Battle in the Mulch

As I wandered around the Saint Louis Zoo, camera in hand, I stumbled upon a scene that I couldn't resist capturing. In the dirt and mulch, a starling and prairie dog were engaged in a fierce battle for a peanut that the latter was eating. Dust hung in the air as the starling desperately tried to swoop in and snatch the nut. The crisp details of their struggle and photo-realistic richness of the color tones made my heart race. I captured the insanely detailed image, with the creamy bokeh adding an intimate mood to the already dynamic shot. Who knew wildlife encounters could be this intense?

Add to Cart

Filename: Battle in the Mulch.jpg
Copyright: Bill Tiepelman
Image Size: 6144x6144 / 9.9MB; Starling prairie dog dirt mulch fight peanut eating dust in the air crisp details photo-realistic rich color tones insanely detailed creamy bokeh intimate mood wildlife nature conflict struggle competition food behavior territorial feathers fur ground scavenger natural instincts survival action motion intense balance vibrant close-up capture encounter dramatic wild dynamic visual storytelling moment zoo Missouri Saint Louis Zoo
Contained in galleries: Can You Spare a Nut, European Starling, Prairie Dog

As I wandered around the Saint Louis Zoo, camera in hand, I stumbled upon a scene that I couldn't resist capturing. In the dirt and mulch, a starling and prairie dog were engaged in a fierce battle for a peanut that the latter was eating. Dust hung in the air as the starling desperately tried to swoop in and snatch the nut. The crisp details of their struggle and photo-realistic richness of the color tones made my heart race. I captured the insanely detailed image, with the creamy bokeh adding an intimate mood to the already dynamic shot. Who knew wildlife encounters could be this intense?