Astonishing (but Natural) Disappearance

Early one morning last week, I came out of the house to get the morning newspaper and immediately smelled a skunk. Skunks are often roadkill victims or prey for Great Horned Owls in my neighborhood, so I didn't give the odor much thought. On my way to the curb, I saw the source of the odor, lying dead alongside the driveway and--just out of the corner of my eye--a Great Horned Owl swooping off into the woods next door.

Then, about a half hour later, on my way out the door en route to work, I noticed that the skunk (and odor) had disappeared. Had I dreamt or imagined the whole thing? (Key some X-Factor theme music...)

About three days later, I was working in a brushy part of the yard and came across the tableau pictured in the image above. The skunk carcass had reappeared, this time accompanied by a huge owl pellet full of skunk hair. Mystery solved.