2 dead rodents and baby snake hanging on my barbed wire fence- did a hawk do it?

[KYErik]

(see pics) I was checking my fence lines today and first noticed the baby snake hanging on the middle strand of barbed wire (impaled on a barb). Then, about 200 yards away (around 2 fence corners) I see a rodent impaled on a bush hogged cedar stub about 1 foot from the fence, about 75 yards from that I see another rodent impaled on a barb. The fences with the dead animals are oriented east/west and surround a hay field.

My best guess is that a hawk did this-- but being on the middle strand of the barbed wire (as one rodent and as the snake was), I would think that it might be hard for a hawk to safely land/hover and impale the victim.

No matter what type of predator it was, why go to the trouble of catching/killing prey and then not eat it? Bragging rights? Marking territory? Trying to attract a mate? I would think that a fox or coyote would enjoy these little "snacks" hanging here and there. They are all hanging at about 16 inches to 24 inches off the ground.

I live in a quiet area and there is really no chance that kids did this. There are no public roads beside this fence and I have never seen anyone walking out here. In fact, the rodents were on a cross fence that separates twp parts of a larger field.

 

[rmorey]

Maybe a sacrifice to the rodent gods?? :confused3:

 

[sixdogs]

That is one of the most unusual things I have ever seen.
Short of aliens, I'm at a loss.

 

[tractchores]

It almost seems like it would have to be a human, but maybe it could have been a hawk dropping its prey. I've seem them do that... Though on the other hand think of how much a mouse weighs, even if dropped from a height would it have been enough momentum to impale it like that on a stump? That seems like it would have had to have been pushed down, which would only be something a human could do. Very very strange, maybe put a game camera out?

 

[caps]

Sounds like something a Shrike (Its a bird) would do. Although they usually impale smaller things like grasshoppers and the like. You might want to look them up
on the net and see if they are in your area. As I recall there are only a couple different kinds in the US and are not found everywhere.

 

[KYErik]

Sounds like something a Shrike (Its a bird) would do. Although they usually impale smaller things like grasshoppers and the like. You might want to look them up
on the net and see if they are in your area. As I recall there are only a couple different kinds in the US and are not found everywhere.

Caps- thanks for that tip! Yes- it seems like the "great gray shrike" may venture this far south and does have the habit of impaling its prey on thorns/barbs.

 

[Western]

Scissor tail flycatcher will to that here (Texas) and I have been told that a roadrunner and mocking bird will as well,

 

[texasjohn]

Shrike. was my first thought. Sometimes many barbs around here sport an impaled grasshopper, never seen anything larger.

 

[KYErik]

Here's an interesting you tube I just found of a shrike catching a mouse and a few close ups of it after it was impaled on a thorn: a great grey shrike impaling a mouse - YouTube

We also have plenty of mocking birds around here.

 

[KubotainNH]

Here's an interesting you tube I just found of a shrike catching a mouse and a few close ups of it after it was impaled on a thorn: a great grey shrike impaling a mouse - YouTube

We also have plenty of mocking birds around here.

That's pretty wild. Here's another video" World's Weirdest - Cute Bird Impales Its Prey - YouTube

Maybe yours likes its food dried in the sun.