This is a true story; you can check it out on Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology website - look up Cooper's Hawk and check out under the cool facts section.

This happened at Diana & Gerry McGregor's place, west end of Thornbury beside Little Beaver Creek, March 3rd.  Diana was outside and saw feathers flying and saw a Cooper's Hawk fly to an open spot in the frozen creek, spread its wings as hawks do when they have something in its grasp - it's called mantling.

Diana wondered what was happening and called Gerry; the ground was covered in a foot or more of snow. Gerry staggered through the snow to the creek. The hawk with a mourning dove in its claws flew down the creek to another open spot and repeated the mantling routine with the dove being drowned in the water.

When the hawk flew around the bend and out of sight, Gerry returned to the house. They checked the book Birds of Canada and learned that the hawk was drowning its prey. It is a routine they use.

Gerry has pictures of the hawk with the dove in its claws. To observe this unusual activity left Diana and Gerry astounded, amazed, dumbfounded, excited - me too.

Cooper's hawks were known as Chicken hawks. Merlins were Pigeon Hawks. Kestrels were Sparrow Hawks. Farmers called all hawks Chicken hawks. There's more: Northern harriers were Marsh Hawks, Goshawks were Hen Hawks (because they preyed on bigger chickens), Osprey were Fish Hawks and Peregrine Falcons were Duck Hawks

Shrikes were/are called Butcher Birds.  (I digress)

March 16, Rick Thorne saw a Red-winged Blackbird.  Bill Brockway Jr. saw a Golden Eagle over Georgian Peaks March 14, confirmed by the Expert who also saw it. I saw a Robin outside my window on the 18th - my first of the year! Small flocks of them will start showing up everywhere in the next few days. There was a Killdeer spotted along the 30th Sideroad west of Clarksburg on the 19th.

With the arrival of  "black" birds - we already have a lot or Crows and flocks of Starlings, Grackles - Cowbirds will follow shortly.  And Turkey Vultures will confuse some of the Golden Eagle watchers, they are so similar, except for the Vultures bald head and flight pattern.