Question about raptors and Collared Doves

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Pam Piombino

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Dec 30, 2014, 1:59:42 PM12/30/14
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We own two acres of mostly prairie (unfortunately planted in Smooth Brome), south and west of the little village of Hygiene.  We are constantly finding piles of Collared Dove feathers indicating a kill site 

Are these invaders aiding the success of our indigenous raptors?  With their plump size, they make a fine meal and one that seems a bit easier to catch than other species.

Pam

Joe Roller

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Dec 30, 2014, 2:07:28 PM12/30/14
to Pam Piombino, Nature Net, Colorado Birds
Anecdotally I have seen more successful Cooper's Hawk nests
in small towns on the eastern plains -- towns too small for a KFC franchise,
but big enough for large helpings of collared doves.

Joe Roller,
Denver

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Charles Hundertmark

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Dec 30, 2014, 3:22:56 PM12/30/14
to Pam Piombino, Nature Net, Cobirds
During spring and summer when we have a local pair of Cooper's Hawks, I frequently find piles of collared-dove feathers. They appear to be either particularly attractive or particularly easy targets of Coopers.

Chuck

On Tue, Dec 30, 2014 at 11:59 AM, Pam Piombino <piombi...@gmail.com> wrote:

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Chuck Hundertmark
2546 Lake Meadow Drive
Lafayette, CO 80026

The "Nunn Guy"

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Dec 30, 2014, 3:54:22 PM12/30/14
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Our Northern Harriers love the doves, too ... :-)

Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn
http://coloradobirder.ning.com/
Mobile:  http://coloradobirder.ning.com/m

Mel Goff

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Dec 30, 2014, 4:04:34 PM12/30/14
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We had 17 White-winged Doves and 10 Collared Doves at our feeder 10 minutes ago. Now we have one Cooper’s Hawk and NO doves in our yard.
 
Mel and Jeanne Goff
Colorado Springs

Paula Hansley

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Dec 30, 2014, 6:12:29 PM12/30/14
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My resident immature Cooper's Hawk has cut my dove population down to a pair of Collared Doves and one Mourning Dove!  It preferentially goes for the doves rather than the numerous finches, sparrows, or juncos.

Paula Hansley
Louisville

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DAVID A LEATHERMAN

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Dec 30, 2014, 6:28:21 PM12/30/14
to Pam Piombino, COBIRDS
Pam,
Which raptor or raptors would take advantage of the new entree on the menu has been a question that's intrigued me since they first started showing up 20+ years ago.  I have kept my eyes open and also posed the question to COBIRDS a long time ago.  The co-winners seem to be Cooper's Hawk and Great Horned Owl, but Prairie Falcon, Sharp-shins, Red-tails, probably Northern Goshawk, and maybe others like Northern Harrier and Merlin no doubt get in on the act.  Of course, human dove hunters have also benefited. 

Dave Leatherman

Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 11:59:39 -0700
Subject: [cobirds] Question about raptors and Collared Doves
From: piombi...@gmail.com
To: natur...@yahoogroups.com; cob...@googlegroups.com


We own two acres of mostly prairie (unfortunately planted in Smooth Brome), south and west of the little village of Hygiene.  We are constantly finding piles of Collared Dove feathers indicating a kill site 

Are these invaders aiding the success of our indigenous raptors?  With their plump size, they make a fine meal and one that seems a bit easier to catch than other species.

Pam

Marjorie Joy

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Dec 30, 2014, 8:38:08 PM12/30/14
to daleat...@msn.com, COBIRDS
Dave and all, 

I have a fair number of Eurasian Collared-Doves in my Pueblo West yard, and also see some (not nearly enough) piles of feathers. I've seen them actually being eaten in my yard and the neighbor's by Cooper's Hawks and once by a Merlin. Once I surprised a Sharp-shinned Hawk with one when I went out the front door; the hawk went right and the dove went left. I was surprised at this as they were pretty much the same size. I thought it was pretty ambitious of the Sharpie.  I expect Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers, and Great Horned Owls, all of which frequent this area, get a few as well, although I haven't actually seen them in the act. 

My neighbor is a dove hunter and shoots all three species that are found here; he says they all taste the same.

Margie Joy
Pueblo West, CO


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Pam Piombino

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Dec 30, 2014, 9:24:15 PM12/30/14
to DAVID A LEATHERMAN, COBIRDS
We saw a Northern Harrier stoop on one today in the yard, but miss.  It was a banner day here for raptors:

2 Resident Red-tails
1 Cooper's Hawk that caught the Collared Dove
1 Bald Eagle
1 Prairie Falcon that made a pass over our feeders
Ditto for 1 Kestrel
and
the hunting female N. Harrier

The feeder crowd was a nervous wreck today, flushing every 10-15 seconds into the trees and shrubs.  The balance between calories consumed and expended must be a very fine line.

Pam

Gloria Nikolai

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Dec 30, 2014, 10:17:18 PM12/30/14
to Mel Goff, chunde...@gmail.com, Pam Piombino, Nature Net, Cobirds
I regularly have piles of dove feather s in my yard - and know the Cooper's hawks take out some but the Sharpies are regular visitors too.
 
Gloria Nikolai
Colorado Springs
 

Subject: Re: [cobirds] Question about raptors and Collared Doves
Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 14:04:45 -0700

Tina Jones

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Dec 31, 2014, 1:22:13 AM12/31/14
to gloria...@hotmail.com, Mel Goff,Co. Springs, Chuck Hundertmark, Pam Piombino, Nature Net, Cobirds
I have never found Collared Dove feathers in my yard, only Morning Dove feathers, left from a kill. Both Doves are present in my yard. I have wondered about the intelligence of each Dove and I've wondered about the quickness of each Dove. The Cooper's is present in my yard at least every other day. There has been a nest about one block away.
 Years ago there were not as many Cooper's in the Denver area. Bird feeding [which I partake in], I believe, has changed the migration of Cooper's. 
 
Tina Jones
Littleton, CO 
 
From: gloria...@hotmail.com
To: mel...@comcast.net; chunde...@gmail.com; piombi...@gmail.com
CC: natur...@yahoogroups.com; cob...@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: [cobirds] Question about raptors and Collared Doves
Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 20:17:13 -0700

The "Nunn Guy"

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Dec 31, 2014, 11:05:17 AM12/31/14
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"Speak of the devil" ... yesterday morning I posted our harriers take eurasians ... near dusk yesterday at house (Nunn) at 4:45pm we had Northern Harrier digesting one (dove) on ground in our backyard, lifting off at dark.
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