Mourning dove escapes death by Cooper's Hawk and is saved by patio furniture 11232022 (Scottsdale: homes, living)

[bkolodzi]

I had heard that one of the Cooper's Hawk hunting tactics was to chase a bird into a window, and grab it while it was either stunned or dead. I had never seen this tactic used personally until today. I am not sure if the hawk did not see where the dove fell or if it did not want to try and retrieve the dove from under the patio furniture. It also may have been that it saw people (Jan and I) in close proximity and decided that was too big of a risk. I know that all the animals are doing what they have to do to survive on a daily basis, but I have to admit, I am happy that this mourning dove survived being hunted and hitting the window this time. If the Cooper's Hawk had gotten the dove, I would be happy that the hawk got a meal. There is a lot of living and dying that goes on just outside the walls of our homes, and no animal is a bad guy, they are just trying to survive. It used to be the same for us humans, but now we have others do the killing for us and we just go to the grocery store. It is much more civilized, right???


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-Tt9sjoMQw

[WRM20]

My wife watched a Coopers hawk kill and eat 3 birds in our back yard a few years back, 2 doves and a blue jay. She chased the hawk off after the third one, so it could make a mess in some other yard. I watched another Coopers fly through our pecan tree chasing prey. I heard a big thwack as it hit a branch, then t came out the other side and was still flying fast. I later read that when necropsies are done on Coopers Hawks, they frequently have healed broken bones.

[bkolodzi]

Originally Posted by WRM20

My wife watched a Coopers hawk kill and eat 3 birds in our back yard a few years back, 2 doves and a blue jay. She chased the hawk off after the third one, so it could make a mess in some other yard. I watched another Coopers fly through our pecan tree chasing prey. I heard a big thwack as it hit a branch, then t came out the other side and was still flying fast. I later read that when necropsies are done on Coopers Hawks, they frequently have healed broken bones.

These are the A-10 warthog of birds for sure! I can see why your wife would want the cooper's hawk gone. They do make a mess with their catches! I have had numerous sightings of cooper's hawks in close air to air engagements. They (and the birds they are chasing) are amazing to observe in these aerial battles. I did not realize how fast and aerobatic doves could be, but I guess anything is possible when flying for your life!!! I have also heard that these hawks are frequently injured, and I have no problem believing it! I have seen a cooper's hawk go full speed into underbrush after prey. It must be tough to have to kill something every few days just to survive!

Thanks for watching and your interesting comment!!!

[fluffythewondercat]

We had a Cooper's hawk living at our place in Scottsdale for a couple of weeks. Our first clue was the shower of feathers floating down from the top of our casita. The hawk either ate everything or scared the remaining birds away. They did come back eventually but we've never seen that Cooper's hawk again.

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by bkolodzi

These are the A-10 warthog of birds for sure! I can see why your wife would want the cooper's hawk gone. They do make a mess with their catches! I have had numerous sightings of cooper's hawks in close air to air engagements. They (and the birds they are chasing) are amazing to observe in these aerial battles. I did not realize how fast and aerobatic doves could be, but I guess anything is possible when flying for your life!!! I have also heard that these hawks are frequently injured, and I have no problem believing it! I have seen a cooper's hawk go full speed into underbrush after prey. It must be tough to have to kill something every few days just to survive!

Thanks for watching and your interesting comment!!!

Doves can be very quick. I have seen a dove jink left after being shot at during hunting season, with the shot column missing. That was pretty amazing to see.

Some friends were sitting on their front porch when 3 pigeons started flying straight and level and very fast down the middle of the street. A Coopers nailed the one in the middle. The other two shrugged, said "too bad about Bob" and carried on with their normal routine, presumably thankful they weren't the one that became lunch.

At my old office, there were squirrels everywhere. At lunch one day, we saw a red tailed hawk swoop down, passing my boss by a few feet, grab a squirrel, then proceed to the edge of the parking lot where it too had lunch.

[MGS4EVER]

I have a nesting pair that live in my pine tree. Falconers call Cooper's the "blue menace" because they are lethal flying after small birds through trees. It is very entertaining to watch the youngsters learn to fly and hunt. One time there were 3 juveniles and they thought maybe hunting together would be a good idea. Well I've never seen so many doves and hawks flying this way and that!
My neighbor feeds the doves and quail, so all "my" Cooper has to do is hide in the mesquite bosque and wait for the right moment. Late afternoon for me is sitting on my patio to watch the show.

Great video Bkolodzi. Your Cooper looks like a female by the large size.

[bkolodzi]

Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat

We had a Cooper's hawk living at our place in Scottsdale for a couple of weeks. Our first clue was the shower of feathers floating down from the top of our casita. The hawk either ate everything or scared the remaining birds away. They did come back eventually but we've never seen that Cooper's hawk again.

Yep! That shower of feathers is a dead giveaway!!!

[bkolodzi]

Originally Posted by WRM20

Doves can be very quick. I have seen a dove jink left after being shot at during hunting season, with the shot column missing. That was pretty amazing to see.

Some friends were sitting on their front porch when 3 pigeons started flying straight and level and very fast down the middle of the street. A Coopers nailed the one in the middle. The other two shrugged, said "too bad about Bob" and carried on with their normal routine, presumably thankful they weren't the one that became lunch.

At my old office, there were squirrels everywhere. At lunch one day, we saw a red tailed hawk swoop down, passing my boss by a few feet, grab a squirrel, then proceed to the edge of the parking lot where it too had lunch.

Those were great stories WRM20! I have seen Cooper's hawks chasing doves, and I have seen a cooper's hawk sitting on my fence with a dove in its talons, but I have never seen one taken in mid-air.

I also saw a hawk flying to the top of a cypress tree, so I took a bit of video. Only later when I got home and looked at it on the computer did I see that it had taken a round tailed ground squirrel as shown in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_cHUkYDVew&t=1s I sure felt sorry for that ground squirrel!!!

[bkolodzi]

Originally Posted by MGS4EVER

I have a nesting pair that live in my pine tree. Falconers call Cooper's the "blue menace" because they are lethal flying after small birds through trees. It is very entertaining to watch the youngsters learn to fly and hunt. One time there were 3 juveniles and they thought maybe hunting together would be a good idea. Well I've never seen so many doves and hawks flying this way and that!
My neighbor feeds the doves and quail, so all "my" Cooper has to do is hide in the mesquite bosque and wait for the right moment. Late afternoon for me is sitting on my patio to watch the show.

Great video Bkolodzi. Your Cooper looks like a female by the large size.

I had some neighbors that had a nesting pair of cooper's haws in a tree just outside their backyard fence, and they could not go on their back patio without the chance of an attack for several months! Yes, they are very good at what they do, otherwise, they would not survive. I do feel badly for the prey, but this is how nature works. So many people do not realize that bird feeders are like a grocery store for cooper's hawks. In addition, spilled seeds attract pack rats, then those attract snakes! Thanks for watching and the story!!!

[MGS4EVER]

Originally Posted by bkolodzi

I had some neighbors that had a nesting pair of cooper's haws in a tree just outside their backyard fence, and they could not go on their back patio without the chance of an attack for several months! Yes, they are very good at what they do, otherwise, they would not survive. I do feel badly for the prey, but this is how nature works. So many people do not realize that bird feeders are like a grocery store for cooper's hawks. In addition, spilled seeds attract pack rats, then those attract snakes!Thanks for watching and the story!!!

I made this mistake ONCE. Stepped out the gate and a rattlesnake was passing by. Proceeded to go under my swamp cooler. Had him relocated, and 2 others that got in my backyard. So no more feeding the birds near the house!

The Cooper's never bothered me or my husband at all. We would sit on the patio and watch the 3 "knuckleheads" as I called them. They would rest on the wall and cry for food. Then mom or dad would feed them. Favorites were the desert spiny lizards, and of course doves. Also round tailed ground squirrels. Half eaten bodies would be on the wall, but they would come back and finish later.

One time the large female fledgling was very interested in my pool. The 3 grew up watching me and my dog swim every day. I would look up and see them watching me from the nest. So this female spent 35 mins. analyzing the pool, depth, and how to get in there. Finally I watched her jump into the pool at the step. She was very proud of herself and enjoyed cooling off. Scared me though because I thought I'd have to fish her out. When I went over to check, she just looked at me like, "What?".
Photo: the 3 "knuckleheads" playing around.