Anyone hazard a guess what these remains are from?

[werdnal]

Discovered this in our garden this afternoon. It was found in a sheltered corner, as if whatever caught it had taken in there to eat in peace. It wasn't there first thing this morning, but we were out for a few hours, and dicovered it on our return.





First thought was something had caught one of our pet pigeons, but examining the "grain" left behind, its grass/green wheat seed and all the same, not the pigeon mix we feed our birds.

There is part of an internal organ left (possibly the heart) which wasps were taking advantage of, a small shivelled piece of intestine which had dried up in the sun, and a small amount of dried blood.

We have a pair of nesting buzzards quite near us, but they never venture close to the house with their kills. Also hubby saw a kestrel yesterday, and sparrowhawk visits a couple times a week.

However, what we cannot understand is if this creature had been disembowelled enough to leave this evidence, why was there not a scrap of fur or any sign of feathers? We assume it may have been a bird, and the grain was the crop contents, but why no feathers?

Anyone like to take a stab on what it was? Sorry, not much to go on, but all thoughts appreciated, thanks

[rpentall8]

hi werdnal,

im no expert on remains myself but you would have thought that with the grains/wheat seeds you found with the remains that it could be of a woodpigeon possibly? thats been feeding in farmed land near you? but like you said, strange that no feathers are around etc

certainly interesting

RP

[werdnal]

Thanks for reply.

We considered a woody, but we don't have much in the way of arable crops here. Cornwall is more pasture, particularly where we are. I have thought since though, that we have a trio of pheasants nearby (2 hens and a cock), and our neighbour has been hand feeding them with his chicken/duck feed every morning.

I guess its possible it was one of them, but again, doesn't explain the lack of feathers? He's going to be upset if something has caught one!

[rpentall8]

Oh well you could probably rule out a woody near enough then. It may be the case that it is one of those pheasants then, i think he would be

Have you had any ideas as to what might have killed it? Fox?

RP

[werdnal]

Hope it wasn't a fox as only a few feet from our chicken run!!!

We do have foxes around, but I doubt a fox would have opened it up here so close to our house. I know the crop contents could have been re-gurgitated in the fear of the attack, but the fact that internal organs were left behind suggests something ate it there, rather than carrying it away whole like a fox would have. And again the "no feathers" is puzzling.

[rpentall8]

Bad news if it was a fox then!! Well its definately a mystery eh?! And the fact that there were no feathers is just puzzling...

[Dorts]

If there were no feathers around or nearby, I would suggest the grain has been regurgitated, and whatever left it is now feeling alot better!
Dorts.

[werdnal]

Originally Posted by Dorts

If there were no feathers around or nearby, I would suggest the grain has been regurgitated, and whatever left it is now feeling alot better!
Dorts.

But if you read my OP, it seems whatever left it also left part of its intestine, another internal organ and a quantity of blood!

[The Woodman]

It looks more like a wild strawberry to me, hence the three wasps on it, rather than a body part!

Cheap wheat - barley beards - would make me want to regurgitate!

[werdnal]

Was definately an organ of some sort - there were blue bottles or similar crawling over it at one point too. In fact it was the flies that drew my attention to it. They flew off when I bent over to take the photo!

Wasps apparently feed meat to their young, but don't eat it themselves, and we know we have a nest nearby as they have been stripping wood fibres from our shed! I guess they were taking this for young.