Fresh kill - bird or mammal? - London UK (1 Viewer)

DO NOT CLICK ON THE THUMBNAIL IF YOU'RE SQUEAMISH !!!

Just found this in the garden - there's a lot of Feral Cats around, and 4+ Squirrels recently left their drey (in my shed roof) to explore my trees. I heard the Squirrels squeaky alarm (which is usually for a Cat or Fox) and noticed the Pigeons were on the roof instead on in the garden.

The head is gone, and I've not moved the Pigeon. The pose is one I see often if a female Sparrowhawk is pinning down a Pigeon, but the missing head without any sign of a struggle (no loose feathers) makes me think Cat. OTOH, the spot close to a fence and between trees is good for a BOP

Thoughts please?

(I've a close-up of the wound, but I won't upload unless absolutely necessary)

Raptors do this, I've heard that it's to get at the nutritious brain material, I wonder if it was disturbed before eating more?


A

andyadcock said:

Raptors do this, I've heard that it's to get at the nutritious brain material, I wonder if it was disturbed before eating more?


A

Click to expand...

I see many Sparrowhawk attacks and watch (and photograph) them feeding - the pose is consistent, the head missing I see often with Starlings as the prey - the position of the bird is good for it being pinned. But... there's no feathers near the bird, and the Pigeons were on the roof instead of keeping away.

I only just fed the Pigeons minutes before checking what the Squirrels had seen, so it's all happened very quickly... and quietly. So, as I said, I'm not sure about this.

BTW, if it was a Sparrowhawk, she'll be back before dark or early in the morning - unless a Cat takes the carcass first.

OK, we'll never know for sure, but it's now odds-on it was a Cat.

The carcass was gone within 10 minutes, and the blood trail is up and over the fence - and the Pigeons and smaller birds was back feeding straight after it was taken away. So...

IME, a Sparrowhawk wouldn't have left the kill and stayed nearby - they either carry the prey off or return hours later. If the Pigeon was too heavy to carry off when she was spooked, then it was too heavy to carry off minutes later... and there's still no feathers. Also, the birds would have kept away from the garden for much longer if a Sparrowhawk was recently in the garden. Cats, OTOH, are smart - it would have stayed nearby watching me and waited until I went indoors to return and carry off the carcass.

A week ago, I heard a commotion from the garden Blackbirds, and thinking a moggie was in the garden, went outside and down the path to by the pond. A sprawk took off from the ground behind a conifer, dropping a juv Collared Dove in the pond as it went. I fished it out, and it looked very much like your woodie - just the head was gone, very few feathers disturbed. I left it beside the pond, and later that day had a look, and just some feathers and feet were left - pleased it had returned.

Mary said:

A week ago, I heard a commotion from the garden Blackbirds, and thinking a moggie was in the garden, went outside and down the path to by the pond. A sprawk took off from the ground behind a conifer, dropping a juv Collared Dove in the pond as it went. I fished it out, and it looked very much like your woodie - just the head was gone, very few feathers disturbed. I left it beside the pond, and later that day had a look, and just some feathers and feet were left - pleased it had returned.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I see quite a few dropped by immature birds - the adults have usually learned what to try to fly off with, although I've heard a big female can fly with a Wood Pigeon in her talons... but I'd need to see it to believe it

Occasionally a male will leave a Starling if spooked, but it's mostly the Collys and Pigeons that are left and returned for later. And for others reading this: IME, if you leave the carcass close to where it was, the Sparrowhawk will nearly always return for it in a few hours (depending on whether whatever spooked it has stopped/gone)

Whatever killed this Pigeon, a Cat got the carcass, which will just encourage the Cats to visit more often.

Mary said:

I fished it out, and it looked very much like your woodie - just the head was gone, very few feathers disturbed. I left it beside the pond, and later that day had a look, and just some feathers and feet were left - pleased it had returned.

Click to expand...

Just wanted to point out that the picture in the OP is a Feral Pigeon, not a Wood Pigeon (the characteristic wing pattern is still intact).