Plucking post

[2] Plucking posts are used by barn owls which hunt by flying low and slowly over an area of open ground, hovering over spots that conceal potential prey.

The sparrowhawk flies low over the ground, skimming hedges and fences, but staying close to cover so that it can rapidly pounce on its victims.

The post provides a firm surface for an effective grip by the bird's talons and sometimes crevices for helping with the mechanical separation of the prey.

Plucking posts, surrounded by feathers and fur, may indicate that a raptor nesting site is nearby and these may be mainly used during the breeding season.

[5] It has also been suggested that faeces marks and plucking may represent a widespread method for communicating current reproduction and territory to conspecifics.

Substantial plucking post
A relatively tall plucking post used here to dismember a toad and discard the spawn
A low tree stump plucking post, used to pluck bird prey at Spier's school in Ayrshire
A view of a typical woodland site of a plucking post
Pellets from a long-eared owl
A plucking post on a log in old woodland
A plucking post in Crow Wood, Irvine, Scotland