Early Spring Outdoor Investigation Mystery

"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?" ~ Albert Einstein

It was a beautiful day in early spring. I was enjoying the emerging bright green leaves and blossoms.
I noticed some damage on my bird feeder. As I walked around the house, I found more damage! A
hummingbird feeder lay broken on the ground. All the liquid was gone. Another hummingbird feeder
still hung on its hook, across the yard. Two bales of straw were broken apart and thrown around the grass near the pear tree.

I recalled that the night before I had heard a rubbing and bumping noise outside. It sounded like something
was moving our recycling cans. But when I turned on the back light and looked out the window, nothing was there. Hmm?

Hone your observation and reasoning skills by carefully examining the scenes using the photos.
Offer a solution to the mystery about what happened in our yard last night.
Hint: When you click on a photo, a larger view will open. Use your Back button to return to this page.

Write your observations. Solve the mystery.
What do you believe has happened?

1.	2.
3.	4.
5. Fresh Scat	6. I noticed that two bales of straw were ripped open and strewn across the yard.
7. I saw these tracks crossing the newly dug potato patch.

Suggest a solution. What should I do?

Observation Skills Builders: The First Step in the Scientific Method > 40 activities.