The Deer Carcass

This afternoon we had a visit from the DNR Conservation Warden for Pepin County - Bill Wrasse.  A couple of weeks ago, Mrs. Sweeney had asked him if he could get us a deer carcass, so we could watch winter scavengers.  

He brought us a deer carcass that had been skinned and gutted.  A deer by the road would have been too heavy to move.

Luis, Jesse and Mrs. Sweeney tied the deer carcass to the antique merry-go-round outside our back door - near our bird feeding station.  We watched to see who would be our first visitor.

We were surprised.  It was a tiny Black-capped Chickadee.

How tiny?  Half an ounce.  If you could fit two of them in an envelope, all you'd need to mail them is a first class stamp (1 ounce = 44¢).  

These tiny birds have to eat the equivalent of 250 sunflower seeds in a day to keep them alive through the night! 

Over the past couple of weeks, we've seen several different birds at our feeding station:  Dark-eyed Juncos, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Tree Sparrows and Northern Cardinals. 

We also watched our neighbor's beagle pup bark and try to jump his way up to the carcass.  Too bad for him - his legs were too short.

Then over the weekend, one of the four deer legs disappeared.  Who dunnit?

A coyote?  A crow?  An eagle?  the Beagle pup?