On February 12, I posted a note on an unusual dove with a hooked bill that  
had been frequenting my window feeder.  A couple of weeks later, the bird  
was sitting on the feeder as my fiance and I read on the adjacent window  
bench.  Suddenly that was a loud noise and my fiance saw an accipiter  flying 
away.  I looked the other way and saw dove feathers floating  downwards.  We 
were both quite sad that the dove had met its demise.
 
Except...two days later, he reappeared!  Did the hawk mostly  miss?  Did 
Mr. Hooker (as he is now known) fight him off with his hook  bill?  Was it 
another dove that had changed places with Mr. Hooker when we  were not looking? 
 We shall never know.
 
But since then he has been faithfully frequenting the window feeder daily  
except for two Fridays/Saturdays when he was not seen all day.  Where was  
he?  Does he have a girlfriend and was off for the weekend?
 
Most days he is waiting in the closest tree for us at dawn.   Occasionally 
he does not appear until the afternoon.  He scarfs up peanut  butter suet 
three or four times a day.  He is so tame that as I am putting  out the suet, 
he will fly over and hover for a few seconds right above my  arm.  
 
Another strange thing is that his lower mandible is thin and curves  
upwards, making him a crossbill.  We did not notice this at the time of my  
original post.  
 
It seems that he can survive despite his malformed bill, at least while we  
are feeding him suet.  We are concerned that when our next trip is taken,  
he will not make it.
 
While this is April Fools Day, this is a curiosity, not a spoof.
 
Bob Mumford
Darnestown
 
 


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