A Dark Future?

Naturally, as today's challenge is "Dark", the lowering clouds of yesterday have cleared, and the sun is shining! We are still at the Pocono Raceway, and as I was walking the dogs this morning, I noticed this ... "nest" is far too grand a term for such an arrangement.

Some sort of bird is clearly into the minimalist school of architecture, eschewing all but the merest suggestion of form or structure. These four darkly speckled eggs are laid directly on the hard, black gravel of a parking lot. Just a faint fringe of what looks like bits from a scavenged Christmas wreath are laid around them.

I fear their future is dark and grim ... they could so easily be found by a hungry fox or dog; they could be stepped on by an unknowing pedestrian; they could be driven over by a parking car.

I am no ornithologist, so I can't say what sort of avian mother built this nursery. She is a rather unassuming buff colour, with pretty peach coloured feathers that can be seen when she fans her tail. She does this when she flies low to the ground, and then out does herself with a fine rendition of appearing to suffer from a broken wing in order to distract unwelcome visitors from her clutch.

PS: I just realized how appropriate this photograph is for today. Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers everywhere!