Participant Photo: Cooper’s hawk Eating Lunch

At 1:00 pm on Jan. 19 I looked out our front window to see a Cooper’s hawk devouring another bird. I first thought it was a Blue Jay, but later examination of the feathers indicate it most likely was a Mourning Dove. The hawk spent an hour decimating his prey. I felt sad watching this, although I know that they also need to eat. We had just begun feeding on the ground in an effort to attract the doves and other ground feeding birds, so this was disconcerting to witness. This is only the second time in a couple of years that we have seen a Cooper’s Hawk here.