The Cruelty of Nature

Today's blog is a story about nature, but it is sad.  I want everyone and everything to live together in harmony.  That is not reality in humans nor in nature.  A few weeks ago when the I was watching the bluebirds first visit to our property this spring, I noticed a pair of rabbits right under our kitchen window.  That was two weeks ago.  The rabbits were just hanging out a lot.  I didn't pay much attention.  We have a lot of rabbits at different times of the year.  We have more in the winter because of all the birdseed spilled on the ground. After a few days, I saw the rabbit digging under one of the sprawling bushes.  She would gather leaves and dead grass.  I saw her nosing her way inside a small hole she had dug.

It is hard to see her here.  A perfect camouflage before everything gets green.

Here she is with a mouth full of grass to line her nest.

A few days later I checked the area.  I saw the hole was covered up and I hadn't seen a rabbit for a few days.  I thought she had second thoughts about this area and left to build a nest elsewhere.  Then last weekend my husband was doing dishes.  He told me to come see the big crow or raven outside the window.  It was right in the area the rabbit had been.  I grabbed the camera and when I took the picture, the bird flew away.

I went about my business and suddenly I heard a crying sound.  My husband was outside at this point and said he saw the raven with something in his mouth.  I am sure this bird knew there were baby bunnies under that bush.  I had seen some rabbit fur on the lawn a day or two before and didn't think about it.  I bet this wasn't the first baby rabbit killed by this bird.

I told you nature is cruel and this was a sad reminder.  Mama rabbit came back today and just stared at the area.   So sad for her.