Although I Iong ago conceded the 2011 Windsor Co. Quest title to either Ed Hack or Spencer Hardy (although George Clark is nipping on their heels), it's still fun to try for a new species, with < 2 weeks to go. I took a quick run down River Road in WRJ this afternoon, hoping to see the Great Black-backed Gulls that Ed, Spencer and Doug Hardy have had along the Conn R. Stopping across from the south end of Johnson Island (basically right across the river from Home Depot), I was able to scan upriver with my scope and view some of the small rocky islands and bars just north of Johnson. On one of them were two adult Great Black-backeds, the only gulls in view. I also had a Song Sparrow in the shrubby undergrowth between the railroad track and River Road. Chris -- Chris Rimmer Vermont Center for Ecostudies P.O. Box 420 Norwich, VT 05055 802-649-1431 ext. 1 http://www.vtecostudies.org