We pulled up at the parking on Royal Street, and seconds after getting out
of the car the bird flew in and landed near the top of the right tower,
staying put for a few minutes and giving excellent views. It was eventually
chased off by a fish crow, and after waiting a bit we walked down to the
river. Just after crossing the train tracks and turning left to go
upstream, the falcon swooped in 50 ft or so in front of us, presumably
making a pass at one of the numerous sparrows along the trail.
Plenty of other birds around, including one Field Sparrow amongst the many
juncos, as well as an Osprey flying downstream. In the river we had one
Scaup sp. pair, and big rafts of cormorants and coots.
Alan Handley
Arlington County
