Bird With Prey: Culver City Photo Of The Week

CULVER CITY, CA – This incredible shot was sent to us by Culver City resident Don Mayeda, who loves snapping pictures of birds while walking his dogs. But what makes this photo extra special is the details. Look closely – a slithery snake is wrapped around the bird's talons.

This particular photo was taken at the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area in Los Angeles using a Canon 7D Mark II camera with a Canon 100mm-400mm zoom lens attached, Mayeda said. He started taking photos of birds about three years ago – after his first photo of a hawk in-flight, he was hooked.

"If it were not for our dogs, I would not be outdoors nearly as much and I certainly wouldn't be taking any pictures of birds," he said.

After posting a jaw-dropping action shot of the bird with the snake in its mouth in a local Culver City Facebook group, members urged Mayeda to enter the PhotoConLA photography contest, and he won! The photo featured is the same bird and snake that were in his winning photo.

Got a photo share? It seems everyone's a photographer these days. Cell phones capture amazing images, and true DSLR cameras render detail that almost looks surreal. So we got to thinking, why not share the pictures we receive, and see elsewhere, with you?

Have you got the next incredible photo? If you have an awesome photo of nature, breath-taking scenery, kids caught being kids, a pet doing something funny or something unusual you happen to catch, we'd love to feature it on Patch. We're looking for high-resolution images that reflect the beauty of your city, and that show off your unique talents.

So, bring 'em on. No selfies. Not here.

Send your photos to autumn.johnson@patch.com and we'll post the feature on an occasional basis. Or — post it for free in our bulletin board section on the site, and we'll feature it up top. Be sure to also include when and where the shot was taken and any other details about what was going on.

Photo courtesy of Don Mayeda