Fatal encounter: snake bird v catfish

 

Sequentially, the featured image is the fourth of this post’s photos, all taken within the contest’s brief timespan: a little less than four minutes.

Formally, the “snake bird” is an Oriental darter, Anhinga melenogaster – the same species who looked so very different when in repose, in #66 in Pelican Yoga’s “a shining moment” series.

 

(all photos copyright Doug Spencer, taken between 11.06 and 11.10 am on 06 February 2020 in Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan, India)

Predator and prey were smaller in size – and a lucky human could safely observe proceedings from a much closer vantage point – but this “chase” and “kill” sequence was no less dramatic/fierce than one involving a lion, leopard, cheetah or tiger.

Images “1” and “2” were taken within a few seconds of each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The darter’s first attempt to devour the catfish was premature – the prey was still too lively.

 

 

 

 

…and as the featured image – taken only a few seconds after “3” – clearly shows, two minutes into proceedings the catfish was still fighting.

Just a few seconds later, however, the predator was no longer struggling to subdue the prey.

Now, “the problem” had been reduced to “how to manage to swallow something not so very much smaller than oneself?”

 

 

 

 

 

The moments captured in the final four images all took place within less than one minute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…and I cannot resist the opportunity to share Danny O’Keefe’s Catfish, the shortest, perkiest song on his 1973 album Breezy Stories.

Breezy Stories sold far fewer copies than did many more “successful” 1970s singer-songwriter LPs.

However, whilst many of the “successful” ones now sound eminently cringeworthy, Breezy Stores is a satisfying album, still…as you can hear, here.

It was much more musically sophisticated and eclectic than were almost all of its more “successful”, generally best-forgotten competitors.

On Catfish O’Keefe and David Bromberg both played acoustic guitars; Bromberg also played dobro (slide).