The Red-necked Grebe reported yesterday by Helen Horrocks for Jim 
Green was still present today at 1 p.m. in Gunners Lake, Wisteria 
Drive, Germantown, Montgomery County.

The bird was actively moving around and diving on the west side of 
the lake near a group of dozing Ruddy Ducks and Pied-billed 
Grebes.  It was so active that I was unable to digiscope it.  It 
certainly looked in very good health. It has molted quite a bit into 
winter plumage but there are still lots of red feathers on the neck.

This lake, which I've not visited before, had a nice assortment of 
birds on it, with multiple Ring-necked Ducks and Ruddy Ducks, as well 
as the aforementioned Pied-billed Grebes (probably as many as a dozen 
in all).  There was also a Belted Kingfisher in the upper part of the 
lake and a Red-tailed Hawk overhead.

I was interested to see from my bird records that even though this 
bird represents the eleventh Red-necked Grebe record for me in 
Montgomery, it was the only one of its species I've seen anywhere in 
North America during 2006.

Good Birding

Mike Bowen
Bethesda



D. H. Michael Bowen (Mike)
8609 Ewing Drive
Bethesda MD 20817-3845
Tel/Fax: (301) 530-5764
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