(not) slugs, snails, crickets, grasshoppers, rabbits, rats, voles...to name a few, lol.

If the damage wasn't really at night, I'd say birds for sure. But they could be foraging in the early morning hours before you're aware of them. Seedlings are a common snack for birds.

I did not think birds would do that, and I am sure it was not done in the morning. It is not rabbits but it could be moles/mice - but not likely. It's odd and the location makes it likely something small that burrows during the day. I hit with sevin and have not had any more issues.

Who knows, you're asking a question like which bird pooped on my lawn chair. Maybe wild sheep or goats did it, or a ground hog. I just watched a ground hog out back munching away on a big patch of clover. He was in ground HOG heaven for sure because he saw me watching him for a 1/2 hr and even with me waving and talking baby talk to him he couldn't leave his feast. So it could be ground hogs and from the damage done I'd say an entire pack of them.

Are you growing on a weed barrier? Shouldn't that block any burrowing creatures? You have grown in this area before each year? Do you spray this area with weedkillers? Have you tried using rat poison, sluggo, and sevin everywhere as a preventive measure? You could try netting over the entire area.

It could be cutworms. If you're growing vegetables, I would not use any kind of chemical weed or pest killer. Cutworms can be foiled with cutworm collars. Just cut a 4" riing from any liter soda bottle or plastic cup. You can use cardboard, too. Push the collar half way into the ground. When the stems get harder, you can remove them.

I use 3 oz plastic bath cups from Walmart, (100 for $2.58) to protect from cutting worms. Using a scissors I cut down one side and cut out the bottom, then wrap them around the seedlings and push it into the ground a bit. Works good, easy and cheap.

Cutworms don't chomp on leaves. They chomp on the stem. Timberrrr!

I had a bear eating my seedlings. So I trapped it by digging a hole, filling it was some wood ash and placed peas around it, then waited behind a bush. The bear came and when he bent over to take a pea I kicked him in the ash hole. Got him!

You may want to trap the bear eating your seedlings.

Honestly, this is probably another joke thread to start an endless discussion that goes nowhere, the poster has done the same exact thing the last few years. If you can get "Don" to actually respond honestly and follow up with real information, good luck. Why would someone go to the odd trouble to post such sad looking pics in terrible soil, and then always ignore the advice?

For newly emerged seedlings with bite marks I wouldn't rule out a turtle.

Dan was right it was birds! Cardinals to be specific. This is the first year I recall seeing cardinals in my yard/garden. I have never had birds do this and it is only cardinals. It happen at first light - never later in the morning, afternoon or evening which is odd. At sunrise the cardinals patrol my newly emerged sunflower sprouts. After 24 hours they are ok, they only hit brnad new seedling and only at sunrise. Odd but I know now and simply cover them for 2 days with a clear bowl.