Ah yes, this thread. There was another one where someone was more vociferous in proclaiming DC too cold for Glyptostrobus pensilis. But those trees at Nat Arb look forlorn because they are on terrible sites for the species, poor soil and too dry. Mine on deep bottomland loam is growing as well as any other deciduous conifer has grown, and had not a bit of stem damage after 0F this winter. There's a huge one at Brookside Gardens that has survived well below 0F and grown into a fine tree with no signs of ever having dieback. (I love the story of the Stadler family saying to Montgomery county, "why do you want to open a botanical garden in a frost hollow" after they donated the land!) I'm glad to have it in my garden because will be a wonderful color contrast to all of my other deciduous conifers; it's a slightly pinker/redder version of the 'Amber Glow' Metasequoia someone posted recently.

bob_n_bernie: I mean EXACTLY like that; and it appears another Dove has been caught by a superior aerialist. I think I may have posted this in the past, but I was washing dishes in the kitchen of my farmhouse one morning, about 10 years ago, or so, and looking out the window and the 18 inches of snow that had fallen overnight. All of a sudden I heard a "thump" on the roof, above my head, and saw a Mourning Dove fall out onto the snow, right in front of the window. It wasn't dead, but it couldn't fly, and was thrashing about in the snow, wings outstretched. I just couldn't figure why the Dove would fly into the roof--the roof was also covered with snow, and it should have been obvious to a (healthy) Dove. So I put my boots on and went outside to see about the Dove, and no sooner had I rounded the corner of the house, than a Peregrine Falcon took of from the roof, where it was perched, and flew toward the woods. It looked back at me a time or two, and seemed to be giving me a dirty look--as though I had spoiled what would have been a just reward for superior hunting skills. And I also realized, that the next time I witnessed such an event, I should wait a bit before sticking my nose in; I probably would have gotten to see EXACTLY what you photographed. And although it may be "gory" to some, it's "Raptor Reality" to me--it's simply survival, for raptors. I agree with gailr--great photo of a most-interesting subject. A beautiful photograph of a beautiful bird is a beautiful thing: one that tells such a story, as the one you posted, is doubly ineresting and rewarding. I have a photo that I took 10 years ago, or so. It's only a silhouette--all in black, because it was too far away, taken with an inferior camera I had in the car, but I still think highly of it. I was driving down the highway, and saw a Sparrow Hawk ascend from a field, toward a power line, with something in its talons. First chance I got, I made a U-turn and went back, while getting my 35 mm camera out of the glove box. I stopped opposite the Hawk, now perched on the wire, and managed to take 4 or 5 pictures, from about 50 or 75 yards away, before it flew off--carrying its prey. Later when I got the pictures developed, one of the pictures was exactly what I had hoped for--a percect silhouette of a Sparrow Hawk sitting on a power line with a mouse, hanging down, in one talon. Of course I would have liked to have a close-up of such a thing--but the Hawk and mouse, clearly silhoutted on the wire, was a rewarding accomplishment, also. Hawks won't always sit still to have their photo taken, particularly when they're aware of your presence. I had the photo enlarged and framed, and keep it on my wall in the country, to show to all those who accuse Sparrow Hawks of eatinng their "chickens", or some other ridiculous assertion.

mariaesills-perhaps the hawk is a juvenile or morph -- have you tried a hawk field guide? Peterson's hawk field guide and Brian Wheeler's Raptors of Eastern North America are both very good--show many different morphs, sexes, adults and juveniles. Note the shape of the head, length of tail and silhouette shape in flight. Gos is very sleek, long, like a ghost inflight. Extremely fast when agressively hunting or attacking intruders in its nesting territory. Per the behavior you describe, I'm not sure a goshawk would dive close to your house. Those I've observed stay in the woods. Do you have a stream and woods nearby? They take birds (I've seen them take crows, bluejays, and once a pheasant). The goshawks are extremely aggressive in breeding season, so be careful if it is around in the late winter to early summer..seriously.

My daughter and SIL just closed on a starter house in the District -- Columbia Heights to be exact. I helped them find listings, so I'm somewhat familiar with the DC market. My impression is that asking prices in the District are all over the map. Many sellers appear to think that homes are still appreciating at the same rate they were a year or two back. So these houses set on the market for many months because, in actuality, values are holding steady at best. Others are priced correctly and sell quickly. Part of the problem of inflated offering prices may be due to the extremely overinflated values listed on Zillow. But even Zillow has lowered its estimated values for Dstrict housing over the last few months and that has to reflect a drop in actual sales prices. They may drop further, but the District is a very unique market because the unemployment rate is always so low, and that tends to keep prices on a more even keel than is the case for the surrounding areas. Everyone seems to agree that there are far too many newly-built condos in the District and that prices will continue to decline. But there is definitely not an oversupply of single-family dwellings in good condition in the more desirable areas, and they go quickly if priced right. American University is out of the starter price range for most buyers, so I didn't look at listings there. However, a price rise of 150K over five years for a house in that price range does sound reasonable. If you havent checked Zillow for actual sold prices -- not asking prices because they literally don't mean anything in the current market -- of recent comparables, do so. I suggest moving fast on anything that looks like a good deal. The place my daughter bought sold in three days at full price because the buyer was motivated and priced it correctly. Comparables that have asking prices 10 or 20% higher have sat on the market for months.