Home / Environment / Wildlife's Wild Spring: Stolen Shrew, Fighting Birds
Wildlife's Wild Spring: Stolen Shrew, Fighting Birds
16 May
Summary
- A sparrowhawk was photographed hunting low over a river in Kendal.
- An adder was captured on camera killing a venomous water shrew.
- Two dipper birds were observed engaging in a territorial dispute.
Wildlife photographers have shared extraordinary images capturing dramatic scenes from nature this spring. In Kendal, a sparrowhawk was photographed in pursuit of prey low over the river Kent, a testament to the "right time, right place" nature of wildlife photography.
Further afield on the Durham moors, a rare and significant event was documented: an adder was observed successfully hunting and killing a Eurasian water shrew. This encounter is particularly noteworthy as the water shrew is one of the UK's only two venomous mammals, possessing saliva potent enough to paralyze its own prey.
In Whitehaven, photographers were treated to an unexpected display of avian behaviour, witnessing two dipper birds engaged in what was described as a "lover's tiff." These moments, alongside observations of badgers and puffins on the Farne Islands, highlight the diverse and dynamic wildlife activity being observed across the country this spring.
