Greetings,

I am wondering if anyone else in East Silver Spring (20910) has seen a 
very large hawk with a wing span of 4.5 to 5 feet?  I heard a commotion 
in my front yard this morning and looked out to see this hawk and a 
squirrel battling by the street.  I am guessing it is a Coopers Hawk but 
it was still before dawn and the lighting was poor.  I have had Cooper's 
hawks in the past but the Sharp Shinned is more common in my heavily 
wooded backyard.  This hawk was scared off and flew with large wing 
beats to the roof of my house.  He obviously needed a large area to get 
airborne again. 

This is the first time in 20+ years of bird watching here that I have 
seen a hawk attack a squirrel.  Usually the squirrels don't pay much 
attention to the Sharp Shinned.  They do watch and act nervous when a 
Coopers Hawk is nearby.  I live just 2 blocks from Sligo Creek so it may 
have been a new hawk for my yard?  My 12 squirrels are peanut fed so 
they may look like a very tempting meal.  Also this hawk was in the 
front yard by the street with a larger open area than in my backyard.

I would be very interested in knowing if anyone else in this area has 
seen a large hawk recently.

George Lane