Predator and Prey
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The Northern Pike, a ferocious predatory fish, became the prey.
The low water level in the Sturgeon River means that it is easy to spot the Great Blue Herons out and about catching fish in the shallow water.
Bright and early one morning in July, I met up with my birding friend, Ivan D. and we were privileged to be able to observe and photograph this heron fishing for breakfast at fairly close range. This heron's fishing skills were amazingly impressive. Within a span of one hour, it caught three pikes. Each time, it promptly swallowed the unfortunate fish head first - all in one go.
Nikon D500 w/ 500mmf4G + 1.4X
(Taken on: July 31, 2021, Sturgeon River, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada.)
Copyrighted. All rights reserved. No unauthorized use.
Thank you all very much for the visits and comments.
Named from the similarity of their prominent proboscis that looks like the beak of a snipe. Adults can often be seen sitting on vegetation or on tree trunks waiting to catch and pounce on passing prey. Some species of snipe flies are hematophagous as adults and some are predatory of insects. Larvae develop as predators in the soil and wood detritus. Found in wet meadows, marshes and woodland margins. Can sometimes be know as the Down-Looker Fly as they have the habit of perching head-downward on tree trunks.
Sparrowhawk [Accipiter nisus] f.
This little beauty appeared at The Pixies just after I had re-filled all the bird feeders...All the usual little songbirds, blue-, great-, and coaltits, nuthatches and chaffinches, were having a feast when, suddenly, they all disappeared into the trees.
I was thrilled to have caught this image but the implications of her presence here are really quite chilling...Of course, she has to eat, too, but the wee birdies have absolutely no chance against these lethal talons and beak.
She left this perch very soon after arriving and the wee birdies soon resumed their eating and seed- and nut-gathering.
The Circle Of Life? Ambivalence and cognitive dissonance...
(I know it’s not a great shot - she was very high up in this tree )
At The Pixies
South Carrick Hills
SW Scotland
(edited)
Labyrinth Spider (Agelena labyrinthica) & Sweat Bee (Andrena Sp.) | 05-2022 | Ticino | Switzerland
My best photos are here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ticino-best-photos-of-southern-...
More TICINO/TESSIN Wildlife Photos (all taken in my garden in Monteggio/Ti, Switzerland): it.lacerta-bilineata.com/ramarro-occidentale-lacerta-bili... (the website exists in ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS, ITALIANO, ENGLISH, DEUTSCH)
My latest ANIMAL VIDEO (warning, it's a bit shocking): www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T2-Xszz7FI
A version in color of this photo (and of one where the spider attacks and is in focus) you can find here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/other-fauna?pgid=krc12ip9-c9a0a...
THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO:
I was trying to get a good shot of a labyrinth spider in my garden, when suddenly this little sweat bee got caught in the web. As the bee frantically tried to escape the sticky trap, the spider attacked. I thought the little bee was all done for, but to my surprise, it used its sting to great effect.
The spider attacked again and again, but it had huge respect of the little fella's sting, and it just couldn't get the right angle to overwhelm the bee and tie it up. Eventually, the spider retreated, and the little guy made it out alive and unharmed.
Now for those of you who feel sorry for the spider that lost a juicy meal, don't worry: that web of hers was incredibly efficient, and she feasted like a queen every day during the time I was there (which is probably partly the reason why she gave up relatively easily on the little bee).
In case you're interested, you can find the color version of this photo and of one where the spider attacks and is in focus through the link above, but the reason I prefer the one in b/w (intentionally "over-sharpened" to create a "grainy", "grungy" look ;-) and with the focus on the little bee is that it reminds me of the posters for horror/sci-fi B-movies of the 50s like 'Tarantula' or 'Them' - and I adore those 😉
As always, many greetings from Switzerland; try to stay out of the heat and let me know what you think in the comments 😊
A 3.175cm (1 .25") Praying Mantis eating a fly on a Gardenia jasminoides 'Kleim's Hardy' in my garden. These insects are notorious predators and their name is sometime mistakenly spelled ‘Preying Mantis’ which is incorrect.
means it has a larger influence on its environment than its abundance. It plays key role in maintaining the population of other animals in an ecological community.
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White Squirrels now have the advantage over other squirrels. They blend better with the snow covered trees and ground and are less noticeable to predators, such as raptors,foxes,coyotes,dogs and cats.
Exeter, Ontario
Canada
You can imagine this as a large predator gobbling up the smaller ones.
Which apparently is what is happening here with the larger bubble slowly consuming the smaller ones.
The mechanics (physics) behind this is not very clear to me. But I think that there is some conservation principal at play.
Typical Cormorant pose as it dries out after a dive.
When they dive for a fish, their wings become saturated and heavy which actually helps them to dive quicker. However, they are unable to fly like this so "hang themselves out to dry."
GOLDEN BRUSHTAIL possums, adorable and rare, are an unusual form of the common brushtail possum that get their fluffy golden coats from a genetic mutation that results in low levels of melanin in their skin and fur; this is the same pigment that gives human skin and hair its colour and makes you look tanned.
Unfortunately for these little guys, their colour is more of a bane in the wild because it makes them conspicuous to predators. It’s hard to hide among the leaves when you’ve got bright golden fur! Because of this, the golden brushtail possum is a rare sight in the wild, being found mostly in small pockets around Tasmania where they have fewer wild predators.
Have a lovely weekend
Vulpes Vulpes - Red Fox
P1000142-1
ISO 200 1/160th @ f/5.6 Focal length 186.42mm (equivalent to
1041mm in 35mm format)
The fish are returned to the water after capture which is very common. It is only for the pleasure of working the fish