not easy being a duckling : (

This photo was taken at the same small pond as yesterday's photo. Both photos are of female Wood ducks and their young. If it's the same family, then sadly many of the ducklings died in the past 24 hours.

On a somewhat related note, I almost stepped on a dead rabbit this morning. It was tough enough that the rabbit had died, but far worse was the fact that its head had been ripped off with its brains pulled out of its head. I don't think I've seen anything more gruesome in-person while out-and-about walking in nature. 

I could not bear looking at the scene, so there was no chance of any photos being taken of the poor rabbit. If an animal (or maybe several) ripped it apart so terribly, I cannot understand why the entire rabbit was not eaten. When I came across the rabbit's parts, they were covered in bugs.

Fortunately the beauty and peace of being outdoors outweighs the sometimes tragic things I come across.

As an extra photo, I've included the family of six goslings.