Monitor vs Bee-eaters

In continuation from my previous thread of a Lace Monitor http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3940360

I heard the Rainbow Bee-eaters get together and from a distance I could see the same Lace Monitor making a dash for it in the bee-eaters territory. I had my 4 year old with me and we went over to investigate before the monitor could get far enough for the bee-eaters to not worry about it. Anyway I got close enough and took a few photo's before it all ended quickly.

The Lace monitor is seen as a threat to the Rainbow Bee-eaters as are other things that are a threat to their nesting grounds like snakes. The whole colony joins in the attack and swoop the threat hitting it hard with their bills. When the intruder has had enough and moved away the Rainbow bee-eaters will return to business as usual

Enjoy!

eye contact

successful swoop, at 9 fps per second the camera couldn't get anything between the previous and this frame. The bee-eaters swoop so fast.
Anyway 1-0 to the bee-eater

I'm out of here! don't run to the camera man and his son for safety please

showing off

quick break to rethink his exit

forked tongue

on the move

tongue out again

bee-eater knocked itself out, they hit with serious force with their beaks. 1-1 now

trying to recover itself, scrambling to get up

almost had it for dinner, bee-eater flew off just in time

monitor is gone, 2-1 to the bee-eaters

The one that knocked itself out was extremely fortunate not to become goanna lunch, I would say.

Hen3ry wrote:

The one that knocked itself out was extremely fortunate not to become goanna lunch, I would say.

Yes, I was kind of wondering the same thing myself. The outcome is not exactly clear; could be two different endings to this movie.

Almost a Darwin Award candidate there.knocking itself out on the predator that wants to eat it.

Great captures vass. These are pretty unique.

I hope the bee-eaters keep winning - they are much prettier! Wonderful sequence.

Great sequence Vass

Wayne

Great behavioural sequence vass. Have seen a larger bird swoop a goanna but wasn't aware bee-eaters behaved this way.

Very unique captures, a video capture of the same scene would be you tube hit!

Cheers

Dennis

A really great series and fortunate Bee-eater.

Thanks all for the comments so far
The force of the hit rocks the Lace Monitors head, and there is a mighty cracking sound.

Denjw you should see them when a snake passes by.

Hey Vass

Those are some amazing pictures, love what you are doing there.

Kinda cool to see one of them actually knocking itself out, that must be some force.

Gees Vas, amazing behavior shots and a good read thanks. They are huge beasts !!. Not many birds will let anything near them in nesting season, even hawks here get a hard time from magpies, lapwings, etc. However, this this is huge and only ever see them in TV documentary's. Fascinating and how lucky you are to see both and get shots of it. Incredible Vas.

All the best and you have made my day for sure.

Danny.

Cheers mate

It's cool that I got to see it and even better that it was captured. Not easy when you have a 4 year old with you, but whenever possible I carry my camera just incase things like this happen

R V C wrote:

Hey Vass

Those are some amazing pictures, love what you are doing there.

Kinda cool to see one of them actually knocking itself out, that must be some force.

Thank you Danny
I felt very lucky, even thou I didn't get the start of it when they were attacking it a lot more.Too far fo 210mm and lucky I didn't stop for shots too far away and used that time to get close enough to make it in time for some shots befoe they stopped attacking so yeah I'm glad I got them.

nzmacro wrote:

Gees Vas, amazing behavior shots and a good read thanks. They are huge beasts !!. Not many birds will let anything near them in nesting season, even hawks here get a hard time from magpies, lapwings, etc. However, this this is huge and only ever see them in TV documentary's. Fascinating and how lucky you are to see both and get shots of it. Incredible Vas.

All the best and you have made my day for sure.

Danny.

Ofcourse but they eat other things like wasps, flies, grasshoppers, cicadas, dragonflies etc etc

Thomas Karlmann wrote:

Do the "Bee-eaters" actually eat bees?

vass wrote:

Ofcourse but they eat other things like wasps, flies, grasshoppers, cicadas, dragonflies etc etc

Thomas Karlmann wrote:

Do the "Bee-eaters" actually eat bees?

Yes, a lace monitor would be a bit too big to drag up onto a branch and give it a bash to dislodge its sting.  Great photos Vass, keep them coming.

The "G" weather looks good today, has it improved down your way?

Cheers from Freo, Mark

Cloudy with sun just poking through cloud a little here and there. Not good for action photography

MarkDavo wrote:

vass wrote:

Ofcourse but they eat other things like wasps, flies, grasshoppers, cicadas, dragonflies etc etc

Thomas Karlmann wrote:

Do the "Bee-eaters" actually eat bees?

Yes, a lace monitor would be a bit too big to drag up onto a branch and give it a bash to dislodge its sting. Great photos Vass, keep them coming.

The "G" weather looks good today, has it improved down your way?

Cheers from Freo, Mark