Life and Death in Nature

While working in my father-in-law's yard this afternoon I came across evidence of a tragic battle that had cost one of the combatants its life. All that remained of this encounter was a small tuft of rust-colored feathers, two wings, a tail, and a scattering of down feathers. What had once been a vital, living creature, was now reduced to an insignificant pile of feathers and bone. An American Robin (a female, I believe) had met its fate. Nature is cruel, but without death there can be no life; it is the inevitable cycle of nature. From an ecological perspective, it's not difficult to believe in reincarnation. I just hope that this particular robin met its demise at the hands of a Sharp-shinned Hawk or some other native predator rather than a House Cat.