ML327402191
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
***mega. First state record found the day prior by Rick Bowes, who also photographed it on April 5. Refound this morning by MJI at ~07:05. Possibly heard and seen by MJI and SMW at ~07:00 when two Pluvialis flew south and landed on mudflats south of MJI. After 5 minutes of observation south of the pine stand, it departed to the north and was quickly refound about 500 m up the flats. The plover spent the next couple of hours foraging on the mudflats during the incoming tide. At 08:30, an intense tug-of-war developed between the plover and a worm, both of whom were unusually stubborn. The plover gave an initial tug, to which the worm responded by retreating partially into the mud. The plover obtained a more secure grasp on the worm and began pulling from multiple angles. However, the worm doubled and tripled down on its anchorage. The plover applied every ounce of strength into yanking on this one worm, eventually heaving its body at a 45º angle. The exchanged lasted a couple minutes and culminated in the worm splitting into two halves. However, the digestive tract of the worm remained intact and was attached between the worm’s half that had been swallowed by the plover and the other half still in the mud. When the plover resumed foraging and unwittingly trotted away, the intestine elastically snapped like a rubber band at the basal half still in the mud, and wrapped itself around the plover's head. Despite persistent scratching and shaking, the sticky guts remained knotted around the head for my remaining 20 minutes of observation. Natural selection does not keep score, but if it did it might have called this a tie.
Technical information
- Model
- Canon EOS R5
- Lens
- RF800mm F11 IS STM + EXTENDER RF1.4x
- ISO
- 1250
- Focal length
- 1120 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire
- f-stop
- f/16.0
- Shutter speed
- 1/1250 sec
- Dimensions
- 3556 pixels x 2000 pixels
- Original file size
- 8.88 MB