A flock of birds screamed spectacularly as a predator swooped down to kill them, forcing them into the shape of an exclamation point.
Photographer Nuray Gonulalan was surprised when she looked up and saw the familiar punctuation symbol, often associated with shock or panic, floating above her.
He grabbed his camera and captured the flock of birds in their striking formation as they desperately tried to escape at Lake Mogan, Ankara, Turkey.
‘Like a cartoon’: Photographer Nuray Gonulalan captured a flock of birds forming an exclamation point while being attacked by a predator at Lake Mogan, Ankara, Turkey
Taken Shape: The flock of birds also formed a tornado-like shape in the sky
Amazed: photographer Nuray Gonulalan
Ms Gonulalan said: “It was an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capture the sign, which everyone recognises.”
‘It was my lucky day, I got a lot of photos from this event. Nature was very generous to me that day.’
Nuray had been waiting patiently in hopes of photographing a rare bird when he saw the swooping flock out of the corner of his eye.
But after being distracted by the group’s astonishing shape, he quickly turned his attention to the flock which was made up of around 5,000 birds.
She said: “It was almost like they were screaming for help, just like you would see in a cartoon.”
«There were between 4,000 and 5,000 Sturnus vulgaris birds present, which define their direction of flight according to the sun. When the predator approached, they began to make interesting shapes and flying formations to avoid it.
‘It was an incredible sight; I will never forget her. It was a visual feast that changed every second. I couldn’t stop watching until the end.’