C.S.I: Cramlington & The Brutality Of Nature

Victim: Carrion Crow / Corvus Corone

Scene Of Crime: Arcot Golf Course

Crime: Murder

Personal Account:

...Sometime in late February I stumbled upon something straight out of a horror movie, there were scattered body parts all over the place, piles of feathers strewn across the mossy woodland carpet and an uneasy silence resounding through the wood.

I had walked right upon a murder scene, a crime of nature if you will and at my feet lay the recently devoured corpse of a Carrion Crow / Corvus Corone. This was a fresh kill, the red meat still looking juicy and red raw. 

The Crow had been picked clean, all that remained were its legs and a fully feathered head, eyes n'all. Obviously these were the less tasty parts shall I say. Next to the bird lay two piles of feathers, one containing larger feathers such as the primaries and the other seemed to mostly consist of shorter downy feathers.

On a large branch to the left a pair of wings hung in the breeze. Did these belong to the same bird? Possibly.

Around the area were a scattering of Jay feathers, but no sign of a carcass were present and a large mossy branch had remnants of what appeared to be rodent fur, of which species I couldn't possibly say.

But who commited this crime?

Female Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Fox.....Something else entirely? Man?.....Perhaps shot and scavenged?

I am fully aware of the activity of all suspects on this patch and the woodland area that held the corpse seemed to be this offenders favoured area.

Photo Evidence: See below (Not for the squeamish) 

In all seriousness finding this Carrion Crow was a pretty amazing and eye opening experience, yes it's just a dead Crow but it's the whole thought process behind the act that intrigues me.
Nature can be brutal, actually no lets be honest, nature is very brutal but I suppose it has to be. It is after all survival of the fittest on this ruthless earth and this Crow just happened to play a part in the success of a predators survival in this ecosystem and its that concept that astounds me.
Whether its Nile Crocodiles predating Wildebeest or Lady birds devouring Aphids, the food chain is pretty darn incredible!

David
Nature North East / The Northern Owl Project