This is Weird, let's get that straight! It's baffled me, and I have a lifetimes experience.

I live in a tin over old thatched cottage. No access to the roof space.

I had a pine marten living up there, for years. Couple of months ago, I blocked her out.

Yesterday, a small bird got into a obsolete (barn) rats hole in the bottom of my back room door frame. (Don't ask! ) Said bird shortly got out. Then went back in! Obviously, I just opened the doors on either side of the room and closed them, an hour or so later. Fair to imagine the bird had sneaked out and flown away.

Today, I went into the back room and was hit by that Wall of stench we all know so well! Something rotten as heck! But, in a room I go in, many, many times, every day?! It's my work room. I was in there most of yesterday. Nuffn!

I dunno, guys. I'm completely at a loss here. Sparrow sized bird simply cannot die, decompose, and chuck out That level of stink. Not in twelve hours in an unheated home.

I let my Dogs in there. Every one of them is indicating it's up above. None looked at the rats hole.

Here's some crazy conjecture: What if the pine marten has another way into that roof? What if the presence of the bird drew her attention? Would she, possibly, then take it out on some randomly long dead rat, opening it and letting the gasses out? (Lawd! It's permeated my lips and my beard! Getting it as I type!)

Kicker is though; I keep a pet small bird in another room. The room directly below where she nested. She's been in that room. Never went after my bird.

I'm baffled. Anyone like to take a stab, please? What am I missing here?

Thanks.

I think you'd better look at that seal job closely. It sounds like something got in there and died. Then burst.

Never was a seal, EBL. Unless ye mean where the marten used to get in?

Sorry. I could have made it clearer. I didn't want to write a book

Marten entered through a disused chimney pot. I had a cage put on that. I also provided an industry standard nest box for her, close by. Did this because A/ She was providing a fantastic rodent control service, without ever bothering the birds. But, B/ Her kits were tumbling down my chimney, every year, driving me mad!

Ye suggesting this is all just some crazy, bent matrix sort of coincidence? Random rat's got into my roof. Died. Exploded the day a bird got into a close by rats hole?

Dang! Know what? That actually makes more sense than any 'conspiracy theory' type mental junk I can come up with. I mean; I've lived here over a dozen years now. Before and since pine martens. Pretty much always with rats. Dogs and I have killed rats all along. Never had one stick and stink though.

Maybe ye objectivity has seen straight to it? Nothing to do with birds or pine martens. Simply pure coincidence that a rat finally Has just died of old age, in my roof. And, totally coincidentally, just Happened to pop, hours after a bird hid in an old rats hole. (Cue; Twilight Zone music!) I mean; Ye just couldn't make this up!

Still love to read any further thoughts. Just for the fun of discussion.

Thanks.

I’d go with rat. Or even mouse. Came home one day after a weekend away and the smell when I came in the door was awful

Let the dog locate it, it went straight to sniffing under a piece of
Furniture, I pulled it back and there was a single dead mouse on a sticky-board trap I had completely forgotten was under there

Urgh! It's That smell alright, isn't it?

Crazy thing is; I spent the afternoon using a hot air gun to strip the paint off the door to that room. Door itself wide open then. Both, outside, doors in the adjoining room wide open. Swept up the peelings and put them in a bin, in the room in question. No problemmo.

Twelve Hours later, and I can't Breathe in there! Did the usual, common sense things. Took deep sniffs of the box the paint peelings were in. Had a general sniff around ~ nauseating as That was!

It's just under the 65F mark here, right now. Indoors. The blow fly trick is out the window then. But, I have Dogs here that can smell a live rat through a stone wall. They All, most certainly, indicated the ceiling, in that small room.

Now; With well over fifty years of hands on experience, I'm perfectly willing to accept that my sitting here now, getting a whiff of it, is purely psychological. Inflicting That smell on a client has always been my idea of professional suicide.

But, inside twelve hours??? As EBL suggests; Sounds like a popper. God took his eye off the game. The planets lined up. The matrix tore. And, if I live many more years? I'll have one heck of a story to add to my repertoire.

Pheww!