All of the sudden every single one of them scattered. Not just their usual, "A person's coming, let's hang back for a minute, but I still got dibs on that piece of crust." They took off like their lives depended on it.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhM-GjFa8Aq4eF1tWLRwq_O3zEvfj0riAvyiOvSJeSKEDEwGdqoIKztZxMJAimg080rJKNORAMcdNrVtwaP-_Y4h19oFXYYgfdUzW5GwOC0w_bLgjaDu2U8Pu_W3vbM8rkmF90w/s200/Hawk+002.jpg)
We'll call him Mordecai. He landed on a utility line above the parking lot. Not particularly large for a hawk, but he still had a wingspan of close to four feet. If Mordecai had been in a better and less noisy position, I'm sure any of the birds or squirrels that had been in my backyard would've made a tasty dinner.
I've spotted several hawks in Arlington, usually in Rosslyn where the local parks
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwEvtnDy8SpyefWntMOtMgJsx3onuhlnk8yxogGctYd5H9GuK53t3AMG-tARJASiWbZ4YKn41ZOGxX1fxT4laKevv59teBvBdUhfUkW7SBWP583eoH2ctqnTsBaOLnMzEIMeIpg/s200/Hawk+003.jpg)
I'd like to think the sighting isn't completely unrelated to Arlington's ongoing environmental efforts and its certification as a Community Wildlife Habitat, wouldn't you?
6 comments:
We've got what we think is a sharp-shinned hawk patrolling our backyard in Chantilly. He shows up about once a week -- we have a feeder and lots of berry and nut bearing flora so it's a popular gathering spot. We've seen the hawk make a run at a few birds and it really is nature in the raw.
PM from RK
We saw one hanging out over Bluemont Park last Saturday - very cool. Maybe it was Mordecai? :-)
what a beautiful bird!
From the good folks over at the DC Birding Blog:
It looks to me like a Cooper's Hawk since the tail is really long and rounded at the tip. The breast markings are also consistent with an accipiter-type hawk.
Cooper's Hawks are fairly common in the DC area. I used to see them along the Mall and around the Capitol, plus in other area parks.
There's a bit more here:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/accipiterIDtable.htm
http://susankwilliams.blogspot.com/2007/03/raptor-identification-part-one.html
I didn't see one yet here around courthouse but I will be watching...
Would Girasol be excited to see a hawk? I'd think more hawks would mean fewer birds and squirrels for you to chase, so I'd think no. But maybe it's like that old proverb - The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
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