There are two literal vultures in our yard, partaking of a dead skunk. The skunk has been there, visually intact, for ten days as best as we can figure. We have been less-than-half-wondering why nothing had eaten it, but more-than-half-NOT-wondering why nothing had eaten it. More than that, we have been wondering why it still looked so intact: little feet stiffly out in front of it, little face turned upward as if to sniff the lovely spring air, fur all fluffy and normal, really very sweet, like a stuffed animal. Also wondering: what HAPPENED? Did it have a heart attack? Did it fall from a just-short-of-splatting height? Did someone tip it over like a cow, and it perished of shock? Did it freeze to death in a standing position, and then the wind blew it onto its side? Why is it absolutely intact, yet dead, in our yard?
Anyway, now the vultures are taking care of it. When I came home from grocery shopping they were there, and the air was absolutely RICH with skunk. Luckily the breeze was in our favor: driving past the vultures, the car immediately filled with richness; at the end of the driveway nearer the house, opening the door of the car with dread (after, I don’t mind telling you, a several-minutes’ pause to process the situation and prepare for the scents), I found the air blessedly fresh and clear. As I unloaded the groceries, two separate cars pulled over to gape at the vultures.
Paul suggested we should take a photo of the scene, to include in the real estate listing at whatever future time we sell the house. A little something to go viral. It’s happening near the foot of the driveway, so we could get a real Curb Appeal shot. Imagine it: a wide view, the end of the driveway with nice little homey mailbox, part of the grassy yard and part of the road, and The House, looking lovely if a little spare in early spring. And, not immediately apparent but, once seen, impossible to ignore: in the bottom left corner, the vultures eating the skunk.
The last line has killed me dead. Please do. And post here.
Agree! Iconic!
I love this post so much
You absolutely should take that picture!
Wow, cool! I mean, how weird, said in my totally normal, and not all geeked out voice. . My recent exciting find was a new-to-me kind of squirrel (red squirrel!) eating below my bird feeders. And, speaking of vultures, there were, like, 50 vultures that landed in the trees in my backyard last winter. It was something out of a creepy movie and also fascinating! I can’t help but get into back yard nature. Anyway I’ll stop now…
There has been a dead skunk in your yard for at least ten days? And you just… left it there? I can’t quite imagine living with a dead body that long.
We assumed nature would take care of it. And voila, nature did! Plus, NO WAY were we going near a skunk and possibly getting post-mortemly sprayed!
Rodenticide? Either the skunk got into it OR it ate a rodent that got into it.
I do like the picture idea. And hope it wasn’t rodenticide so the vultures can continue to do their thing. They’re amazing. Imagine the extent of the dead things littering the earth if there were no vultures. Or dung beetles. Dung beetles are SUPER IMPORTANT.
Love this post! I especially love how your last paragraph with the description of Paul’s suggestion and your embellishment of the idea shows how the two of you share the same kind of humor…
Omg. It is dead skunk season here too- the poor things wake up from hibernation, stretching and yawning, and wander groggily into the road. I keep my car on internal air.
Omg, I laughed out LOUD for the entire last paragraph, harder and harder as I read on, picturing the scene. Classic!!!
Probably got hit by a car, not bad enough to kill it right away, but bad enough to kill it.
Exactly what I was thinking!
Funnily enough, I was just wondering why I keep seeing skunks (both dead and alive) lately. While listening to the radio in the car the other day, I discovered, it is their mating season right about now.
It’s amazing what you can see happening in your own yard, if you pay attention. I once watched a bird (vulture? eagle? I don’t know but it was large) swoop down into my front yard, scoop up a GIANT snake and fly off.
Imagine if the Google Maps street view can happened to drive by filing your street just at that moment!!!
Have you thought about making it your holiday card picture this year?
Ooohhhh. And if not on the front, maybe the back? Can’t people also make personalized stamps these days? That might be fun too.
I love this idea! And line up the family on the stoop, looking cheerily oblivious to the skunk scene!
This is the perfect example of something that seems perfectly normal to some and then absolutely, incredibly bizarre to someone with a different background. My country has neither skunks nor vultures and this sounds like a cartoon to me! How delightful :)
Is post mortem skunking real?
As happens pretty regularly, I love this post and all the comments, and I am thinking about it days later.
You ABSOLUTELY need to take that photo. For posterity if nothing else.
I’m sitting here laughing.