In the Cycle of Life and Death

It was a cold, cloudy winter morning in mid-January. The air was still, and only buzzards had been quite active since before the sunrise. Among them, one individual stood out due to his aggressive behaviour. This buzzard successfully chased away all competitors from the carrion on which it had been feeding for an extended period. It won each fight against others who attempted to take food from its table.

For a moment, it appeared that the bird had eaten enough and was ready to fly away. However, it changed its mind and continued to feed, seemingly packing away more food as if it could have some more for takeaway. Despite having a full stomach and goitre, it still found room for more bites.

I waited patiently for take-off, with my finger poised on the camera trigger, ready to capture the moment. However, the bird remained intensely focused on eating and showed no signs of leaving. The silence was occasionally broken by the impatient calls of other buzzards waiting their turn.

Suddenly, something incredible and absolutely shocking happened.

At one point, I saw a fox jump out of nowhere and deftly grab a surprised bird by the neck. The bird struggled to break free from the fox's clenched jaws, but escaping into the sky was futile. It was much too late. The fox immediately started running away without loosening its grip, while the bird continued to desperately try to escape.

In an instant, they both disappeared from my sight.

The fox must have crawled unnoticed sometime earlier, taking advantage of the uneven terrain. The attack was carefully prepared and extremely precise.

The attacker was in poor condition and likely suffered from scabies, so his days were numbered. The captured bird certainly prolonged its existence and satisfied hunger for a short time.

This was one of the most unusual and shocking experiences I have ever had while photographing birds. Although it seemed brutal, it was a part of the natural cycle of life and death.