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Subscribe to RSSWe will be featuring images from Nature’s Best Photography magazine over the next few days in PhotoBlog. The pictures are the winning entries from the magazine’s 2010 Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards. More than 20,000 pictures were submitted by photographers from 56 countries.
A print exhibition of winning images and other entries will be displayed from April 16 to Sept. 25, 2011, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
Bence Mate / Natures Best Photography
Tiny, vibrantly colored hummingbirds are a favorite among wildlife lovers. Of 338 known species, roughly 50 types of these birds live or breed in the tropical lowlands and cloud forests of Costa Rica, where arboreal vipers also live amid the thick foliage.
Photographer Bence Máté said:
"I was photographing hummingbirds when I heard the sharp, alarming noise of the birds reacting to the presence of a predator. Sixty feet away from me this green-crowned brilliant was fearlessly attacking a small viper. The long shutter speed and shallow depth of field made it difficult to make an image with both animals sharp. This encounter was one of the most interesting ones I had ever seen, and I quickly set up two flashes to increase the light and shutter speed, using one flash fired from the background and another from the camera.”
Photographic information:
Camera: Nikon D700; 300mm ƒ/2.8 lens; 1/100 sec at ƒ/4; ISO 200; Canon 540EZ flash; Canon 550EX slave; Gitzo carbon tripod; Gitzo fluid head.
Related links:
- Nature's Best Photography: The view from inside a Hawaiian wave
- Nature's Best Photography: African elephant on alert in Kenya
- Nature's Best Photography tag stream
- Click here to see more from Nature’s Best Photography magazine.
- Click here to see more animal pictures in our "Animal Tracks" slideshow.
Leave a Comment:
WHO WON???
I'd say this was a good excuse to pull out The Big Glass and have at it.
Sixty feet is a long way away so you'd need a 300mm to frame this shot. What I find amazing, is that the phrog had the time to set up not one, but two flashes and stil get The Shot. This must have been a real domestic dispute for sure.
Pretty Wild! Ribbit!
Great and lucky shot!
I agree, WHO WON!?
my guess is the viper
From my experience with both humming birds and snakes, I would say the Hummer stared down the Viper. Why, humming birds perception of time is 5 times faster than humans, another words, they would perceive the vipers strike at 1/5 time. Giving them ample time to avoid any of the snakes strikes. They also are very feisty, territorial, one of the fastest flying birds (40 mph).
Tinto I have to go 50/50 on this one Those are some of the fastest striking pit vipers adept at catching birds vs the single most agile speedy bird in the Hummer. Without seeing the ending I am going to have to call it a draw at this point.
While hummingbirds have a fast wing flap rate I don't find them to be fast movers on the XYZ all the time. This viper has an opportunity that is very possible. It is within striking zone, as most snakes have a reach that is right around 1/3 of their body length. Also the humming bird might not reconize the snake as a potential threat and might not even reconize it at all and mistake it for a vine or part of the natural surroundings, to me it would seem that there are many variables that can work in the serpents favor. One has to think why the bird is even near the danger in the first place. :)
awesome!!!! Nature at it's best. I hope it was a draw.
I say the bird won. Kind of like the mongoose and the cobra. Regardless, this is truly spectacular. But why so few comments? Must be a football game going on. Sigh. Sign of the times.
Just beautiful!!
Oh my goodness. I am rooting for the bird. Why won't snakes just eat grass for a change? It is so evil. I shudder to think the snake won.
Sometimes it is just plain stupid to be bold, when just back paddling or walking away would have saved the day. What is for lunch huh? I am craving for something crunchy!!!!
Snakes are predators, that is how they are designed by nature, nothing evil about it at all it is simply life.
Go bird....I always preferred birds to reptiles!!!
Common ancestors, though.
Amazing photograph!
It's really nice and hard to encount image.
The photographer has excellent skill and must always have been preparing fro unexpectable conditions
Nice photo don't get me wrong, but setup flashes? Really? Presence of naturally camoflaged predator set off birds, yet ninja-like flash setup, across 100ft+ there and back left target as-is?
Let the photo do the poetry, not the press cutting.
You should post who won. But as someone who has owned many birds and snakes I gotta guess the hummingbird avoided the snake like it was nothing. Those two animals are living at a different pace. Like comparing how fast things happen to a fly vs human, totally different time scale...
I Have To Agree With Jangocat, not a big Bird Person, Have Owned Some Reptiles.. But With A Humming Bird Flappin His Wings At About 50+ Times a Sec He prob Just Side Stepped That Crazy Green Snake!!
I wouldn't be so quick on the viper winning. These birds have experienced enough of these to know what to do. That bird looks like he's about to slap that viper silly.
I bet the hummingbird wiped the floor with that viper.
Who won? Although both look equally determined, the outcome would probably break many animal overs' hearts. But I also agree one should not press one's luck, like what the tiny bird is doing. Unless it has a pressing reason, (it was protecting its young) the tiny bird should not be confrontational, especially when your opponent is stronger like in this case. But then again, it might not be able to back away without presenting the snake with a split-second chance to strike. So before we jump to judge the bird foolhardy, let's consider whether it's doing it for a reason? Can it not do what it's doing in the photo?
I have often observed, when animals in combat-poised situation, the one that runs for it, often ends up chased, cornered and defeated utterly because then the one which stood its ground became more confident and even stronger. The best way, both have to wait it out and both simultaneously disengage and, even then, only slowly and gradually move away! Call it a draw, if you will. That's probably the reason the bird chose to do what it did. As it looked, only a thunder, a strong wind suddenly that could sway the branch and knock the snake to cause it to lose concentration, could save the bird. In my opinion, no way the humming bird could win or escape...unless... However, I don't want to know the outcome of this uneven fight (to spare myself the pain!).
balderdash!
Absoutely awsome photo. My vote goes with the hummingbird.
Thank you Dr. Obama :-p
The answer is that nobody won and nobody lost. The hummer was bluffing and could easily have escaped the strike of the viper. Note that this snake is a small one, not more than 14-16 inches, since both are in the shallow plane of focus. The snake was looking for food, but probbaly wouldn't risk the strike if it posed danger. Vipers normally can strike one-third their length, so visualize how far this one could go, about as far as the bird. But the snake is always cautious about striking the maximum distance. The bird may be experienced with snakes and know how far away to stay.
That is one fantastic photograph!
as a fan of nature this is an awesome shot,but,the comments kinda make your head spin.in nature you have HUNGER,that rules all,and hunger make survival specialists,and the special skills you develope for survival determine your meals.HUMMING BIRDS are FLOWER LICKERS,SNAKES are BIRD EATERS,we do not know the story in this photo,but one thing we can say the animals did not see each other at the same time and decided to fight,if the snake saw the bird first he saw LUNCH,if the bird saw the snake first he sawhimself on the menu,so he maybe trying to harass him into leaving p.s. sometimes humming birds stop and hover in mid-air,and snakes can be total motionless making a shot like this possible. think about it
Being tha that is the sulewisi morph temple viper I'd bet it's never been to costa rica as the caption says.
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/imgs/128x192/0000_0000/0407/2885.jpeg
Bothriechis lateralis found through Honduras and Cost Rica
Convergent Evolution does make for some striking similarities
There are green arboreal vipers of various genera throughout the tropics. I captured one vary similar to this one in the Ivory Coast. Cynic is right; if you live in trees and have to feed yourself you have to be green. The Emerald Boa, not related to this viper, has much the same color pattern.
They are facinating little guys aren't they Cinc?
Speaking of Emerald Boa's the Green Tree Python would be a perfect analog for others to look at as far as convergence. Not to mention the longer teeth on the front of their jaws hurt like hell when they puncture a knuckle joint...;-)
In light of the conditions, atmosphere and subjects, the exposure is perfect. 1/100 sec.? I have the Nikon D300 and the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR and I can't even get a clean shot of a dead bird at that speed. Are those small streaks raindrops? This is a winning shot no matter who actually won. To be selected out of 20,000 worldwide submissions was worth the effort for this spectacular image. Bravo!
Part of what is fascinating about this extraordinary photo is that in some ancient mythologies birds and serpents are sworn enemies, as in the winged Garuda, who slays Nagas (serpents).
......... im a huge hummingbird fan ... cant wait until they arrive here again in Southern, Illinois ...... hummingbirds are quite fearless and aggressive toward each other .... i've had upwards of 15 birds around a feeder .
No matter what the speed or settings.. Gorgeous!
This is a great shot. Not to mention the time to set up two flashes. Love it!!