To be creeped out by being dead-birded

[WhyBirds]

I think someone is, on purpose, putting dead birds on our front step or right next to it. That's weird, right...? Why the fuck would anyone be doing that? Or is just a coincident, and I'm paranoid?

I've found a dead white pigeon/dove a another bird of indefinite species there before, but have put it down to animals (the birds have clearly not just dropped dead on the spot, although no sign of cat attack, or feathers on the ground, either). I've just bagged and binned them and not thought anything of it.

Today I'm wondering... We went out for less than an hour, and there was no bird when we left. Came back to an extremely dead crow right in the middle of the short garden path, near our door, looking like it's been placed there. Clearly been dead for a good while, and someone or something has moved it there while we were gone. WTF?

Do animals do this kind of stuff? It would seem weird to me, as it's always on the same place. We don't have a cat we can blame, either.

I really kind of hope I'm being paranoid. We don't have any issues with anyone in the neighbourhood, as far as I know! Everyone is perfectly nice, and most won't even know I'm immigrant, if they're the type to care about stuff like that... We're not local, but have been living here for years without any issues.

Could be a fox in theory. I've not really inspected the poo that close! There's a few bushes and our bins at the side of the front garden, so anything's possible. I've not seen or heard foxes around here, though, whereas there's definitely several cats in the neighbourhood.

Ring doorbell? Handy and informative

Sorry OP this could be my cat if you live near me, he brings us his fresh kills (or live creatures, a few weeks ago he brought a huge toad into the kitchen) but he does also leave presents of older carcasses with our neighbour whose garden he views as an extension of his own 🙈. Luckily she's fine about it, she's elderly and we think she gives him treats, we've said whenever he does it let us know and we (DH) will go and clear it up.

At my last house we had two neighbouring cats that used to leave us offerings. We came home to three decapitated pigeons in a pile one day. They were very generous

Decapitated baby rabbit amongst the 'presents' from our neighbourhood cat.

I have never seen a cat carry around long dead animals and leave them in a stranger's drive. I know some cats occasionally bring home objects other than animals they have just killed (ours have never done this), but that is a cat bringing a present home, which is a bit different- an instinct to feed or teach the family...

Thanks all. Very relieved to learn this about cats! Mr Fluffy looks like he's very well fed and healthy. Maybe he's leaving us gifts as payment for having adopted our back garden into his territory (he's only appeared after next door no longer have a cat). I won't worry about the birds then, unless I actually catch a human doing it, or they become super frequent!

Probably not what is happening, but my friend kept finding dead birds on her path with chalk symbols. Sadly it was her neighbour who had mh problems who was convinced her and her DD were witches.(he told her husband she was casting spells on the village)

This happened to a friend of my sister, she used to go our all the time before she had her DD, she was a single parent and all but stopped going out whilst she had pnd until her DD was about six months.
She put up a camera and found a cat leaving stuff on her lawn for her. Happened several times

We assume it was because she had to pass the cat most days when she was working and as it became infrequent after she’d had Dd the cat thought she needed some help.

V odd though

Fox poo can be any colour, same as cats, dogs and humans, it depends what they have eaten, it does smell really bad though, whatever colour it is and they tend to leave it in roughly the same place or nearby. Have never known a fox leave an entire bird though, but have found a pigeon head and feet in undergrowth.

Our neighbour's cat will bring me gifts, usually alive, and then proceed to eat them by my back door or in my kitchen if he gets the chance. Returned home once to find a long dead robin on the patio but only once.

My first thought was that someone has watched the storyline in Doctors where Zara is intimidated as a witness of a killing and dead birds are left for her to find, could it be children playing a game with you? Someone messing with a BB gun or similar? It is odd if it is only birds.

A wildlife camera can be bought for around £50, sometimes less. I have recently bought one to keep an eye on the front of the house.

Almost certainly a cat bringing you ‘presents’ to try to ingratiate itself. We once endured 3 ‘visits’ from an increasingly dead mole before I could bring myself to put it in a plastic bag in the bin.
The first time I got it on a shovel and threw it as far as I could over the back fields.
The second time, minutes later, I buried it in the garden having put the cat inside.
The third time, after a couple of hours it turned up, looking decidedly bedraggled, on the back doorstep I put rubber gloves on and swept it into an open bin bag and put it in the dust bin.

Absolutely certain it’s a cat! Although I will note birds of prey or scavenging birds could be dropping long dead kills. But my money is on it being mr fluffy.

I agree with pps I think this is most likely a cat. Not necessarily a present, the cat might just think your doorstep/path is a good place to eat his finds at a later point. Our current cats were big hunters and brought their prey inside sometimes (alive or dead) but as often left it in our porch. Most I think they caught themselves but some looked like roadkill. Our old cat was a scavenger rather than a hunter and once brought home a large joint of lamb.

Definitely cat. They bring all kinds of stuff. Be happy, it's not gutting the victims directly on your doorstep.
Maybe she really likes you. They are smart. One of ours brought in (yes, inside...) a chewed up mouse. My father tried to take it away but she wouldn't let go. So he basically exchanged it with her for a piece of ham. Soon after she brought another one and wouldn't let go until he offered her ham 😂

I have recently found few dead rats left for me in a back garden by local cats. I guess when they are done with it, they just leave it wherever.