Birdwatching at the American Indian Museum in front of the Capitol ... Seagulls, BlueJays, Ducks... HAWK?!

A little crowd had gathered at the pond in front of the American Indian Museum facing the Capitol Building. When we arrived at the spot, there was a bit of commotion going on. The ducks were squawking, splashing, and diving under the water as this large grey and white large sized bird flew from one tree to another, and rested on a large branch looking over the action. He settled in and fluffed out his feathers as a lone mockingbird moved in and a squirrel observed from the distance. We waited for about twenty minutes for him to make his move. The sparrows didn't seem to notice, someone brought some crumbs to feed the ducks, and all seemed right in the feathery world. A couple female ducks separated from the group to a marshy spot to feast on some greens. Our friend appeared to notice the movement, became more alert, feathers thinned out, and he slowly walked along the branch  - then pounced from the tree and jettisoned over the sitting ducks below. He landed right in front of us, just a few feet away from what could be a tasty dinner. They all stared at each other for awhile  - squawking some more. Then he took off again in their direction. They once again all headed for the hills (under water) as the big bird swooped down and headed back to his perch. Seemed like he was just playing games - this time. We lived in Milwaukee thirty years and never saw a scene like this in the big park near the lakeshore. We do see a falcon once on our birdbath. But this was something else, and very unexpected!