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Weasel photographed riding on a woodpecker's back | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Amateur photographer Martin Le-May, from Essex, has recorded the extraordinary image of a weasel riding on the back of a green woodpecker as it flies through the air. | Amateur photographer Martin Le-May, from Essex, has recorded the extraordinary image of a weasel riding on the back of a green woodpecker as it flies through the air. |
The photograph was taken at Hornchurch Country Park in east London on Monday afternoon. | |
Speaking to BBC News, Mr Le-May said he had managed to capture the moment while he was out walking with his wife Ann. | Speaking to BBC News, Mr Le-May said he had managed to capture the moment while he was out walking with his wife Ann. |
He said: "I heard a distressed squawking noise and feared the worst. | He said: "I heard a distressed squawking noise and feared the worst. |
"I soon realised it was a woodpecker with some kind of small mammal on its back. | "I soon realised it was a woodpecker with some kind of small mammal on its back. |
"I think we may have distracted the weasel as when the woodpecker landed it managed to escape and the weasel ran into the grass." | |
Mr Le-May said he was astounded by the reaction to the picture on social media. | |
The wildlife shot has been retweeted several thousand times. | |
He said; "I'm so proud so many people are getting to see my image. I'm totally taken aback by the response to it." | |
'Ferocious as a lion' | |
Wildlife expert Lucy Cooke told the BBC News Channel: "This is a truly extraordinary image. | |
"The green woodpecker is a ground-feeding bird, but weasels normally attack rabbits. The woodpecker is not its usual prey. | |
"But weasels are fearless. | |
"A female weasel weighs less than a Mars Bar but is as ferocious as a lion, so this is why the woodpecker would have been able to take off with it on its back." |