What killed Jessie the Wood Duck, please help, graphic pics

[luvarabhorses]

We are heartbroken as is Woody the lone male wood duck

Here are some pics of the remains and the area, it is about 25 feet up the bank. Normally they slept in the pond, but we don't know for sure if it was 100% of the time. Want to catch the predator, but was it an owl or hawk? Most likely happened last night or early this morning . As of 10 am, blood looked pretty fresh. Note that just the head was left (and some feathers), no feather trail. The remains were further up the bank than they would have normally travelled.

Also, they share the pond with 3 dopey Muscoveys and a goose, who lay around everywhere, including parking themselves in the road.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I think a hawk or owl would have left more remains.
I'd suspect a canine or a raccoon

 

[cw]

Quote:
i second that
no tracks?

 

[kman]

i would say coon you say they normal sleep on the water so i would not think a dog, or bird of prey did it. do you live near a river or creek that has been know to have otters, they will also eat ducks or just about anything they see that looks like food

 

[gsim]

Indicates it was chased from the waters edge or water itself, AWAY from the water. Coons travel shorelines. But coons are also notorious head-eaters. Otter?

 

[kawonu]

A little over a week ago I had 3 call ducks killed by an owl. The only thing left over by the first 2 was the heads and some feathers. I thought a coon had gotten in my pens but on the last one I seen the owl in progress.

 

[Kennyog]

Owl.Coon wouldn't leave the head.

 

[luvarabhorses]

Thank you very much for your help.

Now I guess poor Woody is in danger also.

A canine makes a lot of sense but I have not seen one anywhere near our pond.

Kawonu, was it a great horned owl? I was thinking it would have to be a big owl to eat the whole thing like that. Did it carry it off somewhere?

Does anyone know if an otter would be brazen enough to travel 1000 yds, past 3 dogs in a pen, and into a smallish pond not far from my house? I don't know anything about them but they seem to avoid people, activity, based on the one I saw.



Thinking about it, I would say the chance of an otter is near zero. People here in the Ozarks kill them all the time and I've only seen one in the river (about 1000 yards from the pond) since I moved here.

thanks again, I really appreciate you all taking your time to help me with this!!!!

 

[kawonu]

Yes it was a great horned owl. It torn threw the bird netting we have over our dog kennels where we have the non-breeder call ducks. It was sitting there on the ground inside just happy as can be eating away one of my black bibbed call hens.