Description

I was watching the feeders during lunch, left the room briefly, and came back to this scene in my backyard. The hawk had stooped on an unfortunate dove in my absence and was standing with its prey (which as far as I could tell was dead at that point), It took a few bites, then may have noticed movement at the window and cruised off with prey in claws. It banked left through the trees and disappeared into my neighbors’ huge Eleagnus. I am including four photos–three originals shot through the window and one more which is one of those with some color/brightness manipulation to make the birds a little clearer. Sorry for the quality; I figured if I tried to open the window or a door to get a clearer shot I would have lost it entirely. I think Cooper’s and Sharpies both live in my neighborhood and I don’t often get such a good view of them, so I’d appreciate correction if I’m wrong about species. This guy (gal?) was pretty big–easily Red-Shouldered Hawk size. I verified the dove by estimated size, the fact that it was taken out in the open where most other birds don’t hang around, and the feather disc that remained after the hawk took off.

Category

Predatory birds

Species

• Mourning Dove
• Cooper's Hawk

Tags

• Predation--ID verification appreciated