Whose Bones?

There has been a preponderence of strange scat on the paths around our house lately. It is right in the middle of the path down the hill, the path at the bottom of the hill, the road curving up the side of the hill, the drive on the other side of the hill leading down into our driveway. We don't know whose it is. It is medium-sized; smaller than our dogs' output, bigger than that of the cats. The other day I noticed at the bottom of the hill a pile of it, about half of which consisted of fur and bones. Little, tiny bones. What animal has tiny bones like this, and what other animal would have eaten it? Fox? Coyote? It's in the same area where we found the remains of the buzzard last year.


Note what looks like a little toe or claw at left. I mean to go down later today to salvage some of the bones; will get some better pictures while I am at it.

The Plot Thickens

The dogs led us to a new patch of feathers on our walk this evening. I think the bird was taken down at the bottom of the hill, where there were so many more of the big black outer feathers, and then was finished off over here in the woods near the campsite, right next to this den:


Who lives in there? Fox? Coyote?






Suspicious (and very odoriferous of dead something) spoor

Carnage On The Hill!

We walked down the hill tonight at twilight. At the foot of our path, at the base of the hill, we spied a big black feather, and then another, and another, and handfuls of smaller feathers; and let our animals lead us to other patches of more and more feathers all around. It got to dark to see before we found a carcass, if there was a carcass left. It was a buzzard for sure...but what got it? Anything big enough to take down a buzzard can take down a little cat. I don't like this.