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Amazig picture

PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 11:06 am
by Tom Hoogesteger
This is the winner of the Finnish Nature photograph of the year -contest 2013. The photographer is Jukka-Pekka Tikkanen.

http://www.vuodenluontokuva.fi/vlk/

Re: Amazig picture

PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 2:19 pm
by Matthieu Berroneau
Wow :shock:

Re: Amazig picture

PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 2:37 pm
by Mario Schweiger
great shot - poor Anguis :lol:

Mario

Re: Amazig picture

PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 3:10 pm
by Jürgen Gebhart
:shock: Strange :shock:

Re: Amazig picture

PostPosted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 10:23 am
by Stéphane Aubry
Stunning picture !

When I was a young birder I was lucky enough to observe, during many long minutes with a telescope at very short distance, a Bufo bufo to be swallowed by a Natrix natrix from the hind legs until the disappearance of the head !

The image of the head of the poor Bufo in the mouth of the Natrix is engraved in my memory... Unfortunately I had no camera at this time...

Re: Amazig picture

PostPosted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 12:06 pm
by Matthijs Hollanders
Hmmmm. It's a good picture, don't get me wrong, but probably not deserving of the award...

Re: Amazig picture

PostPosted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 12:13 pm
by Alexandre Roux
Stéphane Aubry wrote:When I was a young birder I was lucky enough to observe, during many long minutes with a telescope at very short distance, a Bufo bufo to be swallowed by a Natrix natrix from the hind legs until the disappearance of the head !

The image of the head of the poor Bufo in the mouth of the Natrix is engraved in my memory... Unfortunately I had no camera at this time...


How lucky you are !
I didn't see something more than a young N.natrix eating a P.fuscus tadpole or an adult who failed with Pelophylax !

How strange it coumd be to see that with Anguis !

Re: Amazig picture

PostPosted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 12:25 pm
by Jeroen Speybroeck
I am also not really that overwhelmed by the photographic qualities of the image, but it sure is a very cool observation.

Stéphane Aubry wrote:When I was a young birder I was lucky enough to observe, during many long minutes with a telescope at very short distance, a Bufo bufo to be swallowed by a Natrix natrix from the hind legs until the disappearance of the head ! The image of the head of the poor Bufo in the mouth of the Natrix is engraved in my memory... Unfortunately I had no camera at this time...

Haha... Same for me, in 2000 with one of the first Bufo viridis I ever saw in Dadia. A rather disgusting yet fascinating spectacle, with the toad's mucus and blood running amply over the snake's head.

Re: Amazig picture

PostPosted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 12:27 pm
by Jeroen Speybroeck
I was actually admiring the toad, when the Natrix attacked it out of nowhere. At first, you cannot imagine how a legless creature can swallow such an uncooperative prey, but a revolting 15 minutes later, it worked out.

Re: Amazig picture

PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 12:13 pm
by Thomas Reich
I only saw this once. In May 2012 I encountered a Grass Snake eating Hyla arborea in the high vegetation next to a small pond in northern Switzerland. It was at 22:45. Unfortunately the position of the snake was too bad to take good pictures, and of course I didn't want to disturb the brutal act. So just a documentary picture of the poor frog still moving his legs and holding a blade of grass with his right "hand". At 23:02 the frog was gone.

natrix_hyla.jpg