- again, maybe common for many of you, but a treat for me, a "long time, no see" bird. For about 20 - 25 minutes, I watched it through binos and scope as it probed the mud for food. As dusk fell, it was harder to find with the naked eye. What camoflage! Then as it headed across a rivulet, I saw it join another snipe and they moved off into the dark. I'll have to try for the gulls on another day. Do they prefer the rivers for overnight, I wonder? (OK, I'll confess it was 4:35 pm when I arrived today -- reeeally late!) BTW, on my way out, while still in Kensington, there was a bird that flew right across Univ. Blvd. in front of the car, an accipiter I'll wager, with bands on the tail, one broader than the others and pale to white... And on the B-way, a likely red-tailed overhead... It's been so very long since I've been birding in the winter, I'm lucky to have made it to PWR in one piece! Oh, I never did ID the sparrow... Best to all this new year. May all your strike-outs still produce pleasant surprises! Julie Kelly mailto:jfkelly@ibm.net Kensington, Maryland