Skunkilicious 2-8

Today was warm, nearly 70 but there was a coolish breeze that would keep it from being balmy.  I had another wonderful Pilates session, I am getting stronger but am still challenged by this stubborn leg...oh yeah, patience, it has only been a short time.

While I was gone Larry had been tidying up the yard and doing some spraying.  He noticed a skunk smell and started keeping his eyes peeled for the smelly creature.  He soon spotted it and noticed that it appeared injured and near death.  After I got home and he told me about it we saw it start to come across the road which we didn't want...we were concerned it would get under the deck or in the culvert and die and then would get really smelly.  It wasn't long before we saw a buzzard swoop through for a look at the afternoon's menu.  The buzzard landed and sat with wings out and studied the situation and decided that dinner was still a little too lively.

A lot of people find the buzzard offensive but they provide a very necessary service, they eat the freshly dead and we welcomed that so we didn't have to smell decaying carcass.  We learn so much here in our wild kingdom just by watching what goes on.  The buzzard waited until death took the skunk, and boy howdy do you know when the skunk died...the smell sac in its tail releases that lovely smell.  So much for having the windows open on the house.  We ran inside and closed everything up quick!  The buzzard landed a few yards from the skunk body and slowly walked its way up watching for any signs of life.  When it was sure its meal was ready it started in.  We couldn't see too much because the skunk was down in a bit of a ditch, but it pulled and rolled the body around to get it where it wanted it.  They drag the carcass around but they never carry it off as a hawk or eagle would do.  After an hour another buzzard showed up and after a bit of a discussion the first buzzard flew off and the second had its meal.

I walked to the mail box and felt like I was walking in a cartoon with the buzzards hanging out on the branches and one scared me when I heard its wings as it settled above me on a telephone pole.  I wasn't afraid, but it startled me being that close.

Larry put our motion camera pointing on the skunk carcass so we can see what else comes along to help with the clean up.

We had a pretty sunset this evening.