Out briefly yesterday afternoon but wind and rain had put paid to any decent birding. Walking along the bumpy road I found evidence of a earlier killing and being so white was in fear that something had got a Barn Owl, a species I haven't seen on the patch since February 2010. Closer inspection indicated the feathers were mainly breast and down being fine mottled grey gaining brown and amber bands as they got larger.
These continued down the edge of the road for some fifty yards getting bigger as they went before ending next to a hole on the fence line.
Ah Monsieur le little grey cells must spring into action. The victim was clearly taken unawares and shaken to near death but carried or dragged along the road edge before the whole corpse was taken off for Christmas lunch hence the lack of flight feathers on the roadside. The pale mottled down merging into brown may suggest Partridge being a festive favourite but I suspect the killer was struggling with something larger and a Pheasant is more likely. The murderer, he must be Reynard the fox who has left his mark at the site of the kill and may have taken the victim as an offering to his lady who he will currently be courting.
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