"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...

> Red-tailed hawks are abundant and they're huge birds... one landed out
> back and just sat there. I said, Mom, look! There's a hawk! It was just
> sitting there. Resting, I guess, after a hard day of trying to find mice
> and squirrels to eat. It a large bird. When it did take off the wingspan
> was fantastic. And the talons on it, eeek! Hawks are a good reason to
> keep cats indoors.

We get those up here in MD too. They can grab a bird in mid-air when
hunting. I once saw one grab a male cardinal but the hawk must have had his
vision obstructed because they both hit the side of the house. After the
impact the hawk lost hold of the cardinal, and the cardinal flew off.