[Wild Skies]

Nature can be cruel -- we can't change that . . . it is what it is.

My wife and I witnessed nature's cruelty involving our neighborhood family of cranes tonight that was quite disturbing and emotional. In the pic below you are seeing what's left of a baby cottontail rabbit being shredded by one of the adult Sandhills. The baby rabbit was in our front yard minding its own business and trying to make itself invisible when the family of four cranes sauntered in, identified what was on the lawn and immediately zeroed in on the defenseless little rabbit. Both adults were on the baby rabbit like heat-seeking-missiles running after and chasing down the baby rabbit, stabbing it repeatedly with their stiletto-like beaks and tossing it in the air like pizza chefs until the baby rabbit took its last breath. They then shredded the rabbit into bite-sized pieces and fed their two young colts which are just off camera to the right.

Yes, nature can be cruel -- we can't change that . . . it is what it is.