Duck found dead / decapitated

[Nanettr]

We have / had 3 free ranging ducks. 2 Peking’s and one Khaki Campbell. I had to leave town because we had a death in the family but had someone coming by to feed the ducks. I saw on the nest video camera that they were fine Friday evening when they came for supper. I watched the video cam last night just to check on them and none came for breakfast Saturday when she came to feed. But I heard one (the khaki) quacking frantically in the background. I watched the rest of the day and none showed up other than the khaki who was obviously distraught. My friend went this morning when the sun came up and found one floating in the big pond behind the house. Something had decapitated that one and one leg had been chewed on according to her (that might have been the turtles) The other Peking has not been found. Any idea what could have done this? I live in Charleston SC

 

[cmom]

It could have been a number of predators. I have several cameras which help. Put up a camera in another spot and you might be able to see the predator because most likely it has been around and will be back. I have regular game cameras that are not WiFi so every morning I go out and check the birds and retrieve the memory cards from the cameras and put clean cards in the cameras. I don't have the cameras on during the day but turn them on when I collect the eggs in the evenings because here most of the predators roam at night. Most nights I see a predator on at least one of the cameras. Here is a relatively inexpensive camera under $35. It take good day and nighttime pictures. The only drawback is that it takes the tiny micro SD card. Good luck...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CGMQRWP/?tag=backy-20

 

[Nanettr]

It could have been a number of predators. I have several cameras which help. Put up a camera in another spot and you might be able to see the predator because most likely it has been around and will be back. I have regular game cameras that are not WiFi so every morning I go out and check the birds and retrieve the memory cards from the cameras and put clean cards in the cameras. I don't have the cameras on during the day but turn them on when I collect the eggs in the evenings because here most of the predators roam at night. Most nights I see a predator on at least one of the cameras. Here is a relatively inexpensive camera under $35. It take good day and nighttime pictures. The only drawback is that it takes the tiny micro SD card. Good luck...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CGMQRWP/?tag=backy-20

Thank you

 

[cmom]

This is one of my favorite pictures of a coyote taken recently. The light on the coyote is another camera.

 

[Nanettr]

This is one of my favorite pictures of a coyote taken recently. The light on the coyote is another camera.
View attachment 1966424

That’s a beautiful picture. Camera works well!

We live in a large subdivision so there are not a lot of predators I would think. The nest cam did however catch a call of an owl on Friday and Saturday. We have alligators in some of the ponds but none have been seen in our pond but I think an alligator would def not just decapitate . Does it sound like it could have been an owl? Could/would it have carried one away and left the other?

 

[cmom]

From my experience with owls, they never carried the bodies off. They have decapitated some birds. This is an owl that killed some of my birds. I didn't have any netting over this part of the pens at the time because we had added a couple of new coops.

 

[cmom]

I put a bird in a cage to find out what was killing the birds. My husband and a friend surprised me by making me a couple of new coops that were open on one side. Their hearts were in the right place but... This is how I discovered it was an owl.

I did put tarps over the open side. I have since put the netting over these pens and I put concrete under the gates because a fox dug under a gate and killed several birds. It would kill a bird and drag it out go back kill another bird and drag it out and did it several more times. I caught the fox.

 

[Nanettr]

These three ducks are / were completely free ranging. They were pets here when we bought the house in a subdivision outside of Charleston SC a year ago. When we had hurricanes, I did put them on the screened porch w tarps on the sides to protect them a little bit. They hated it. They were about 5 years old and had never been penned. Do you think it was an owl or could it have been something else? I am trying to find a safe home preferably on a farm for the khaki Campbell before he is killed too.

 

[Nanettr]

One was found decapitated in the pond and the other has not been found.

 

[hayley3]

I say raccoon, since you live in a subdivision and also they were probably killed at night at the pond, which is why you found one floating in the pond. Raccoons are adept in water at night. Not sure how good a duck's vision is at night.