A cyclist has lived to tell the tale after seemingly being lined up as potential breakfast by a bird of prey.
The amazing incident was captured on a parish lane in St Ouen by photographer Akos Stelzer at around 8am yesterday, with the angle making it seem like the marsh harrier had the unsuspecting cyclist in his sights.
Gary Stewart, who lives in St Ouen and was commuting along Chemin De L’Ouziere to his job as an IT consultant, was alerted to the picture on Facebook.
Mr Stewart said: “I was actually on the road cycling but it doesn’t look like that. I saw the bird and have a camera on my bike, and when I looked back, I had footage of it from the other side.”
Although he has seen birds of prey previously while cycling, this was the first time that Mr Stewart has ended up pictured alongside one.
For all the light-hearted “breakfast” comments, it seems unlikely that the bird was in fact targeting the cyclist – the RSPB website states that typical prey for marsh harriers, which can have a wingspan of up to 130cm, includes small birds, rodents and frogs.