First, we have the dying.
I found this bird out near the tree line. From the looks of its movements, it was not likely to survive. There was nowhere in range that could help nurse it back to health, so I gave it a comfortable place to rest and avoid being eaten alive. The bird drank water from a syringe, but I could not find the appropriate food (I Presearched it). Death is a part of life, and while I would much rather heal a bird and have it become my friend forever, I was grateful to be able to give this friend a comfortable death.
This baby rabbit was presumably born undersized. The mother abandoned it, I found the birth nest not far from the baby.
This was another failed attempt. I don’t live close to anyplace that would take this baby in, so again I tried my best, and again I went from caregiver to undertaker.
The rabbit was actually doing ok eating condensed goats milk or something…I can’t remember what it was for sure now, but it was also accepting water. I’m not sure how this one passed, but on the morning after the second moon, the rabbit’s life energy had moved on.
Then we have the dead:
I found this threadbare little mouse in my shed. It was down to a skeleton with some fur suck to it. This image is almost inarguably far less aesthetic than all the rest in this post.
This was spotted hiking around a reservoir trail. I assume this was field stripped by a hunter and left, but it definitely made for an interesting couple of pictures.
Last, death leads to new life:
I just happened upon this cicada at the exact right time. It had just emerged from its shell. Above, you can see that its wings are still curled up - I think it looks like a goofy green puppy dog face or something. Below we can see the wings unfolded and the cicada walking away from its shell.
I was really excited to get the chance to capture this. (All images captured by me on my iPhone.)
Not-So-Challenging Challenge:
I will delegate 1 Hive for 1 year to the first person who finds the AZL logo in this image:
Specifics:
@hive-171740 since the link seems to be broken)
@albuslucimus in the text of your post. I just don’t want to accidentally overlook any posts.