Mystery #1
This morning The Writer was working in the backyard, installing a new motion light on the back of the house
with his canine assistant, Bob …
when out of the sky, or possibly the 70-foot pine tree over their heads, fell THIS!
a dead, partially eaten fish! A good 8 inches long if it still had the head attached, possibly a whiting, definitely from Winyah Bay. Two feet west and it would have landed on The Writer’s head.
We live a half block off the bay, so was it the breakfast of an osprey or eagle? We see both regularly in our air space.
So Bob, taking advantage of the Writer’s amazement and confusion over a fish arriving by air, quickly had a good roll in the stinky thing before anyone knew what was happening. This required an immediate deep interment (fish) and an emergency bath (Bob).
On to …
Mystery #2
Moving our wonderment to the front yard, behold!
This same afternoon, discovery of a fresh scene of mayhem and murder in the lawn.
Too large to be chicken feathers. What was it, pre-disassembly? And, Whodunnit?
It looks like a burial plan was interrupted and the bird, which left a path of feather across the yard, taken elsewhere for consumption.
Update: The neighborhood consensus is that Mystery #2 had nothing to do with the fattest and largest possum I’ve ever seen waddling across our yard early this morning (she is innocent of murder and we learned, incidentally, only so fat because a neighbor’s daughter is feeding her cat food). No, the culprit is a fox , and the victim one of a neighbor’s ducks.
So Bob had a good roll! I hear all kind of animals and reptiles can be dropped by birds...a fish wouldn't be so bad. You had an interesting day!
ReplyDeletethat would be quite a jolt to have some stinky old fish fall out of a tree. Yes the poor ospreys and eagle have to eat their food some place. For that matte so the fox needs a place to eat.
ReplyDeleteOh dear me, not good if the dog has been just bathed and they roll in it but dogs just do that.
ReplyDeleteYou need Miss Marple or do you live in Midsummer perhaps? Being hit on the head by that fish would have been no fun at all.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of it raining "cats and dogs" but that's in another league.
ReplyDeleteI can see that you live in a neighbourhood beset by incidences of extreme violence, Cynthia. Better be care as you meander beneath the trees, a haddock on your head would hurt!
ReplyDeleteYou live in a dangerous place for fish and fowl. Maybe dogs and humans too with large fish falling from trees. This is my first time visiting here, I think. I will definitely be back to see what else may be happening in your backyard.
ReplyDeleteTwo in one day? Nature comes calling very close by. I think you solved both mysteries.
ReplyDeleteWhat a story! That fish falling from the sky (or tall pine) is the strangest thing. So glad it missed The Writer. We found feathers last week too and one of our three Guineas missing. Dan found the missing Guinea later in the day. It was half eaten. Poor thing. We don't know what killed it but a fox and a possum has shown up on Dan's game camera.
ReplyDeleteIt is good no one was hit on the head by the fish, imagine explaining the injury in the ER.
ReplyDelete