There has been a recurring mystery outside my apartment, by the ditch. I leave a water-bowl there for the outsider-cats – and any other animal – to use for refreshment. I have seen cats, raccoons, skunks and birds use it, often after they have their fill at the food-bowl on the floor of the ditch.
Lately, I have noticed a strange additive to the water in the mornings: pieces of chicken. This has happened several times, twice this week in succession. The first time the chicken was a piece about a cubic inch in size. It was cooked, either baked or roasted, I think. To be honest, it might not be chicken. It could be turkey or pheasant or snake (“tastes like chicken”) for all I know; but I think it is chicken. The second piece was smaller. Aside from this, I have noticed lumps of bread floating in the water on some mornings.
How this food comes to be there, I don’t know. Certainly, it is not there every day. I can’t see any cat bringing a piece of edible meat and, rather than eating it, dumping it in a water-bowl. Raccoons have a reputation of dunking food in water (‘washing’ it), which I think comes from a desire to soften food, rather than clean it. The argument against this is that I almost always know when a raccoon visits. They are noisy eaters and they will eat every kernel of cat-food in the food-bowl. On the instances in which they have deposited something in the water, much of the food remained unconsumed. Furthermore, the water is always dirty (I mean with actual dirt.) Again, I can’t see a raccoon leaving such a morsel as a chunk of chicken behind.
I think it may be birds carrying the food to the bowl and dropping it in when trying to drink, though why they would do so, I can’t imagine. And why they would not pick out the food again is also unknown. The greatest stretch for an answer is that a human is the cause. Yet again, however, the reason for such odd behaviour is elusive.
This mystery then, remains just that. The chicken I have tossed on to the lawn for less picky animals to find, and the bowl is washed, its contents re-charged. And I wait for the next installment of this enigma.
Huh. That is odd. Perhaps some of the creatures you're feeding want to leave a tip for their server?
ReplyDeleteIt would be fun to have a video camera set up there.
ReplyDeleteAs the song from "The King and I" goes - Is a puzzlement!
ReplyDeleteThat is very strange indeed!!
ReplyDeleteA trail camera might be of use....or ask the kitties what they see out the window. As if!! LOL!
That is strange. I am finding similar but with what I think is the most likely explanation. We have a water feature in our back garden and when the running water isn't turned on, the bigger birds like blackbirds etc. like to bathe in it. I have been finding small earthworms in it, not the big ones they have a tug o' war trying to pull out of the ground. I think they are taking the small worms back to the nest, stop for a drink and in doing so lose their worms in the water.
ReplyDeleteThe small birds and bees drink from the shallow bird bath in the front garden and I never find anything there.
Well there's certainly lots of possibilities about who is actually putting it in the water boat. But until you are one of your cats gets an actual sighting I guess we'll all be curious.
ReplyDeleteeye haz de anzwer…bass turd chickn…..ther ya haz it 🐟😺‼️😼😼
ReplyDeleteA puzzlement!
ReplyDeleteHi John, I have been reading your blog (hope it's not considered lurking) for many years. I usually read on my phone and cannot comment for whatever reason. I'm reading today on my laptop and low and behold, it looks like I can post! Regarding the floating chicken bits, I would hazard to say it is crows or ravens. I have definitely seen crows with something in their mouths, fly to my bird bath, drop it and move it around a bit. Usually they pick it up and fly off but sometimes not.
ReplyDeleteHow odd
ReplyDelete