A rare, fascinating snapshot is making the rounds around the world: a weasel perched on a woodpecker can be seen in a picture taken by amateur photographer Martin Le-May. But how did the unusual photo come about?
What looks funny at first glance shows at second glance how nature can be: dangerous and not always predictable. The young weasel seems to have made an attempt to raid the woodpecker’s nest while foraging for food. It must have attacked the woodpecker, who had no choice but to fly up to get rid of the wild animal from its back.
A very rare encounter
Although the weasel is a nest robber, it usually prefers to hunt rabbits and other small rodents. Despite its small size, the situation for the woodpecker was very dangerous: the weasel is a fearless and very persistent predator. All the nicer to hear that, according to the photographer, the woodpecker escaped the dangerous situation with a shock.
Lucky for the woodpecker, unlucky for the weasel
The woodpecker is said to have landed on the ground shortly after the snap was taken and the weasel was momentarily distracted, perhaps by the people nearby. The bird took advantage of this opportunity and flew away, photographer Martin Le-May reported in an email to the web portal “BuzzFeed News”. “The woodpecker escaped alive. The weasel then disappeared into the long grass, hungry.”
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