I was able to get out for a lunch-time walk today, for the first time in
a while.  Since it's a breezy day, the smaller birds were few, but there
were several hawks about.  Two red-tails where on the Mall, one over the
Castle, the other over the USDA north building.  A Cooper's Hawk also
flew over the Mall between the Castle and the Natural History Museum.
   Near the Lincoln Monument was (another?) redtail, and (another?)
Cooper's.  The Cooper's was briefly attacked by an American Kestrel.
   Finally, in the pines between the Korean War Monument and the Park
Police horse barns, I stumbled onto something smaller - a feeding flock
consisting of titmice, chickadees, a single Ruby-crowned Kinglet and...
   (3) Red-breasted Nuthatches
(a first for my Mall list).

A note on the hawks.  The Red-tailed Hawk I saw flying over the Castle
is individually recognizable, and has been on the Mall for a few weeks.
It a VERY BIG red-tail (female, I assume), with very strong belly
markings and a deeply red tail.

Jim

Jim Felley
Smithsonian Institution