XIV Edition

                                       Memorial Marialuisa

                                    Mención Especial Fauna

I testi e le immagini di questo sito sono protetti dalle leggi italiane ed internazionali sul diritto d'autore. Ogni riproduzione, traduzione o adattamento sono proibiti senza l'espressa autorizzazione scritta dell'Autore.     Copyright Ferrandi Dario

We left the hut early morning and set off for the fields having barely woken up. Some marmots leaving their dens attracted our attention. Without hesitating, I took my camera and beanbag (a bag full of beans on which I support the heavy tele-photo lens) and crawled towards one of the dens. I took photos of the marmots while they stretched and yawned, having recently woken up. Meanwhile, my sister-in-law brought my attention to a tiny shape that moved frenetically near a large rock. He realised that it was a stoat and he urged me to take a picture. I agreed, although not overly enthusiastically because I thought that the small size of the mustelid, together with its extremely fast movements, would not allow me to get a good shot. To my surprise, the stoat seemed tame and suddenly came up to us as if it wanted to play. In truth, as a merciless and aggressive predator, I think what it wanted to do was attack us to defend its territory. We watched dumbstruck, happy for the lucky and quite unusual encounter. I put the beanbag on the rock and the lens on the support. Its high position enabled me to get an event background, while the trail of grass provided a natural setting. I tried to reflect the moment in which the animal had watched me inquisitively.
       Comment and image are published on the book "Los senderos de la luz".