Gil Derouen and I birded water areas in Washington and Sullivan Counties during the middle of the day today. Summary of sightings: Austin Springs ~100 Ring-billed Gulls Paddle Creek Mallard 42 Gadwall 1 Green-winged Teal 4 Ring-necked Duck 2 Hooded Merganser 4 Ruddy Duck 1 Pied-billed Grebe 2 Great Blue Heron 2 Red-tailed Hawk 1 Kingfisher 1 Junco 12 Weir Dam Mallard 2 Wigeon 8 Redhead 11 Bufflehead 45 E. Screech Owl 1 Winter Wren 1 Rooty Branch Ponds Mallard 24 Am. Kestrel (Pemberton Rd.) 2 Hwy 44--intersection with Painter Rd. Mallard 40 The river is quite a bit higher than it was a week or two ago and this bay now has lots of water. Musick's Campground Ring-billed Gull 175 We didn't see any ducks or grebes here. Middlebrook Lake Canada Goose 40 Am. Black Duck 2 Mallard 25 Hooded Merganser 37 Pied-billed Grebe 2 Coot 1 Ring-billed Gull 200 Kingfisher 1 Roy Knispel Johnson City