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Thanks, Roy! and I assume I can share this with NatureNS and Nature BNS lists? The late and famous Cyril Coldwell at Gaspereau used to report this with regulariy, i.e., sharpies killing m. doves, and flying with them in the talons! Subsequently I found out, via Quirks & Quarks and the Birder's Handbook?, that indeed many of our hawks, especially the smaller ones, can carry very substantial weights, although of course they don't fly very well nor very far with large prey. Cheers from Jim On 26-Nov-09, at 4:44 PM, Roy Bishop wrote: > Hi Jim & Sherman, > > About 1 p.m. today a Sharp-shinned Hawk took a Mourning Dove near > the door of my house. > > I happened upon the struggle as I stepped out of the door --- > feathers everywhere and activity under the fronds of a flower pot > on the ground about a metre from my feet. The hawk immediately flew > off (my first sight of it) , lit on the driveway about 8 metres > away and watched me. I stepped back inside and the hawk flew off. > > I then went out again and looked to see what the hawk had been > after. Beside the flower pot half-hidden under the plant was a > Mourning Dove with an nasty open wound on its back. It was upright > and alert, but made no move to flee. Probably in shock. I again > went back inside, wondering if I should put the dove out of its > misery, and place it out in the open where the hawk might find it. > I decided not to interfere, so I did nothing. > > I watched the dove for a few minutes from a window. It was alive, > breathing heavily, but remained half-hidden beside the flower pot. > Fifteen minutes later I looked again. The hawk had come back and > moved the now-limp dove a short distance away. When it saw me it > flew with the dove under a nearby spruce tree. With binoculars I > had a good look at the hawk (obviously a Sharp-Shinned, and too > small for a Cooper's) as it had its lunch under the spruce. > > Thought you would be interested, > > Roy
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