Feather Pile?

[billski]

Awoke this morning to find a pile of feathers in the front yard. I mean like a two feet around and about an inch deep. Lots of down mixed into it.
What was it? We do have coyote and fox around the neighborhood, one of which I suspect was the predator, but I have no proof. Nobody heard any noises last night. It was definitely done at night.

What seems to weird is that it was just a pile of feathers, pretty much confined to that little circle. No drag marks or dug up soil. No carcass anywhere to be found and no body pieces either.

This is the second time in two years I've seen this. I probably should ask a hunter, I suppose.

Thoughts?

 

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

Raptor?

Was it under a tree? A lot of times hawks, eagles and falcons will sit on a branch and strip their prey of the feathers. I'm not an expert, but I suppose an owl might do this too, though they eat mostly rodents...

KDT

 

[Peakbagr]

Sounds like a turkey unless you have Canadian Geese nearby.
photos?

 

[billski]

Yes, it was under a tree.

I too, think it might be an owl.

And yes, we have Canada Geese, Wild Geese and Wild Turkey. The feathers are gone now, so I can't inspect how the feathers were removed. Another forum suggested if it was another board, it would

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Was it under a tree? A lot of times hawks, eagles and falcons will sit on a branch and strip their prey of the feathers. I'm not an expert, but I suppose an owl might do this too, though they eat mostly rodents...

KDT

I agree. Very likely a bird of prey.

Keith

 

[weatherman]

Yeah, I'm thinking predator from above since no sign of ground trauma or pieces of something left over. I think carnivorous mammals are messier, certainly heavier! First time my kids saw one of those (we had a lot of sharp shinned hawks) they said "somebody ate one of our birds all gone- I mean really all gone!"

 

[Fitz]

Pile

I was at our kitchen sink doing dishes one day and looking out the window. Suddenly, a morning dove was absolutely and thoroughly pummeled into the ground from above by a perigrine falcon. The falcon consumed the bird in less than a minute and left nothing but a pile of feathers.

 

[DougPaul]

I have seen a bunch of feathers on the snow surface (near Black Pond, WMNF). IIRC there may have been a few wing marks too.

I also witnessed and photographed a Cooper's Hawk attacking a bird in a suburban field in central NJ. http://mysite.verizon.net/dbpwebjunk/hawk-attack/index.html

Doug