Thank you both for your comments. I understand your concerns, hampartsum, and in our situation we have the space to plant an abundance of natives to feed birds and other wildlife. I didn't write about that since the concept has been covered here already.
We are out in the country, so our experiences may be different from many. About the Mourning Doves specifically, they disappear in the winter. In the feeding area, we've had no more than a handful at one time and even then, some maintain a pecking order. In the breeding season, they keep themselves in check by not allowing too many to come into the yard. Until this spring, I never noticed how unpeaceful those Mourning Doves really are.
I cannot say how our feeding has changed things, since I do not have a lot to compare against. Our family started feeding birds in 2008 because it was an activity in a children's science lesson. From that we built different feeders and increased variety of foods. Maybe the last year or so, we've had fewer birds come to the feeders. I know they are around because I hear them.
The thing that increased our bird numbers and variety really had nothing to do with filling bird feeders. It was when we stopped having the pasture mowed for hay. I could really go on and on about the blessing that has been, but it's not gardening related. Well sort of, since we are now working at seeding sections of it with native plants and cutting down weed trees.
Plantladylin,
We learned early on about the feeders attracting hawks. We used to run out and chase them off... kind of silly, but I so wanted to protect our feeder birds. Now we leave them alone. It helped when we had a Cooper's hawk take a rat that was attracted to a squirrel feeder. And yes, there is a balance.
It is now only because we have chickens that we are more mindful of the hawks. We won't do anything to them. It's our responsibility to protect the chickens and if a hungry hawk gets any, it is not the hawk's fault. When our new chicken house is built, we will make a run that will be covered with wire or fencing that should protect them from any overhead predators.
The Jays have been good about alerting us and also this Cooper's seems to have a schedule. We've only seen it around in the early morning. I was out one morning watching the Cooper's watching our yard. A flock of Blackbirds flew overhead, which caught the raptor's eyes and it followed after them.
