# (Graphic Warning)



## JasonF (May 8, 2009)

A couple weeks ago I left a wash bucket outside for about a week and found that a wren had built a nest inside it.  I then welcomed the wren to make home and left the bucket outside for the duration of it's stay.  During this time, I took several shots of the new family as the mother was out looking for food. Once the little fellas flew off, I had planned on posting the "growing up" series here on this forum...
Unfortunately mother nature had other things in mind.
Since day one, I thought this snake might get a meal because it's aways around the yard and I see him weekly(accually we have 2)...honestly I was hoping that wouldn't be the case as I had grown quite fond of the little fellas and facinated by watching them grown each day.

Well today it happened!

I came home quickly to bring my sister some lunch, who was watching Kylie, and as I was leaving I noticed the snake with one of the birds in it's mouth.  By the time I had gone back inside to get the camera, he had swallowed the first bird and was going back for the next.

Now everybody's giving me heck for not killing the snake or removing it but you know, sometimes you got to let mother nature take it's course.  Killing the snake was not an option!!!  And removing it would have done no good because he would have come back for more eventially...
Sooo being a photographer, I instead let mother nature take her course and took some pictures.

Here are some shots I've taken of the birds previous to today's events...


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## JasonF (May 8, 2009)

Here are the shots from today.
If you've got a weak stomach, don't scroll down!
(Graphic Warning Below!!!)


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## Browtine (May 8, 2009)

Yeah, it's hard not to intervene in situations like this, but I usually don't. Good captures of nature being nature!


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## DRB1313 (May 8, 2009)

Wowza!! That is one awesome shot of Nature doing it's thing.
I know it might be hard for some folks to see God's creations doing what they do, but
for me that is just AWESOME!!!
Shutter Salute on these Jason!!


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## JasonF (May 8, 2009)

Thanks David!! 
It was a bitter sweet experience!


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## quinn (May 8, 2009)

Great job,just getting the camera.Thanks for sharing.Mother Nature at her best.


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## Paymaster (May 8, 2009)

Thats just Awesome,thanks for sharing!


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## Hoss (May 8, 2009)

Jason, natures tough, you did the right thing capturing the real world.  Great shots.

Hoss


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## Colonel K0rn (May 9, 2009)

Wow! It had already swallowed one, and got another? That was one hungry snake!


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## stev (May 9, 2009)

Mother nature doing its business.


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## Mako22 (May 9, 2009)

No such thing as mother nature and I would have killed the snake.


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## bristol_bound (May 9, 2009)

Jason, I have to be honest I would have been conflicted as to what to do. I hope I would have done the same as you, and am glad you did. Several lessons in this for us to ponder and share with others, good teaching opportunity as well I believe.
Great shots also, thanks!


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## Mr. Fishunt (May 9, 2009)

*Snake vs. Wrens*

Thanks for sharing!

Mr. Fishunt


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## letsemwalk (May 9, 2009)

well, some make it and some don't, thats the world. thanks for sharing.


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## JasonF (May 9, 2009)

Woodsman69 said:


> No such thing as mother nature and I would have killed the snake.



To each his own


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## Crickett (May 9, 2009)

Thanks for sharing. Sometimes people forget the reality of life & death when it comes to animals in nature. Everything has to eat to survive & yeah it maybe a harsh reality for some to understand but hey that's the circle of life. If it wouldn't have been the snake it would've been some other animal/reptile later down the road. JMO. 


Oh yeah What kinda snake is that?


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## JasonF (May 9, 2009)

Crickett said:


> Thanks for sharing. Sometimes people forget the reality of life & death when it comes to animals in nature. Everything has to eat to survive & yeah it maybe a harsh reality for some to understand but hey that's the circle of life. If it wouldn't have been the snake it would've been some other animal/reptile later down the road. JMO.
> 
> 
> Oh yeah What kinda snake is that?



We call em black racer's down here....I'm sure there is a common name for them though.
They do more good than harm...eat mice & rodents.


The circle of life is a good way to put it.  We (humanity) just happen to live right in the middle of it...not the snakes fault.


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## Crickett (May 9, 2009)

Yep them are the good snakes. I would rather have one of them around than some nasty rodents.


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## huntin_dobbs (May 9, 2009)

Nice shots! Im like most of yall and would be torn between what I'd do! But hey snakes gotta eat too!


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## 11P&YBOWHUNTER (May 11, 2009)

Well Jason...nice shots but i would have been more intent on photographing them as they grew...i think i would have gotten rid of the snake.  But,...the snake and youngin shots are cool too!


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## GAranger1403 (May 12, 2009)

Very cool indeed! Them snakes gotta eat too!


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## Capt Gary (May 12, 2009)

Nature's balance. 
For everything that lives....something else dies.


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## picasso (May 12, 2009)

Mmmmm...Tastes like chicken!


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## grizzlyblake (May 12, 2009)

Cool shots but I'm a big baby and would have intervened. I just couldn't watch it. I know some of y'all say it's just harsh nature, but so would a snake biting my puppy, which I had to keep from happening yesterday.


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## FERAL ONE (May 12, 2009)

great documentation jason !!! had to be hard to watch, but thanks for sharing !!!


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## JasonF (May 12, 2009)

Thanks yall!!
The snake was back at the bucket yesterday, though it's empty.
I didn't have time at the moment to take any pictures but I know I will see him again.


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## NCHillbilly (May 13, 2009)

Cool shots. For the interveners and snake-killers, why is a bird automatically worth more then a snake? Gotta be five thousand wrens out there for every black racer. No different from the wren eating baby grasshoppers.


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## Bruz (May 13, 2009)

Now here's the conundrum......Were the birds placed in front of you for a reason? for protection? Did you fail them today? We...in fact are part of "Mother Nature" as well and were given the ability to feel compassion and for a reason.....right? 

These are thoughts I go through whenever I happen upon a situation in nature that I could change or impact.

Nice captures by the way.


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## Whiteeagle (May 13, 2009)

Just saw Jason's Pics & story. Great job in both catagories, Jason. The snake in the picture is not only harmless, it is also on the endangered/protected list. Again, great job!!!!!


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## DYI hunting (May 13, 2009)

Nature following it's natural course.  Very impressive captures!


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## BornToHuntAndFish (May 13, 2009)

Good job on the photos.  That's not my favorite side of nature the way it takes its course, survival of the fittest, the lower parts of the food chain feeding the upper food chain.


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## germag (May 13, 2009)

Very cool shots! You did exactly the right thing by not interfering. It was nature working as designed.


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## JasonF (May 13, 2009)

Bruz, I never said I didn't feel compassion for the birds but instead that I hoped our resident snake would not get to them because I had grown facinated in watching them grow.
Just because I didn't get what I wanted doesn't give me the right to disrupt the balance of nature IMO.
All wild animals are equal in my mind and if I happend apon a bird eating baby snakes, nothing would change.


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## Slingblade (May 13, 2009)

Great capture.  Thanks for posting.


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## hawgrider1200 (May 14, 2009)

survival of the fittest. Momma bird was not too smart. Shoul not have built her nest in a bucket so low to the ground any predator could get em there. So the baby birds would have had the gene for stupid and now they can't pass it on.


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## grizzlyblake (May 14, 2009)

There are tons of dogs out there too, but when mine wants to investigate a rattler I don't just let nature do its thing. By that logic you should let your children get into whatever they may because it's just how nature works...


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## Hoss (May 14, 2009)

OK folks if you want to discuss the rights and wrongs of intervening in situations like this, take it over to the campfire forum.  The discussion on this forum is about photography.  

Hoss


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