据悉，这些照片已经交给了野生和湿地基金会(Wildlife and Wetland Trust)的贾勒特 (Nigel Jarrett)，他目前在英国的自然保护区照看着全世界数量最多的火烈鸟群。贾勒特称：“这些照片太令人吃惊了，我从来没有如此近距离地观察过火烈鸟。在土狼袭击鸟群时，你能够十分真切地感受到整个火烈鸟鸟群的慌张。”
这些照片将成为《东非大裂谷》(The Great Rift Valley of East Africa)这本书中一个系列的一部分。(海澜)作者: oops1 时间: 2009-6-9 19:59 Pictured: The incredible moment a hyena attacks a flock of flamingos
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:42 PM on 08th June 2009
Standing on the edge of a Kenyan lake, the hundreds of pink flamingos are enjoying a relaxing rest and a leisurely feast.
And then the atmosphere changes: the birds stiffen and then begin running across the shallow waters in a desperate bid to get airborne.
Then the reason for their distress becomes obvious, as a hungry hyena bounds onto the scene and gives chase to the fleeing pink birds.
The fearsome predator shows a surprising turn of speed, plucking one unlucky bird straight from the air as it desperately tries to take flight.
The dainty birds are fine at flying, but they need a run-up to get out of reach of the killer's claws.
The chase is on... The hyena has found his victim, and the poor flamingo has no choice but to attempt a flight
Captured: The camouflaged camera caught the moment the hyena dived into a flamingo pack and made a kill
And as the hyena grabs a pink-feathered wing in its jaws, for this bird the chase is up.
The moment was captured by British photographer Anup Shah, who used a camera camouflaged as a boulder to get the bird's-eye view of the attack.
He said: 'This is the first time anyone has tried this technique with a flamingo flock of having the camera right inside the flock.
'It was essential we did not disturb the bird's routine so that they acted entirely naturally for the shots.'
He added: 'We had to camouflage the camera and keep it on a floating platform away from the damaging caustic lake waters.
'It was definitely worth it because we were able to get a real feel of what it is like to be a flamingo in a flock of millions.
'I was there when the hyena attacked, and it was unusual to watch.
'Hyenas are opportunistic hunters and they will try to catch flamingos but they do not have the protection from the burning effects of the lake like the birds do.
'They often attack in the morning when the birds are gathered in their greatest numbers near to the shore of the lake, because of fresh water rivers which flow there which they can drink from.
Safety in numbers: The flamingos rush past the camera at full speed, each hoping to escape the jaws of the hungry predator
'The fitter birds are the ones which get away and get in the air quickly, it is the weaker ones which are in danger like the bird that was caught.'
Mr Shah added: 'It is amazing to capture a sequence like this on camera and even more so because you really get the feel of the panic in the flock because of the closeness of the lens.
'This particular group that was attacked had a few hundred individuals.'
Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley soda lakes. It lies to the south of Nakuru, in central Kenya and is protected by a small Lake Nakuru National Park. Its name means 'Dust or Dusty Place' in the native Maasai language.
The pictures were shown to Wildlife and Wetland Trust's Nigel Jarrett, who looks after the biggest population of flamingos in the world outside of the wild in sites across the UK.
He said: 'These pictures are stunning, I have never seen a flamingo this close before although sadly I guess a hyena must do.
'You really do get the impression of panic in the flock as the hyena starts hunting.
'It takes these birds a little while to get airborne because they need a bit of a run up, sadly for one flamingo it didn't run fast enough.
'These are lesser flamingos which are about a metre tall, but the hyena looks huge compared to the birds, it must have been like a knife slicing through butter when it attacked the flock.'
The images are part of a series published in the book 'The Great Rift Valley of East Africa'.作者: oops1 时间: 2009-6-9 20:18
Cubcam: Hidden cameras capture amazing images of the secret life of lions and their young
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:02 AM on 30th April 2009
On a lazy afternoon in the Masai Mara, southern Kenya, three lion cubs are roused from their siesta.
Spotting something in the grass, the inquisitive trio move in for a closer look.
Captured by a remote camera disguised with elephant dung and grass, these intimate images give a unique insight in to the life of a jungle king.
Ready for their close up: Lion cubs from the Ol Liombo pride in the Masai Mara, Kenya
Wildlife photographers Anup and Manoj Shah have spent a total of six months in the heart of the Masai Mara, photographing some of the 20 prides that roam the area.
Travelling to the nature reserve last July, the brothers used remote and stand-alone cameras to capture images of the Ol Kiombo, Paradise Plain, Bilashaka and Topi Plain prides.
Observing their behaviour and interaction, the Shah brothers returned in February, March and April this year to see their progress.
'Like Einstein said, "There is no one true perspective", and in these photographs we achieved a perspective that we had never imagined,' says Anup, who lives in Watford, Herts.
Grin and bare it: Remote cameras hidden under elephant dung and grass were used to capture images of the cubs and these mature lions
'I am most satisfied with the images which show the personality of the lions.
'There is one image of three lion cubs in the Ol Kiombo pride. They look slightly bold and a little apprehensive but that is exactly what a lion cub is.'
Born and raised in Kenya by Indian parents, brothers, Anup and Manoj are self taught wildlife photographers.
Concentrating on the behaviour of mammals, the brothers were astonished by the results their remote cameras brought.
Placed near watering holes and resting places of each pride, two remote cameras were triggered by movement with images automatically taken every time an infrared beam was broken.
Tight spot: A cub from the Bilashaka pride is trapped by a herd of Cape Buffalo
'I have known and followed these prides of lions for over ten years,' explains Anup.
'Lions are creatures of habit to a certain extent and so you can predict where they are going to rest, where they might go to drink water and so on.
'Each pride keeps on moving so we would position the two remote cameras before a pride would arrive at each point.
'At the end of the day we would collect the camera and drive ahead of the pride their next destination.
'How do you anticipate what is going to happen next? That was the most challenging aspect of the project - then it was a matter of luck.'
The mane event: A mature male lion runs past the camera
Set up in 1961, the Masai Mara National Reserve in southern Kenya, covers 1,510km2 of open grassland and savannah, studded with arcadia trees.
There are 20 prides (and a total of 400-500 lions) but the Bilashaka pride is the most famous, having featured in the BBC's Big Cat Diary series since 1996.
Picking up the the Bilashaka pride in 2008, Anup and Manoj followed the nine cubs, four females and two males for over a year.
Upon their return to the Masai Mara in February this year, the brothers were able to capture the rapid growth and changing behaviour of the Bilashaka pride and their cubs.
'We followed the Bilashaka cubs from when they were three months old to when they are one year and above,' he says.
'Their behaviour evolved in just a few short months. As they got older they became less inquisitive and more in tune with hunting.
'They also travelled a lot more because when they were young the mothers restricted their wandering but now they go further and further afield. But one thing that hasn't changed is they are still very playful.'
Set to be showcased in a new book, 'The Lions Of Mara', which will be released in 2011, the brothers will return to the Masai Mara later this year to collate more images to finish their project.作者: 桃子 时间: 2009-6-9 22:53
opps1，我看你几十年如一日地转帖，风雨不改，实在是佩服的紧哪。
