Every now and then you come across a
scene that tells the tale of drama. It is often the case in the African bush in
the dry season and this was one of those scenes.
We were heading up to the northern
part of the reserve and decided to stop en route at Vulture pan. To our
excitement we found a pair of Woolly-necked Storks casually sifting through the
mud in search of any tasty morsels. I had two old safari hands with me that had
never seen these birds before, so out came the cameras and the snapping
started. Our willingness to watch was soon rewarded when one of the Storks came
up with a nice, juicy Catfish. We watched and snapped photographs as the Stork
tried to gulp the poor fish down. As the stork soon realised, this fish still
had a lot of fight left in it. Extending its fins to try and hang on, it
created enough resistance to stall the inevitable.
On the opposite side of the pan, a
Grey Heron stood watching, patiently waiting for its opportunity to try and claim
a free breakfast. Slowly moving in the direction of all the action, its
intension was clear. We watched in fascination as the plan unfolded in front of
us. The plan was simple. Sneak up to the stork and rush it. Hopefully it will
drop the fish in the fright of the moment. Snatch the fish and make a getaway.
It was time for action. The Heron
rushed but the stork managed to get out of the way. Plan unravelled. The Heron
tried puffing out its feathers as a second attempt at intimidation.
Unfortunately for the Heron the game was up! Within the space of a minute the
Stork managed to finally force the fish down the gullet and stop the Heron from
trying that cheeky move again
It’s scenes like these that make watching
birds worthwhile, rather than just ticking them off.
All photo's taken by Darren Roberts-York with a Nickon Coolpix P510
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