After replacing my laptop mouse Wednesday, and announcing it on DU this morning, I went

[bucolic_frolic]

for a walk in the woods and found this dead mouse, up a tree around noon today. Looks like he got his head caught between 2 branches and froze to death.

The concidence of a mouse, and a mouse, both on the same day has me a little spooked. If you can explain such coincidences it would be appreciated.

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. Synchronicity.

It happens.

[Lunabell]

2. I think that's a rat.

Looks too big to be a mouse.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. That branch is about 1" diameter, cedar tree

sure looked like a mouse to me, coloring of a field mouse. I'll take another look tomorrow.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. He may be bloated, I don't know how long he's been there

[magicarpet]

3. Yes,... Mother Nature keeping the accounting books balanced,...

Give a mouse (credit)... take a mouse (debit).

[CaptainTruth]

6. That's like when I put new tires on my car, and afterward...

...I was tired.

[bucolic_frolic]

7. Yes that is true

[2naSalit]

8. Perhaps some scavenger will come along...

and make use of the poor thing.

[bucolic_frolic]

9. Yes, that's what happened, he's gone this morning

and looking at the size and photos, I think one of the earlier replies was correct, a young tree rat not a mouse.

I'm on a roll. What's next? On to something bigger? Tomorrow is the demise of the Very Big Rat?

[2naSalit]

10. Well...

You just never know until it happens.

[FSogol]

11. Have you ever heard of a bird called a shrike?

The tiny vicious killer of the bird world: Shrike impales its victims on a SPIKE. Don't be fooled by its adorable appearance – a tiny bird called the shrike is known to be a ruthless killer. The small bird preys on mice, lizards, and other birds, and it impales its catch on the nearest spike before tearing into it.

I saw them at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Its a research center for endangered species in Front Royal.
They spike up prey and save them for later. They had a spike tree on display full of their bird's future meals.

[bucolic_frolic]

12. I could readily entertain the idea that I've seen them around here, or something very similar

Because we get everything.