Strange Series of Photos

If there is a simple explanation for this set of pictures, I can't figure it out. At first I thought that perhaps a large animal like a deer stood right over the camera, with its legs blocking part of the view. But if that were the case, wouldn't the flash have illuminated the legs. Something is blocking different parts of the camera's field of view without itself being lit by the flash.

In the last photo -- same camera, same spot -- you see than nothing whatsoever obscures the view of the towhee.