Seward,
Alaska
How
would you like to find a large headless bird plopped in your driveway in a pool
of fresh, red blood with scattered blood splatters leading to it? This was not a
Halloween trick and my friend was mystified.
We
inspected the evidence, a large plump body with short wings and strong feet
reminiscent of a chicken’s, with feathers. The black and white breast feathers
looked like an artist painstakingly painted each one; the dark tail was tipped
with a complementary chestnut brown. This was a bird of the dim and shadowy
forest, perfectly camouflaged for sitting on a spruce branch. All in all, a
remarkably lovely bird despite the gruesome circumstances and pencil-sized hole
under one wing.
Even
without the head, I recognized the species and gender. Do you? Answer revealed
at the end!
Noting
that this forest bird was not a strong flier nor a migratory species, one way
it ended up splat on her driveway could be that a raptor of some sort grabbed
it in the nearby forested mountain slopes, its sharp talons piercing the body.
After ripping off the head (ew!) the predator must have been disturbed, perhaps
by another hungry bird, and flew off with the prize. Perhaps there was an
aerial altercation and the hapless, headless bird was dropped just before the
two antagonists hit her house.
Before
they could compose themselves and grab the tasty meal, here comes the homeowner
in her car, about to receive a shocking surprise.
While
I know the prey, I don’t know the predator. I wonder if perhaps a NORTHERN
GOSHAWK is in the ‘hood. They would be more likely to hunt down this forest
bird than the often seen BALD EAGLES. I have not seen any goshawks, but am now
on the alert, as it is very possible.
So,
the answer to the riddle: it is a male SPRUCE GROUSE.
Happy
Birding!
Carol
Griswold
Seward
Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
