I tried to capture the food chain, the difference in the power and the inequalities of life

Disclaimer: This post will consist of more pictures and fewer words.

These pictures were taken on my Pixel device at around 6:40 in the morning at the beach while I was trying to catch the sunrise. Mind you, I wasn’t completely in the right state of mind or fully conscious (though I won’t tell you why). Let’s just say I was having my "higher self" moment.

What I managed to capture was a beautiful display of how the food chain operates and how animals—including humans—have learned to coexist and work as symbionts.

One such scene unfolded at 6:30 in the morning at Hawksbay Beach, where fishermen were sorting through their night’s catch. There, I observed three species doing what they do best:

• Humans
• Dogs
• Birds

_W3W

In this picture, you can see the fishermen just beginning to pull their catch from the net and sort it out. And in no time, three dogs appeared. Notice how these dogs made no effort to interfere with the fishermen’s work; instead, they simply sat quietly at the side, waiting.

And then… came the birds.

These pictures might look the same to someone who isn’t paying close attention, but for those who observe deeply, the story within them becomes clear. I had to be highly focused and quick to capture the right shots.

Do you see these birds circling around the fishermen and the dogs? Look closely, notice how their distance and height gradually decrease. What’s happening? The birds are carefully scanning for their potential breakfast, all while maintaining a safe distance from both the fishermen and the dogs. They are waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Lunging at the food and swiftly flying away before anyone can react.

And look. It did happen. In a split second, in the blink of an eye, an eagle dived downward, swift and precise. With a single motion, it secured its prey and vanished into the vastness of the sky. A moment so fleeting, yet so profound.

This entire scene unfolded within mere minutes,no more than five or ten,yet it left me with a deep lesson and a fresh perspective on life. Observe the hierarchy of power, the unspoken order of nature, and how each organism, whether predator or prey, instinctively understands and accepts its role within this grand ecosystem. Fear, survival, hunger—these are the forces that bind every living being. Each creature, from the smallest bird to the mightiest human, operates under the same fundamental law: the need to feed, the need to sustain.

Some scientists argue that reproduction is the most basic driving force of life. But I find myself drawn to a different perspective. One that places hunger at the center of existence. After all, without nourishment, could any life persist long enough to reproduce? Perhaps, at its core, life is a relentless pursuit of sustenance, a never-ending cycle of seeking, consuming, and surviving.

And in that brief moment, watching nature unfold, I understood.