Eagle vision

[frozentripper]

If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to fly like an eagle... an eagle was fitted with a camera and released from the top of the 2,715 foot Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest building, on Saturday, 14th March, 2016. The eagle's handler is standing among islands, buildings and people. Somehow from that altitude, the eagle actually picks out and recognizes the trainer from all of the other objects, and people. You can see it searching for its trainer. Completely invisible to a human eye and the camera, it then folds its wings and dives like a bullet straight to it's trainer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g95E4VSfj0

Uncut, 5-plus minute version of the eagle's flight searching for it's trainer...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um8M9azpmb4&t=0s

 

[Odyssey]

Falconry, the sport of kings. Or is that horse racing? Anyway, really cool to see a perspective we can (and often) only dream about. Am I the only one here who sometimes dreams of flying? Incredible feeling of freedom, just jumping off and "swimming" through the air. Then there's the frustrating dream where you're being pursued and try to jump and fly...but you just land with a THUD on your flat feet again, and get running again. Run and jump, run and jump. Funny, I could fly yesterday?
Isn't the fear of heights one of those natural fears we all share? Like the fear of loud noises and the fear of great speed? I think those are natural, or maybe my best friend's elderly mom was just trying to make me feel better telling me that, 'cause her driving was freaking me out. My wife refuses to stand on balconies, walk across bridges, or approach cliff edges. A fairly natural fear I think, being in survival mode I guess. Despite being apprehensive about heights I once cliff jumped. At a family cottage they all convinced me "it would be fun." Yeah, well they didn't have to film it. Apparently I screamed on the way down. I tried for a graceful water entry and ended up with a disgraceful bellyflop. Or was it an assflop? I can't remember, it was all such an irresponsible blur. I nearly backed out of the whole thing, and would have, if it hadn't been for the little girl ahead of me waiting for her turn. I did my best to look casually uninterested in the cliff edge but couldn't fool her. She saw me and reading my trepidation said "Hey mister! It's easy!! Watch me!" And off she went. Little show-off. Just as I turned for the path to climb down I heard her yell from the water below "Come on!! What are ya waiting for!?" It must've been as tall as that Dubai tower, but they said it was only 20 feet. What do they know!?

 

[Cookannapurna]

Absolutely amazing, my son and I just watched it together.

 

[frozentripper]

Hey Odyssey... I've had dreams of flying as well, the lucid kind where the dreamer gets to fly to wherever wanted.... along streets through skyscrapers, over landscapes, etc. The flying while dreaming needed some concentration while asleep and I can't seem to do that in my sleep any more. Mostly the dreams now are of driving north on progressively rougher roads, or of walking streets in Toronto, for some unexplainable reason. There are websites that describe how to develop powers of lucid dreaming but I haven't spent the time finding out how to get better at it. Anyway, glad you enjoyed the eagle vid.

Cookannapurna, I agree those are amazing birds, esp raptors... I got to keep a broad-winged hawk that couldn't fly in the back of my truck several years ago. It spent the down time perched on a dowel platform, eating bits of steak and sleeping at night with it's head under it's wing. Eventually it wanted to leave and flew away. I can see why falconry used to be popular, they're incredibly beautiful birds. Having had the chance at keeping one even for a short time, there was a bond forming and I was sad to see it go. But still fortunate at having had the opportunity. My photos don't get the character across very well, here's a google photo that seems to match the looks very closely... amazing bird.