VA Birders,
Recently I have been finding patches of Mourning Dove feathers in the yard,
where a hawk has fed. Today a loud bang against the glass dining room door
startled my wife and me. We looked out and an adult SHARP-SHINNED HAWK was
sitting in the cherry tree where the feeders hang. The feathers just outside
the door didn't look large enough to be hawk feathers, so whatever the bird was
that hit the door it must have gotten away.
The hawk sat on the lower branch for a few minutes, then changed to another. It
then flew to another tree below the yard. About that time another hawk came
sailing over the tree tops at the edge of the woods. It was a juvenile
RED-SHOULDERED. It's had a bedraggled look with some secondary feathers
missing, but the wing crescents and the reddish-brown head were easily seen.
After a few spirals to gain altitude the Red-shouldered headed eastward, and
the Sharp-shinned went deeper into the woods.
Enjoy the Birds,
Roger Mayhorn
Grundy, VA
Buchanan County
