Last March I posted about what may turn out to be the most famous natural-history photograph of all time. It’s this one, taken by Martin Le-May in Hornchurch Country Park, and shows a stunning encounter between a European green woodpecker (Picus viridis) and a weasel who tried to jump it, probably a least weasel (Musetla nivalis). The woodpecker did escape, by the way (see an update here).
Despite all the naysayers who pronounced the photo a fake (see my earlier post), it did turn out to be real. And now Hornchurch Country Park, a former RAF base, has a sign commemorating the photo! This tw**t from Ravenstone Press was sent to me by Matthew Cobb:
Sub
Very similar to the owl warning sign the Rachel Maddow show created.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/watch/maddow-show-performs-civil-owl-sign-service-397117507544
That’s fantastic! I love Maddow!
Great!
It’s a good thing something like that hasn’t happened in Canada. We could end up with a touristy sign proudly declaring Town-Such-and-Such, Home of the woodpecker-riding beaver. 😛
Now that’s not got any salacious overtones, nosiree!
b&
Teehee… I’m working up racking some ‘most embarrassing moments’ so I can enter a future book contest. I keep coming up empty for these things. 🙂
wth… I meant to type “working on racking up”..
Shirley that’s the beaver that got stuffed shortly before they started filming (umm, struggles) Naked Gun 33_1/3 ?
Don’t call me Shirley!
🐸
Wow its own sign! It went viral into meat space!
You say “probably” a least weasel Mustela nivalis, suggesting a degree of doubt, but I think we can be pretty sure that is what it is. There is one possible confusion species in England, namely the stoat, Mustela erminea, which is significantly larger and has a black tip to the tail. The tail is visible in some of the photos (albeit not very sharp) and I think there is no suggestion of a black tip.
I can picture an army (air-force?) Of these coming soon. I think we may be doomed.
Makes me wonder what the average flight speed of a European green woodpecker is when laden with a least weasel…
It would depend on whether the weasal was carrying a coconut at the time.
Reblogged this on eduardohomem.
Oh, that kind of sign. I was rather imagining a singles-bar conversation like this:
She: “Hi, I’m a Pisces. What sign are you?”
He: “Woodpecker-riding weasel.”
Hee heeeeee
For certain bars … that might work surprisingly well.
(Scribbles in Little Black Book.)
Reminiscent of Rollie Free at Bonneville (in the estimation of many, the most famous photo in motorcycling).
That’s impressive!
The fact that this photo is genuine makes the universe a slightly less bleak place.
Of course this even more amazing video has still attracted very little concern.
😗
Holy crap that’s appalling! Poor baby.
The baby has a story he’ll be able to tell for the rest of his life though.
I believe that was debunked a while ago. Believe PCC posted about it, too. 🙂
I must have missed that. Anyway, the video makes me want to now look around for my ole kitty whenever there’s a hawk circling the neighbourhood.
I think Great Horned Owls get more cats in the US than hawks do.