Owl Pellets

Just back from a soggy morning volunteering at Rainham Marshes open Day. Total lack of punters due to about six other local events on and, well, general sogginess. However I was lucky enough to be in the children's marquee so had a great time trying out all the children's stuff for myself! Spent a whole hour dissecting an owl pellet and trying to identify all the little bones and skulls and bits. You soak the pellet in water and then tweeze it apart. Most of the bits were disconnected but one lump was basically 2 whole voles squashed together and kind of rolled up like a swiss roll. As you unrolled it the whole animal was there and all the bones in place, a mini rib cage, a spine, little tiny finger bones. Totally fascinating, small mammal CSI. Just one pellet had six assorted small mammals in it and apparently an owl sicks up 2 or 3 a day, that's at least like 12 voles a day, 4000 a year ....if owls die out we'll be knee deep in voles.
Actually what fascinated me most was how familiar all these little bones were. I looked at a tiny thigh bone, there was no doubt what it was - it looked basically like a human thigh bone or like the giant dinosaur ones in the NHM. Under the skin (and fur and scales) we're pretty well all built to the same pattern. But the wonder of all these tiny bones, this myriad tiny life going on all around. The owl pellets filled me with the wonder and complexity of God's creation all over again. Praise him.