British Photographer Captures Rare Photos Of A Baby Squirrel Attacking A Green Woodpecker Mid-Flight
A walk in the park turned into a wildlife moment that looks almost impossible at first glance. British photographer Martin Le-May captured a baby squirrel clinging to the back of a green woodpecker in mid-flight, and the images quickly grabbed attention far beyond the UK.
Le-May and his wife had gone out hoping to spot a green woodpecker, but instead they heard a distressed screech and followed the sound. What they found was a frantic bird, a tiny squirrel, and a split-second scene that made the whole encounter feel stranger than fiction.
The photos are unforgettable, and the squirrel's role in the chase is hard to believe.
It was the green woodpecker Le-May and his wife were hoping to see!
The bird landed a few meters away from where it had taken off, and according to Le-May, it was doing some sort of dance while emitting the screeching noise. Le-May decided to look through his binoculars to see what was happening.
He switched to look through his professional camera, and what he saw was an unexpected, once-in-a-lifetime sight. The bird took flight once more towards where Le-May was hiding; this time, the photographer began taking some pictures.
While taking the photos, Le-May saw that there was another animal hitching a ride on the woodpecker.
The bird landed about 30 meters away from Le-May and his wife. It was then that the couple decided to take a closer look.
They walked carefully towards the duo, and it was then that everything finally became clear. The baby squirrel was not simply trying to experience the joy of defying gravity; it was the predator, and the green woodpecker was its prey.
Their decision to walk towards the bird and the squirrel was a blessing in disguise, well, at least for the bird.
The squirrel got distracted by the approaching humans, which allowed the green woodpecker to escape relatively unharmed. It flew off eagerly to escape the baby squirrel attempting to make the bird its next meal.
Le-May was unsure just how special the photos he took were
When they got home, he looked at the pictures on his TV and saw that not only were they good photographs, but they were quite special as well. He's elated that his pictures have been well-received, and he hopes he has inspired people to take up photography.
Wildlife photographer Jay Ward shared Le-May's photos on his Twitter account, and they have gone viral.
Even BBC News took notice of the pictures and interviewed Le-May to share his unique encounter.
Like Doug photographing a bald eagle’s talons, Le-May’s binoculars caught a shocking attack.
Even BBC News took notice of the pictures and interviewed Le-May to share his unique encounter.
People were quite skeptical about whether the squirrel was friends with the bird and was simply using it for transportation. The absolute look of terror and sheer panic on the green woodpecker's face tells the real story of just how scared it was for its life.
Straight out of fiction
If you do what the squirrel did during a commercial flight, you'll be coming home covered in duct tape
The photo breached the mainstream popular TV!
We've heard the story from Martin Le-May, but we do have one question: how did the squirrel get on the back of the green woodpecker in the first place? Did it see the bird previously and track its usual flight route?
That story was definitely incredible, and the photos are not ones we'd likely forget soon. We highly doubt that was the last time that baby squirrel attempted to attack a bird, and we fervently wish the green woodpecker hasn't crossed paths with the squirrel again.
After the green woodpecker’s mid-flight screech, check out how a squirrel adopted a photographer.
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