People think that being an apex predator is pretty easy. You get to eat what you want, go where you want, you are on the top tier of the ecosystem. Take for instance the story of the Eastern Osprey. Our protagonist sits heroically in the top of an old dead tree contemplating whether he should go and catch a fish for breakfast. He looks majestic – a master of the air and a ruthless hunter. Life looks good for the osprey.

 

 

 

 

After a feed of fish the osprey sits himself in the top of a tree to allow the sun to dry out his feathers. It’s a chance to relax. Suddenly thwack! An Australian Raven decides he’s in the wrong place and attacks the Osprey from behind. Now you’d expect the osprey to put up a bit of a fight and assert his dominance him being the larger and more powerful bird. But he doesn’t and he skulks off to quieter spot.

The moral of the story is that is always someone who wants to knock you off of your perch.