On my way to get the morning papers on SAT, DEC 11, I observed an immature
hawk feeding on what appeared to be a road-killed rabbit.  Returning, appx
20 minutes later, I stopped adjacent to the still feeding bird for a better
view.  The bird went on with its meal after only a brief pause following my
appearance.  He/she was occupied at the time of my arrival with a piece of
tendon, which it was attempting to tear without great success.  The rabbit
was about six feet from the edge of the road and it was my assumption that
it (the rabbit) was road kill.  My tentative ID was Cooper's, but, as it was
on the smallish side, it could have been a Sharpie. There wasn't an
opportunity to observe any field marks other than head and breast features.
Is scavenging a documented behavior for either species?  This was observed
near Broad Run in S. Frederick Co, MD.


Jim Speicher

Rockville @work:(
FRED Co @home:)