Kiddo, Kiddo’s friend and I went to buy the new computer she’s been saving for. When we came home we found quite a lot of feathers in the living room. I sighed cause it’s not unusual for the cats to bring their prey home and leave whatever they don’t eat for me to clean up. Turned out I was wrong.

We found the bird in Kiddo’s room. And it wasn’t the small bird I’d expected. It was a Woodcock. That sucker is quite large. Kiddo compared it to an ostrich. I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s a much larger bird than I’d like having for a visit at home. It’s 33–38 centimeters long (13–15 inches) That includes the 6–8 centimeters long bill (2.4–3.1 inches). I was a wee bit scared that it would try pecking us if we got too close, but it was quite cooperative and basically walked out the door with just a little bit of guidance.

Now when I think of it I can’t stop laughing. Kiddo was pissed a bit longer. Probably because we found more bird poop in her and just one spot in mine and Hubby’s bedroom. It’s quite a nice story to tell though. In the middle of the drama I grabbed Kiddo’s camera and tried to get a pic of it, but it was too dark. I found a nice photo on Flickr though and for size comparison one where the bird is held by a human hand. (It’s dead but it’s not a gory picture.)

I friend who’s a hunter helped me id what kind of bird it is and then added that it tastes good. Too bad we had already decided on meatballs for dinner.