How do you stop a hawk from eating baby morning doves??

Question

A morning dove decided to build a nest in my hanging flower basket by the front door. I stopped watering the flowers (eggs!), and now the flowers are dead. The babies hatched a couple of days ago, and they're pretty visible now that the flowers aren't covering them anymore. When I was walking up to my house I noticed a hawk fly away from the basket - I must have scared it away just in time.

SO.... what can I do to stop the hawk from having baby morning doves for dinner??

Can I put plastic flowers in the basket to camouflage them?? Or move the basket more under my soffet?

Answer 1

i suggest you just move the basket

Answer 2

Dont move the basket. You dont want birds to leave their young. Its not your smell that will do it it is the fact that the nest has been tampered with. The hawks will come and go so will the crows. It is unfortunate but where there are other birds there will always be hawks. If you can try to put something above the basket so the hawk cannot see them. The hawk will be drawn to the parent birds more than the babies. Im afraid most of the time you just have to let nature take its course with this type of thing as I have found out many times. I feed birds and the hawks are always coming to dine on the birds I feed. :( I know they have to eat to but its hard. if you can move the basket a little bit so it is underneath more I think it wuld be ok.  Just hide and make sure the parent birds come back. Try to do it when they are gone eating and do it little at time if the hawk really becomes a problem. Good luck.

Answer 3

DO NOT MOVE THE BASKET!!!!!!!!! If you even touch it the mother dove will not return to the nest and leave the babies to die, I have a lot of experience with that happening and I have asked a lot of people about it. I suggest you try and water the plant without messing with the nest at all, just do not move the basket please! even putting fake flowers in would mess with the mother bird's senses. be very careful!

Answer 4

Hawks gotta eat too.  They are just doing what they do.