Hard Lessons in Nature...Times Two

At times, nature is hard to watch...hard to observe. It got me today...not once, but twice.

The first was a painted turtle in the dirt road. It was smack dab in the middle of the road, in a small mud puddle. I waited to see if it would move, but it didn't. I got out of my truck, and tried to "nudge" it to the safety of the shoulder. That's when I noticed the blood underneath its shell. Thinking it was dead, I picked it up with a plastic grocery bag, but in doing so...the turtle poked its head out at me. YES! I left it in some brush, and am hoping for the best.

The second lesson was 100 yards away from the turtle, two blue herons nests that I have been watching. Imagine my surprise when I was waiting for the mom or dad herons to show up...that the eagle shows up instead.

Here comes the sad part. Both nests are a long way away, so I couldn't really see what was happening. But, obviously, the 3 toddler herons in the back nest are agitated, and it wasn't until I saw my pictures blown up on my computer...that I saw why they were upset.

The eagle is feasting on baby herons in the front nest. Little tiny baby herons.

I'm usually thrilled to see eagles in the wild, but today...not so much.

From my little red truck,
I watched and I witnessed.
The mystery of the food chain,
the survival of the fittest.