Hawk Attack

[Veronica]

The Doves I have fly free. Has anyone any idea's how to stop the hawk coming in the garden? The original pair of doves I was given ( Prince-Ling and Lady Bird ) and their young I have had for almost ayear, but any female doves I buy for the young males get taken by the hawk. What can I do to keep them safe?

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Veronica

[raynjudy]

Veronica:

Build a Fly-Pen.

The raptor is very intelligent, and built for attack. He glides on thermals, conserving energy, then accellerates to attack speed in seconds--he's an interceptor.

A dove is no match for a hawk.

Ultimately, aerobically speaking, a fit pigeon or dove may out-fly a hawk--racing pigeons are some of the best animal-athletes known! But this isn't an Olympic Event. This is the business of life and death... Sometimes, the hawk wins.

You may try varying your release schedule, assuming they are in a loft to begin with. Keeping them flying on a broken rhythm, and penned for days at a time, may discourage the hawk from your area.

The Native American lore is true--hawks are incredibly brave. Judy had one actually brush her in a dive to nail a groundhog, which screamed as it actually lifted the thing & carried it away! We've had a falcon sit three feet away from us, atop my car, never flinching, as it waited for us to feed the birds one morning. We stopped feeding them for a week.

Good luck!

--Ray

[Veronica]

Thank you for your reply. What is a fly pen?
How big is it? Can I make one?

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Veronica