20150208 Eastern Cottontail Kill Site
Eastern Cottontail kill site showing discarded internal organs and hair. Tracks in the snow show the characteristic K-shape of an Owl's track. The species of Owl responsible for this kill is difficult to determine due to insufficient field data on Owl tracks. The likely Owl candidates that could kill an Eastern Cottontail in this area include Great-Horned Owl and Barred Owl with an outside chance of Snowy Owl. If I had to guess one species it would be the Great Horned Owl. Note that the last photo showing a leg was staged. While shovelling snow I discovered the leg, hair and blood several inches down. This solved a mystery at the kill site: there were no Rabbit tracks. What happened is the kill took place earlier in the night during a snowstorm. The snow continued to fall and obscured most of the evidence. What remained on the surface and captured in these photos is the final roosting spot for the Owl as it removed the internal organs. Luckily the tracks were briefly preserved until snow fell again through the next day.
(Photographed February 8, 2015 on private property, Emily Township, City of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Canada)
Read More(Photographed February 8, 2015 on private property, Emily Township, City of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Canada)