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Inter-species Altruism?
Jul 20, 2019 13:19:44   #
Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)
 
While browsing through the archives, I came across this pair of images made five or six years ago with (I think...) a Canox sx40...might have been an sx50.
Anyway, the action was so far away I was sore afeared I’d strain the lens!

To set the scene:

Bosque del Apache...
late afternoon...
A big flock of lesser snow geese had come in for a landing when out of the nearby, riverside trees came a big, female red-tailed hawk, seeming to know that her only chance ever to grab a snow goose would be when it was engaged in the controlled, descent to landing, from which a quick change in direction or to accelerated upward flight would be impossible. She grabbed this snow by the neck and took it to ground...and the rest of the snows changed their plans about a landing site!

As it happened, a nearby sandhills crane strolled over to the redtail and her hapless prey, and loomed over them, seeming to convey the thought: “ Hey, Punk...why doncha pick on someone more your size?”

The red tail took a few minutes to bravely consider her options, and, in a moment of inattention while changing her grip on her prey, the snow, which had been absolutely motionless for several minutes, escaped the grip and her captor. The crane kept the hawk separate and doing some off-balance dodging while the snow ran off into the breeze and took to the air...and freedom. The crane turned its back on the truly pissed off redtail with a toss of his/her head, as if to say “Don’t try that again while I’m around!”

The image quality sucks, but these are small crops from too-far shots, so, no apologies! What the Hell...It was these, or just a tale you just might not have believed otherwise.

Best t’y’all,

Dave


(Download)


(Download)

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Jul 20, 2019 20:08:15   #
NJFrank Loc: New Jersey
 
Very nice tale. . I think your second shot tells it all. A bit longer and perhaps you could have gotten the snow as it was escaping, but that may have been asking for too much. In a single shot.

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Jul 21, 2019 09:44:35   #
Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)
 
NJFrank wrote:
Very nice tale. . I think your second shot tells it all. A bit longer and perhaps you could have gotten the snow as it was escaping, but that may have been asking for too much. In a single shot.


Hi, Frank,
Thanks for looking and for your comments. You are right, the snow’s escape was an almost instantaneous event...and one of those times that I wished I had been in video mode!
But for “woulda, coulda, shoulda” I’m still pleased with what I got.

Best,
Dave

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Jul 22, 2019 18:40:11   #
magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK
 
Absolutely marvellous! You were lucky to have a camera to hand Dave - what a great story the photos tell. Quality is not always paramount, it’s more important to have the record.

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Jul 23, 2019 19:53:00   #
Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)
 
Thank you, Dave,
I appreciate your cogent comment!

Dave

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