What did this?

[Maidup]

This morning we found a half eaten wood pigeon on the lawn. We chucked it into the undergrowth and raked up the feathers. (Last weekend it was half eaten Rabbit so something's about)

We went on the mow the lawn and when we got back to the spot where we'd found the pigeon it was back in the same place. It was definatley half eaten so couldn't have walked there! This had happened between 11am and noon so it wasn't dawn or dusk.

In another area of the undergrowth there is some very freshly dug soil. This could have been dug by the animal that's enjoyed the pigeon or it could be Rabbits burrowing as we have plenty of those around. Ours is a rural garden of medium size, with lawn, trees and a long tall hawthorn hedge, under which is nettles and bramles. What do you think we have living in our garden?

Maidup

[Tracey.A]

Did you notice if the back of the neck on the Rabbit was chewed, because this is how a Stoat would kill a Rabbit and they will also kill birds as well. They do use burrows as well as dens in hollow trees and rock crevices. Other possibility could be a bird of prey.

Tracey

[Dogghound]

Your pigeon could of been killed by a bird of prey, or a mammal the list of culprits is long, cat, Fox, Stoat, Weasel, Mink, or birds sparrowhawk, falcon.. what was the body like? can you get a photo of the kill was it chewed or plucked? Also what was the Rabbit like? what killed the pigeon may not have been what dragged it onto the lawn. Also i would advise you dispose of the pigeon in a better manner than throwing it into the undergrowth if its in your garden decaying birds can spread disease not to mention the smell.

[mh68]

Bird kills by mammals such as Foxes tend to show broken/chewed ends to the removed feathers. Birds of prey tend to pluck the feathers without damaging the ends, only bending the quills where theyve ripped them out.

Mark H

[Maidup]

Thank you for your replies. When I say the bird was half eaten, there really wasn't much left of it. There was no head and no innards, just a carcass and the tail feathers. So it was hard to see any initial bite marks. Same for the Rabbit last week; bum and tail and not much else of it

I suppose a Fox most likely killed and ate it, but I'm not convinced as there is all this loose earth in the undergrowth which indicates a new burrow of some description. I don't know why I don't think its a Fox, I just wish I could spot it or a sign of what it is.

Rest assured the rest of the carcass was eaten by morning so there are no
nasty bits left lurking. Beyond the hedge are fields, and miles of farmland and marshes, so nothing goes uneaten for long.

[mh68]

Originally Posted by Maidup

Thank you for your replies. When I say the bird was half eaten, there really wasn't much left of it. There was no head and no innards, just a carcass and the tail feathers. So it was hard to see any initial bite marks. Same for the Rabbit last week; bum and tail and not much else of it

I suppose a Fox most likely killed and ate it, but I'm not convinced as there is all this loose earth in the undergrowth which indicates a new burrow of some description. I don't know why I don't think its a Fox, I just wish I could spot it or a sign of what it is.

Rest assured the rest of the carcass was eaten by morning so there are no
nasty bits left lurking. Beyond the hedge are fields, and miles of farmland and marshes, so nothing goes uneaten for long.

When you found the Rabbit remains, were there many(or any) tufts of fur nearby at all?

Mark H

[Dogghound]

Interesting, the digging suggests a Fox, was any of the body buried? head etc?

[Maidup]

[quote=mh68;306054]When you found the Rabbit remains, were there many(or any) tufts of fur nearby at all?

Hi Mark

I didn't see any tufts. The remains I found were on a slab near our compost bin. I'm guessing it was taken there as a quiet but flat place to eat , as there was no evidence of a kill on that spot.

It was a quite clean and just a Rabbit backside, cotton tail and carcass left behind.

[Maidup]

I haven't found anything buried. But I haven't touched the loose earth and or dug around. The area is a bit too over grown to bury anything in the soil , its all nettles, ivy and brambles - I call it the wild garden!

The kill must have been close to the loose earth as there was a pile of feathers about a metre away from it onto the lawn. The carcass I found was there too.

[mh68]

[quote=Maidup;306209]

Originally Posted by mh68

When you found the Rabbit remains, were there many(or any) tufts of fur nearby at all?

Hi Mark

I didn't see any tufts. The remains I found were on a slab near our compost bin. I'm guessing it was taken there as a quiet but flat place to eat , as there was no evidence of a kill on that spot.

It was a quite clean and just a Rabbit backside, cotton tail and carcass left behind.

Right. The reason I asked was the if there had been a lot of fur tufts around the spot it probably signified a bird of prey kill - most likely a Buzzard. Theres usually not much left of a Rabbit once theyve finished
The lack of fur rules that out though..
Was the digging there prior to finding the carcasses? If not it`s possible a Fox has cached the bodies to feed on at a later date, and dug them up to eat them, found a quiet spot in the garden and has its lunch You wouldnt have noticed any signs of digging where the Fox had buried its meal/meals initially, theyre experts at concealing their food caches...
To what extent was the digging you found? just a hole, or did it look like some sort of burrow being dug out? Was the area of digging of similar size to the prey remains you found?
Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get a better picture of what youve found

Mark H

[Maidup]

I discovered the digging at the same time as the carcass so not sure which came first to be honest. But there is definatley a hole/burrow in the depths of the undergrowth and a whole load of fresh soil. More I think than a Fox recovering his food. More of a burrow dig.

Going by the amount of soil, it must be a reasonable size animal. ie not a small rodent, but at least a Rabbit or bigger. Could be the Rabbit digging, attracted a Fox, got eaten, Fox hung around and got a woodpigeon.

[mh68]

Originally Posted by Maidup

I discovered the digging at the same time as the carcass so not sure which came first to be honest. But there is definatley a hole/burrow in the depths of the undergrowth and a whole load of fresh soil. More I think than a Fox recovering his food. More of a burrow dig.

Going by the amount of soil, it must be a reasonable size animal. ie not a small rodent, but at least a Rabbit or bigger. Could be the Rabbit digging, attracted a Fox, got eaten, Fox hung around and got a woodpigeon.

If you can get a better look at the hole and give us an idea of its size, it may help.The digging and carcasses may not be linked, but if the hole is of an adequate size its possible a Fox may have taken up residence.That may explain the apparent activity right in the middle of the day.A pic of the hole/burrow would be even better if you could get one...

Mark H

[witham]

could it be a Badger they don't just eat bugs, worms etc as most people think, they will take carcasses even small dead lambs

[nightshade]

My previous cats used to bring home allsorts of animal corpses, none a fresh (i.e. their own kill) just scavanging for "toys"

[Maidup]

This is a picture of the loose earth. It goes way into the undergrowth and although the hole is not visible either on this picture or to the naked eye, there is one.