Monday, January 19, 2009

Mr. Hawk eating his lunch on a snowy morning........and the relatives of the dead bird coming in for what looked like a memorial service after....









I never normally have this quantity of mourning doves in my backyard..but after Mr. Hawk devoured one earlier in the day over the weekend......all of a sudden all these mourning doves came in.....landed on the fence lined up in a row......and above on the wires overhead......and some on the ground. All were quiet.....some had their eyes shut...and I swear they were discussing the events of that morning and were sad for the loss of one of their mates or relatives. Do you suppose birds think things like that ...as we would? I think they do....I cannot imagine sitting on the wires overhead watching Mr. Hawk eat one of my kind...right in front of me.....not being able to do anything about it. I know Mr. Hawk has to eat too......but sometimes it is sort of sad that maybe we all just can't eat plants. Of course then we start to think about plants....and how they might feel pain when we cut them off their growing stalks or yanking them up by their roots from the ground...I guess that would leave us with water. Could we survive on water only?

6 comments:

Pat - Arkansas said...

Very interesting contemplation -- and good photos, too.

Melinda said...

thanks....they are not the best photos as they were all taken through my windows inside my house!

Patty said...

I'm sure the other birds weren't around when the hawk made his kill. They probably all flew away and went into hiding in the bushes.Yes, some things like that are sad. I think the hawks usually get the weak and sick birds first because they are easiest for them to capture. Love you, give Noah and big hug and kiss from Grandma L.

Anonymous said...

Whoah...neat shots. You got lots of mourning doves there. No wonder the Coopers Hawk chose one of them for dinner. They are really a nice size meal, easier to catch and don't fight back.

It isn't often that I get to see a Coopers Hawk chase a bird or try to catch one flying but I was able to watch one the other day. It was a smaller bird, a sparrow I think, that the hawk scared out of a boxwood bush and the hawk took off after it and the two birds flew over my yard in a big circle and disappeared. I was sure the hawk would get the sparrow, but in a minute or less, the hawk returned and perched, empty talons, on the fence, and I wondered if it was even winded. Anyway, it didn't have the sparrow.

Anonymous said...

Awww, so sad, but as your wrote, Mr. Hawk needs to eat, too. I think the birds probably think certain things like we do. I'm sure they did contemplate the events of their deceased friend and relative. I really do.

Paz

Tomate Farcie said...

I have never seen that many doves in one spot either. Usually they hang out by pairs or by themselves around here.