Incredible picture and lucky escape for woodpecker!

The look on the woodpeckers face says its true to me.... they don't normally look like that in flight! (plus who in their right mind would think, 'I know, today I'm going to get a photo of a weasel and cut and paste it onto the back of a green woodpecker.....') it is actually fairly plausible, given that green woodpeckers spend a lot of time on the ground, I've seen stoats have a go at them before round here, granted never a weasel, but hey..... my money says true.
 
Why is it not latched onto the back of the woodpeckers neck with its teeth as it would have done almost instantly? The front leg is not in a wrapped around gripping position either. I doubt it just went along for the ride?
MS
 
A lesser spotted woodpecker, which I think this is, generally measures around 6" and a weasel is probably a bit bigger, how much bigger depending on the age and whether male or female. I therefore wonder if this is a young weasel, not yet totally proficient in hunting. That would explain the ability for the bird to be able to fly off before the weasel presses home the attack.
 
Stoats often take birds which take off before expiring but as MS points out the weasel would be biting through the neck, mind you timing is everything I was once walking my spaniel along the beach when a sparrowhawk took a collared dove in mid flight, then there was noise like paper ripping as a peregrine dropped like a stone struck the sparrowhawk which subsequently dropped the dove and before the hawk hit the ground the falcon plucked it away. The spaniel retrieved the dove which I dispatched.

True story.
 
A lesser spotted woodpecker, which I think this is, generally measures around 6" and a weasel is probably a bit bigger, how much bigger depending on the age and whether male or female. I therefore wonder if this is a young weasel, not yet totally proficient in hunting. That would explain the ability for the bird to be able to fly off before the weasel presses home the attack.

Its a green woodpecker, about 5 times the size of a lesser spot......
 
Why is it not latched onto the back of the woodpeckers neck with its teeth as it would have done almost instantly? The front leg is not in a wrapped around gripping position either. I doubt it just went along for the ride?
MS

Neck bites can miss the vital spot. Clearly it's relying on hydrostatic shock to ensure a clean kill...
 
Why is it not latched onto the back of the woodpeckers neck with its teeth as it would have done almost instantly? The front leg is not in a wrapped around gripping position either. I doubt it just went along for the ride?
MS

That was my view as well. It would have bitten immediately I would have thought.
 
Fantastic photo , it doesn't look at all to me like the weasel is attacking it more like trying to hump it
 
Why is it not latched onto the back of the woodpeckers neck with its teeth as it would have done almost instantly? The front leg is not in a wrapped around gripping position either. I doubt it just went along for the ride?
MS
My vote goes to .................... photoshop.
The birds eyes don`t look right plus with a weight on its back it wouldn`t have got much height so where are the birds feet?
 
Neck bites can miss the vital spot. Clearly it's relying on hydrostatic shock to ensure a clean kill...

Hydrostatic..... hmmmm. How do you calculate that> Weght of teeth, jaws, velocity of biting....

SS
 
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