This morning, I heard the birds chirping their alarms again, so I knew the hawk was still around. Sure enough, I spotted it perched on the chainlink fence, peering at the nicely mowed lawn. It wasn't admiring the artistic rows (euphemism for not straight); it was searching for food. I saw it alight to the yard and snatch up a big nightcrawler in its curved beak. It flew back to the fence, grasped the worm in its talon, and ate it in a couple of bites.
After looking at images and descriptions of raptors, I think it's probably a Broad-winged Hawk. It does have the white band on its tail and is at home in the trees. Also, its keening call fits that of the Broad-winged Hawk. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a great website for easy bird identification that includes pics, sounds, and video.
