At around 10:30 this morning, I saw (from my 6th story office window in Bethesda, Md.) a Merlin scare up all the birds nearby.....pigeons and starlings. As it spiralled up over my building (12 stories), to disappear from sight, a Turkey Vulture hove in to view over another building. Then, about 20 minutes later, all the pigeons were boiling up again. Reason: a different hawk, this one a Cooper's Hawk, which was hunting over the office buildings visible from my window. Unsuccessful, it too spiralled quickly upward and over my building, heading south. Wow....and, there are very few pigeons in view now. Rob (Nov. 6, 10:55 am)