A Florida photographer was slowly cruising via St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, south of Tallahassee, looking for his subsequent nice shot when a battle of the meals chain unwound earlier than his eyes.
About 40 yards away, George Stinson watched as an excellent blue heron thrashed round within the swamp reeds with one thing massive in its mouth. Stinson hopped out of the automotive and rapidly began snapping photographs of the short-lived wrestling match. Even although he was uncertain of what exactly he noticed, he knew this was an “completely distinctive” second.
It wasn’t till he acquired home and flipped via the photographs he had taken over the course of his journey within the protect, roughly 30 miles away from Florida’s capital, that Stinson was capable of establish the massive hen’s opponent: a snake.
His photographs revealed a viral second within the making: The lengthy snake caught within the hen’s mouth whereas it coiled across the hen’s lengthy, dagger-like beak.
“Great blue herons will eat something,” he stated. “So this one grabbed a snake that was just a bit bit too scorching to deal with.”
Patience, luck wanted to safe shot
After retiring from the Florida Department of Revenue, Stinson picked up images — a pastime that has despatched him chronicling wildlife the world over.
Nature photographers, he has discovered, depend on two issues: endurance and luck.
Stinson occurred to be on the proper place at simply the fitting time to get a photograph not like any of the opposite dozens of blue heron photos he is taken earlier than.
“Usually once you take an image like this, you realize you have acquired a superb one, as a result of your coronary heart’s racing,” he stated.
Everyone was a winner Monday afternoon: The animals agreed to a truce and let go of each other after their four-minute battle, and Stinson captured one in every of his prime 10 favourite photographs he is ever taken.
All he may suppose when flipping via his photographs was “Wow — That’s a money shot.”
Elena Barrera will be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter@elenabarreraaa.
This article initially appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Heron vs. snake battle in Florida wildlife refuge caught on digital camera