Wow!  I got home early today and looked outback (~4:15pm).  A lone swan 
was swimming with some Canada Geese on Jug Bay and a close look revealed 
it as a Tundra, my first of this fall.  Then, with a quick scan of the scope I 
found a large accipiter, perched in a bare tree above the scrub-shrub along 
the marsh edge.  I was amazed and elated to see a hatch year Northern 
Goshawk, my first one seen from our house!  Although it was distant (~700 
feet), the late afternoon lighting was perfect and it was a crisp image in my 
scope.  With the fall colors surrounding this view, it was an image I won't soon 
forget!  Its prominent white eyestripe, dark brown/cinnamon crown, and 
beautiful barring were seen well.  I have seen a "possible" here for NOGO twice 
now (since 1998), but they were both just passing by (in flight) and only seen 
briefly.  This bird was perched for 5 minutes before it took off very quickly, in 
pursuit of a meal of unknown identity.  I lost sight of it when it dove into the 
scrub in the marsh and did not reappear (or did when I wasn't looking).

I am still buzzing from seeing the goshawk!!, but to top off the extravagance I 
just heard a screech owl out back!

Cheers-
Jeff Shenot
Croom MD