It’s rare to find the intact carcass of a top predator. This is a red-tailed hawk, at least by my reckoning. I found it along a trail the horses use to get to our barn for their daily ration of free food.
How did this bird meet its demise? And why is its body relatively intact? I mean, it’s not as if our recent acquaintance, the vegan viper, bit it as it flew by since it has no interest in things that taste like chicken. Coyotes, raccoons, even ground squirrels will tear a carcass to shreds in a trice, but not this one.
So I launched a pseudo-scientific investigation and discovered much to my surprise that this magnificent bird was brought down by meteorites! The evidence was compelling. First, the bird was dead, which would be directly attributable to being bombarded by lots of high-velocity interstellar particles. Second, the bird’s body was totally desiccated (dried out), obviously the result of the intense heat of the meteorites’ interaction with the bird’s bodily fluids. Third, nothing, apparently, ate its remains, even though as mentioned before they would taste just like chicken. You may wonder why that would enter the equation. Ponder this fact: Wild animals are reluctant to do anything outside their normal behavior. Meteors are objects of wonder and mystery. Could they be harmful (other than their huge velocity) by causing disease or radioactive damage? Could they be infested with viruses or worms or other extraterrestrial/Internet terrors? Wild animals sense that something is just not right about finding a hawk on the ground, dead without an obvious cause of death like battle scars or disease.
Fourth, it’s meteorite season.
Apparently only flies found the carcass attractive, but flies are opportunists willing to sacrifice a few thousand of their offspring in order to take advantage of a windfall.
Evidence of meteorites around here is abundant. I posted three articles about them recently, but there’s more. The remaining grass on the hillsides seems to be disappearing. I know, there are six horses grazing the place this summer, and it’s a drought year, but they don’t eat the grass totally down to non-existence. It’s got to be meteorites pummeling the dry grass.
In the photo I have placed a 1786 ten-shilling note from Rhode Island for scale.
4 comments:
Tom dear, lie down and put a cold compress on your head. Since you don't appear to be bleeding, perhaps one of your illusions (meteorites) has entered your brain through your ear.
Don't worry. This affliction soon will pass. But perhaps you should start wearing earplugs while outside.
With loving concern, Pat.
Thanks for putting a ten shilling note next to a dead hawk. Now we know how big a ten shilling note is.
Pat—Thanks for the unnecessary concern.
Pete S.—Great comment!
That is bizarre! You've weirded everyone at the ranch out with your picture showing how big a ten-schilling note is when compared with a dead hawk.
Betsy says it's a beautiful picture, and she wants a print of it.
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