Nice, Lisa. I like Mourning Dove,too. Sorta off topic, but I saw a cardinal feeding a little brown bump of something in the orchard yesterday. I was walking my little senior pup and the cat always has to come with us. Well, I hurried ahead and scooped up the baby cardinal and placed he/she in the tall grass before Kitty spotted it. The baby made a big fuss and spread its wings to try and scare me, I felt bad. The adult hovered nearby so I'm sure it knew where it was.

Beautiful pictures everyone !!! My Mourning Dove arrived yesterday from Hallson. It had been on my Wishlist for some time, but it was one of those I wanted to see in person before I sealed the deal. Well . . . I saw it alright . . . and it ended up on an Invoice. :) The soft tones blend nicely together. Putting this sort of variegation on a longer more cascading leaf only adds to the overall appeal. Vanessa . you donâÂÂt post very often, but when you do I am floored every time by your immaculate specimens. You grow some of the healthiest hostas I have ever seen. Wish youâÂÂd share more. :( Ludi

Then THAT'S the answer!! I actually saw a sharp-shinned hawk a few weeks ago (first time I'd even seen one in our woods -- I was very pleased to be able to identify it). I didn't see this altercation until the two birds were "wrestling" in the snow and I'd have sworn it was one of the mourning doves atop the jay, but your theory makes much more sense. Whatever it was definitely carried the jaw off -- poor jay (and I don't love jays) dangling by its wing and squawking frantically. They both dropped into the snow (for a better grip?) a short ways from my garden, then took off again and only by chance (or an extreme fight by the jay or maybe, my frantic yelling??) did the jay get released. The jay flew back to our pine tree and seems fine. Is that possible? To get hauled off into the hair, hanging by one wing, and still live to tell about it? Amazing! Just curious, how large a prey will a sharp-shinned hawk take on? What about a small cat? Do I need to worry now that I know there's a sharp-shinned in the area? (My cat goes out midday, never out for long ... maybe I'll keep him in?!) Thanks so much for the information -- I am positive you are right. Now I feel guilty for blaming the doves... :(

Cool!! We have some very large rocks that were unearthed in the digging of our pond. They have become a popular feeder for all our birds. It took them awhile, but now the doves hop up and crawl all over those rocks like the rest of the birds. It's also amusing to note how unafraid they've become over the years.