Monster Update - Monster, Meet Andy

Andy the scarecrow

The monster that's killing our guineas is still out there, hunting them at nighttime.  Randy has spent most nights in the past week sleeping outside, shotgun at the ready.  It only attacked once when Randy was out waiting for it, and that was the first night he was outside, and he wasn't ready.  But he's ready, now.

The monster enters the hunt area silently, attacks the guineas in the pine tree, they are chased out and fly blindly into the night.  Guineas can't see in the dark.  Sometimes the guineas land in another tree, sometimes they land on the ground.  Then the monster attacks them on the ground, over and over.  They fly all over the fields, but the guineas land on the ground.  The monster attacks them again and again, leaving guinea feathers in many spots in the fields.  Sometimes the guineas fly up to our front door.  The guineas put up a fight.  Finally the guineas are killed.  At the various attack and kill spots many feathers are ripped out, and many feathers are broken in half.  The monster is strong, bigger than a guinea.  Then the guinea body is taken away.  Gone to the monster lair to feed the baby monsters.  We have not yet found the monster lair, but are actively looking.

And now it has stopped attacking when Randy's out there hunting it, watching over the pine tree.  One night this past week Randy was exhausted and came in at 1AM to sleep in a normal bed, and the monster attacked and killed one of the guineas after he came in.  Since then no one else has died.  We are down to 3 guineas - 2 are a coral blue mated pair, and the white guinea male.  There isn't a flock anymore, they don't travel in a flock or hang out together.  The white boy is always separated from the pair, often the white boy disappears all day, just to return to sleep.  The mated pair are always off doing their married couple things - he makes her a nest every morning, she lays an egg, then they walk around together, he feeds her.  They are still living in guinea bliss, not paying attention to the fact that there's a monster hunting them at night.  Maybe they are making the most of their time together?  The white boy is miserable, when he is around he often spends his days afraid to leave the protection of the pine tree.  He screams all the time.  We are sure he survived an attack and now is scared to death.  Poor Boy.

Because the monster has excellent night vision, we made a scarecrow to put outside only at nighttime.  I named the scarecrow Andy.  Last night Randy let his brother Andy take his hunting duty, and Randy was able to sleep.  I went out and sat with Andy from 1AM to 2AM to assist if needed.  All the guineas lived through the night on Andy's first night guarding them. 

Andy

The 2 surviving coral blue guineas