Just wanted to remind those of you interested that a program on the Great
Auk will be broadcast on PBS channel 9 Tuesday evening. I've never seen
a discussion of this species on TV; seems mostly forgotten. Should be
very interesting.

An immature red-tail hawk culled a crow out of a flock two weeks ago on the
west side of the University of Washington campus at 15th street and
dragged it into the bushes to feed, with "every crow in Seattle" flying
around trying to get it to give the prey up, one witness reported. No such
luck, though; the hawk was hungry, totally absorbed in its rending of the
crow and allowed me a close approach without being disturbed. Quite a number
of passers-by had a real show for a few minutes. I just got in on the tail
(sic) end of it.

Sunday morning I heard an accipiter's staccato call in my back yard and
located the bird, a large immature female sharpie, in our black walnut
tree from which it was launching strafing passes at a gray squirrel.
Squirrel, instead of getting upset and scolding as I would expect, just
sat tight and hissed at hawk as it swept past, even when hawk hovered
directly on top of squirrel, talons bared. Hawk eventually retired from
the fray looking puzzled that this animal didn't seem to know it was
supposed to be brunch.