Hawk took 1 of our Mourning Doves.

[Raven11:11]

I got tons of pics. and Video!!  

He sat on our fence for 20 min eating this FATTENED Dove. We have a wicked feeder and all the birds get tons fo extra bread and grains + seeds ... . . .

 Too bad its complicated to add them here.



[/img]

[Greg Schneider]

That would be interesting to see! Why not post it on Youtube and then add the link here?

[Raven11:11]

the same hawk is still hanging around and I dont understand why? he has flocks of pigeons across the street and close too - up to 1000 assorted potential meals.

my guess - he is young and thus no experience with the more aware pigeons ... out doves are fat & lazy and have had no worries in 3 full yrs.

[Raven11:11]

kestrel took another one , see my post above....

[Leslie]

My Dad noticed at his feeder that his hawk (a female Cooper's, I think) took the doves & ignored everything else.  Since most of "everything else" is European (starlings & house sparrows), maybe our native hawks have to learn our "weed" species make a good lunch.  Or maybe it's just that the females leave the smaller birds for their mates.

[Raven11:11]

could you kindly expand on the whole........

 "weed" species  ...

vs ..

smaller birds ...

My Dad noticed at his feeder that his hawk (a female Cooper's, I think) took the doves & ignored everything else.  Since most of "everything else" is European (starlings & house sparrows), maybe our native hawks have to learn our "weed" species make a good lunch.  Or maybe it's just that the females leave the smaller birds for their mates.

[Leslie]

Sure.
House sparrows (Passer domesticus), starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), and pigeons (Columba livia) were introduced from Europe and have become much more numerous than the native species.  In some instances they out-compete the natives, although to my mind clearing the forest first for agriculture & then for cities also had an impact.
Small native birds include kinglets, hummingbirds, warblers, sparrows, finches, tanagers, flycatchers, swallows, chickadees, nuthatches, and others I haven't listed--much of the population in bird guides, in fact.
(Other introduced species are the pheasant (Phaseanus colchicus) and the mute swan (Cygnus olor) commonly found in parks.  I think those are the main Eurasian birds that have established themselves in eastern North America, although there is the occasional escape/blown-off-course migrant/barnyard duck-mallard cross.)
Does that answer your question?

[Raven11:11]

Pardon the re-question but I don't understand,  still.  I do know about all that you said, and the history of each.

But when it comes to choosing what to have for lunch .. ..... there are EU starlings, pigeons , sparrows , juncos, finch, chickadees - all readily common and available year round in my area (north Etobicoke, 5 min north of Hwy 27 & Albion Road) ... and in my yard too.

I also truly understand why the birds of prey prefer to target doves (which seem goofy and not as quick on lift off) , which seem to be much more relaxed, slower reaction times, and less nervous , and larger and thus an easier target to hit in speedy flight .. than the smaller species we both named.  

I thought you were aware of a specific preference for these birds of prey with specific birds that eat grasses versus grains (predominantly) .. and that they taste better for them> ?  

Sure.
House sparrows (Passer domesticus), starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), and pigeons (Columba livia) were introduced from Europe and have become much more numerous than the native species.  In some instances they out-compete the natives, although to my mind clearing the forest first for agriculture & then for cities also had an impact.
Small native birds include kinglets, hummingbirds, warblers, sparrows, finches, tanagers, flycatchers, swallows, chickadees, nuthatches, and others I haven't listed--much of the population in bird guides, in fact.
(Other introduced species are the pheasant (Phaseanus colchicus) and the mute swan (Cygnus olor) commonly found in parks.  I think those are the main Eurasian birds that have established themselves in eastern North America, although there is the occasional escape/blown-off-course migrant/barnyard duck-mallard cross.)
Does that answer your question?

:? [/u]

[Leslie]

I never thought to consider what the birds ate might be a factor.
Maybe I'm causing confusion by conflating two observations: 1) Female sharp-shinned hawks, during chick-raising season, go after larger birds leaving smaller birds to their smaller mates.  (Source: The Raven, Friends of Algonquin Park, I forget the exact issue), and 2) My dad noticed that the accipiter in his yard (which I believe to be a female Cooper's) goes after the mourning doves and leaves the more numerous house sparrows, which seemed to him to be easier to catch, alone.  Seeking patterns as people do, I was sure there must be an explanation.

[Raven11:11]

got it.

our doves and most other species have been MIA for a few days and all we have been seeing are Juncos ..... obviously the falcon and / or  hawk s are patrolling.

Our neighbor who also feeds them and is an avid animal lover like me saw a HUGE greyish white owl flying 4-5 feet off the ground in closely in front of all of our homes ... he is outside smoking all of the time and jumped in the air after being spooked by the owl.  

As they are silent, the fact this one was so massive and within 10-20 feet fro mhim he was astonished. and almost dropped his smoke - as he explained.

[Leslie]

Maybe they all found a warm place to get away from yesterday's cold front.
Nice owl sighting.

[Raven11:11]

Update:

As of today 2-4 max of our once beloved and common Doves rarely hang out.  a new hawk took a Robin recently as per my post in backyard birding....

Pisses me off .... life.

[ERC]

During the winter, I do notice that the hawks, even some of the Sharp-shinned males that aren't discernably bigger than a large Mourning Dove, seem to target the doves.  I imagine that it has to do with the amount of energy it takes to bring down the prey vs. the size of the meal.  Mourning Doves are relatively easy to catch when ground feeding and provide a lot more meat than, say, a House Sparrow.  I also think that ground feeders are likely much easier for hawks to see from the air, especially when the ground is covered in snow.  The Mourning Doves seem, to some extent, to rely on camoflague to protect them from airbourne predators, but it doesn't do much good when the whole environment is white.  During the summer and fall the Accipiters in my neighbourhood seem to be willing to expend more energy for less food: We had a very large female Cooper's snatch a Goldfinch off our nijer feeder last September--interestingly enough, he was the only Goldfinch still in breeding plumage, so he may have made an easy target for that reason.

[Raven11:11]

this young gun must have been refining his flying tactics ..... and I totally understand your post.

The doves are EXTRA FAT and got lazy , most did camo themselves on concrete tile that matched their color* , and some in the grass , either way, several years with no Hawks and 1,000 pigeons just across  the street and 500 feet away they must need variety.