What Is This Thing Hanging From the Tree in My Maine Backyard?

When you live in a new place you naturally investigate the perimeter. You walk around your property looking at everything you have inherited.

For example, I have inherited 17, 1940-1960s pennies, 3 hair rollers, a heating pad, a 1988 Walmart receipt, led paint, and a dead bird.

Pretty normal right? Well not everything we've found was normal. Or maybe it is but I have just never seen this type of object before.

Recently we found a bone in our yard. I brought it into the studio and had Officer Chase come by and help me determine if it was animal or human and we still don't really know. Quick update on that, I found another bone the next day. Proof below.

Suffice it to say, my backyard has been the topic of conversation for a few days and even got more interesting as of late.

My wife was in the yard by the corner of our property where there is a tiny hill that meets the neighbors fence. There are some maple trees there and as she was clearing the weeds and cleaning it up, she noticed a black ball hanging from one of our trees.

She called me out to look and I have absolutely no idea what it is. I am perplexed and trust me, I have spoken to people and even googled it but have come up with zero explanation.

Is it a security camera? Is it some kind of insect repellent? If so, why is it on a single tree? Is it an alarm system? A shocking device for your pet so it doesn't go out of the bounds of your property? Or is it a witch ball?

You know like a sadistic witchy device that like welcomes bad spirits or kills them or is a spell ball? Should I make a wish. Oh my god, I am so excited now.

This is why I am here now, writing to you. I am faced with many unique circumstances and I welcome them with love because I love learning new and abnormal things about life.

So if you please, what the hell is this and why is it on my tree?