It looked like a
fox had caught it. The
goose was obviously
dead, with feathers and unsightly holes torn in its
carcass. The fox had eaten its fill and stalked off before
they arrived.
My wife pulled up, parked the car and noticed the goose by the lake. It was sad, but a natural part of wildlife. She had seen the fox several times, and had to bring in binoculars and prove to her co-workers that it was not a weird cat. The fox had been trying to catch the wild geese on the frozen pond, but there was no cover. They flew off, honking their displeasure at the hungry scrappy fox.
At least the fox would be able to feed her kits. My wife kept going over to the window to see what was happening to the carcass. At ten o'clock she called me.
"You won't believe it, but there's two bald eagles here eating the goose I told you about," she said excitedly.
They were huge, with a five foot wingspan. They picked at the carcass, easily shredding the body with talons and sharp beaks. The other geese had flown off except for one lone goose, who sat in the water and honked over and over at the carnage.
They hung around, picking at the dead goose for four or so hours. When they had their fill, they flew to a grove of trees and picked on each other. The other birds, sitting in the surrounding trees, became bolder and flew in to see what was left. The magpies picked at the gristle and bones, and chattered at each other, almost like old women sitting around gossiping over tea. A few seagulls, seemingly out of place in the Rocky Mountains, bullied their way in to sneak a chaw. The magpies complained, but from a slight distance.
The eagles flew off, and there was almost nothing left behind except for a beak, bones and ruffled feathers. Two cats converged on the feathered convention and carted off the bones. All this time, the lone goose sat and honked forlornly on the lake.
It was only after my wife returned home that I reminded her that geese mate for life. The honking goose had seen his wife devoured. My wife made it home through the traffic and the dangers that night, and we sat together on the couch with my arm around her.