January 1 (Friday) EARLIEST BIRD WALK–GEORGETOWN RESERVOIR AND D.C. HOTSPOTS. Half day. Start the New Year right. Meet 8 a.m. at Georgetown reservoir, DC, by the gate leading to the dike between the pools. Reservations required. Limit: 20. LEADER: Mike Bowen 301-530-5764.  RESULTS:  Participants:  12, Weather:  Cold, below freezing all morning, but the absence of wind for most of the time made it fairly comfortable, Species count:  35.  Highlights:  Georgetown Reservoir was unproductive once again this year, with not a single duck.  The gulls there were of the usual 3 common species, and the only saving grace was a nicely perched adult Red-shouldered Hawk.  The pond at Constitution Gardens was almost totally frozen and yielded only 6 sleeping Ring-necked Ducks. The customary Black-crowned Night-herons were at the roost in the Washington Channel, many of them immatures. Hains Point gave us 2 Bald Eagles, a Cooper’s Hawk, and several close groups of Lesser Scaup. Our next port of call was the LBJ Memorial Grove on the D.C. side of the Boundary Channel by the Pentagon, which once again came through for us, with Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Winter Wren, and 2 very obliging Brown Creepers.  The trip ended with a stop at Roaches Run near National Airport, where there were some Pied-billed Grebes, Great Blue Herons and Hooded Mergansers.  Our last bird turned out to be the top bird of the morning -- a male Osprey, most unusual for this time of the year, first seen perched, then actively fishing.    January 10 (Sunday) 2010 COUNTY LISTER’S TRIP. 3/4 to full day. Let’s get a good start on our 2010 Montgomery lists. Weather permitting, we will start at Violette’s Lock with a walk down the canal to Blockhouse Point. From Violette’s, we’ll head up the western side of the county, stopping briefly at Hughes Hollow, take another walk at Edward’s Ferry Horse Loop, "scope" the Patton Turf Farm area from the road, and finish the day with a brief stop at the Rte 121 bridge at Black Hill RP before heading back to Violette’s. Dress for the weather. Trip may involve a total of 3 or 4 miles walked by day’s end. Reservations required. Contact leader for meeting time and place. Leader: Andy Martin, 301-529- 2066 or apmartin2@comcast.net. RESULTS:  57 species, Six birders (Mike Bowen, Jim Moore, Linda Friedland, Diane Ford, Martin Eisentraut plus leader) worked the western side of Montgomery County to find as many FOS (first of season) species as possible. The trip was originally supposed to take place on January 2 but was moved to January 10 to accommodate the snowstorm rescheduled Triadelphia CBC. We started at Violette’s Lock along the Potomac River, worked our way via Poolesville over to Black Hill Regional Park and finished the day back at Violette’s. Weather wise, conditions were brutal. Morning temps were in the mid teens and only rose to 26º F by day’s end.  Birding highlights included fairly close looks at a Red-headed Woodpecker along the canal towpath and distant looks at 2 Bald Eagles sitting on the ice just upstream of the Seneca Breaks. One of the Bald Eagles seemed to be trying to figure out how catch and eat a Common Merganser swimming nearby in one of the few remaining patches of open water on the river. We also enjoyed good numbers and a nice variety or waterfowl at Black Hill Regional Park including Tundra Swans, Common Goldeneye, Gadwall, Redhead, Canvasbacks, American Wigeon, American Black, Ring-necked and Ruddy Ducks, and Common and Hooded Mergansers.  A fun day for all but could have been a bit warmer!     January 15–17 (Friday-Sunday) INTRODUCTION TO THE WINTER SHORE: OCEAN CITY TO BROADKILL MARSH. Our 2010 "brave winter’s icy blasts" trip offers birders who have the time up to 3 full days on the Eastern shore. Those who can take off Friday will coordinate vehicles from the DC area and stop at birdy locations such as Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center and Bombay Hook NWR on the way to the beach. Saturday will be spent birding sites in Worcester Co, probably including Assateague I. NS and South Point. Sunday we will bird Sussex Co, DE, probably including Silver Lake, Cape Henlopen SP, and Prime Hook NWR. New members and new birders are particularly encouraged but all are welcome. Carpooling strongly encouraged. Reservations absolutely required, due to possibly complex itineraries. Limit: 14. For reservations and directions, call the LEADER: Mike Bowen, 301-530-576 RESULTS:  Participants:  9 (Friday), 11 (Saturday), 10 (Sunday).  Weather:  Friday and Saturday – balmy and in the 40’s;  Sunday – chilly with increasingly heavy rain and wind.  Species count: 100.  Day 1 Highlights (MD):  a handsome male Common Goldeneye flying over us at Kent Narrows; an inquisitive group of Brown-Headed Nuthatches at Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center; adult Golden Eagle and lots of sparrows at Pickering Creek; Cackling Goose, Wilson’s Snipe, Eastern Meadowlark, and 2 Short-eared Owls at Blackwater, the owls seen hunting in a perfect, windless dusk along Shorter’s Wharf Rd.  Day 2 Highlights (MD):  both Eider species, all 3 Scoter sp., Red Knot at Ocean City Inlet;  2 more Common Eiders and 14 Long-tailed Ducks at 32nd St., Ocean City;  Lesser Black-backed Gull at Skimmer Island; 12 waterfowl species at West Ocean City Pond; Black-bellied Plovers, Dunlins, American Oystercatchers, and a Willet at Eagles Landing campground (where we also had a close, feeding Horned Lark flock containing a Chipping Sparrow); another Cackling Goose, this one in a skein of Snow Geese, at South Point;  Marsh Wren on Assateague Island.  Day 3 Highlights in the rain (DE):  male Common Eider, Lesser Black-backed Gull, and a gull that may have been a Glaucous-Herring hybrid at Indian River Inlet; 2 Snow Geese and hundreds of Canvasbacks, Black Duck and Ruddy Duck in Silver Lake, Rehoboth; a soggy perched Merlin and a close flock of Snow Buntings (for those also willing to be soaked to the skin!) at Cape Henlopen State Park.  The leader wants to acknowledge the exceptional patience and skill of the participants on this trip, which contributed to the impressive species total.  Also, he admires their amazing fortitude in face of the wet and uncomfortable conditions on Day 3 – they just wouldn’t quit, even when he wanted to!                                                                              FEBRUARY 2010                                                                                          FEBRUARY 21 (Sunday) OAKS LANDFILL, LAYTONSVILLE. New trip! Bundle up to explore this now-closed landfill adjacent to the Blue Mash Nature Trail. Should be mostly open terrain with some ponds. Possible wintering sparrows, raptors, and waterfowl. Leader will have scope for distant birds. We have special permission to enter this “closed to the public" landfill so reservations are essential. Limit 16. Meet at 8 a.m. Contact leader for reservations and more information. LEADER: Mark England 240-207-3132 (home) or 240-375-4500 (cell) RESULTS:  14 birders attended eager to see what was on the "other side of the fence" from the Blue Mash Nature Trail.  Just as we started walking west on the gravel road around the landfill, (now 90% melted and very decent walking) a Cooper's Hawk flew by to get us off to a great start.  Songbirds were sparse due to the remnant deep snow, but at the top of the landfill we had close Savannah Sparrow on the gravel road, 2 Horned Larks,  a flyover female Pileated Woodpecker, and a high-up adult Bald Eagle.  We thought we heard pipits, but did not see any.   The best bird was a probable Rough-legged Hawk, seen briefly about 150 yards off, flying low and away from us.  It looked long-winged with dark primary tips, and very noticeable dark carpal spots when its wings were raised.  It never hovered or vocalized in the 20 seconds or so that we observed it, which would have helped simplify the i.d., but two of our group, Ed Patten and Brad Beukema went "off-road"  some distance to get a better look, and were convinced it was a Rough-leg when they rejoined us.  Total species were only 25, but the Rough-leg was a life-bird for several, and everyone enjoyed seeing some different type habitat and a respite from "cabin-fever".