Quick pointless photo and tartan update

This is a bit of a mystery. What you're seeing are grouse feathers and body parts by my father's hedge. Ruffed Grouse, if anyone wants to google it. I thought I had a couple of shots Dad took a few years ago of a grouse hanging around his place (probably not the same grouse), but they must be on another flash drive.

Anyway, the mystery is what ate the grouse. They're not hugely common, in yards at least, and they're fairly big. It's possible that a very talented wandering house cat got it cornered in front of the hedge, of course, or that a neighbour's dog got lucky, but I wonder if maybe we don't have foxes hanging around. It's happened in the past, and the fact that I haven't noticed tracks doesn't mean much. These feathers were probably under the snow for a while.

Ah well. Food chains in action.

----------

I need to get back to work, bit I thought that one or two of you might be interested to know that Dad's Maple Leaf Tartan jacket will not, after all, be taken to pieces. I showed Wheat the photo yesterday and he was interested enough that I brought the jacket in with me today. Now I've been forbidden to destroy it because he wants it. To wear. For real.

Actually, if you saw it in person you'd know why. It's a nice, well-constructed jacket, and in the realm of tartans it's not at all gaudy. I have to admit that I wasn't all that keen to piece it out, so I've given it to him on the condition that he find me something tartan to wear by next Tartan Day.



This ought to be fun. In a good way.

In the meantime, today is Draw A Bird Day. Yes, really. We've been contributing on our work twitter feed, and it's kind of a blast to get other people involved. So draw a bird, post it somewhere, and give someone else a smile today. The hashtag is #DrawABirdDay if you want to look it up. Hey, you may even find mine...