A Literal Bird’s-Eye View: Head-Mounted Camera Captures Falcon as He Flies and Hunts
- Posted on August 16, 2012 at 10:52am by
Liz Klimas
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Head cams — a small video camera mounted on one’s head — are becoming increasingly popular as the technology becomes more affordable. Everyone from extreme sports enthusiasts to TheBlaze’s own Mike Opelka has one. But here’s another interesting use of helmet cam technology: falcon cam.
Fitting a falcon with a small helmet embedded with a tiny video camera, the falcon cam shows the steadiness of the bird’s flight, how it hunts and a stunning view of the landscape.
The small falcon cam before being put on the bird. (Image: YouTube screenshot)
The helmet at first covers the birds eyes until his owners unleash him. (Image: YouTube screenshot)
(Image: YouTube screenshot)
View from the falcon cam. (Image: YouTube screenshot)
(Image: YouTube screenshot)
The video uploaded a few days ago by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council writes that the footage was taken in 2011 and “will blow your mind away.” Check it out:
In Abu Dhabi using falcons to hunt, as seen in the above video, is a cultural tradition. So popular is falconry, that the area even opened a falcon hospital in 1999 to care for the birds of prey. CNN reported on the state-of-the-art facility in 2010, calling falconry “an integral part of the region’s cultural heritage”:
Hospital director Margrit Muller told CNN: “Falconry is not regarded as a sport in the UAE, as it is in the United States and Europe.
“In the Middle East falconry has a different background. Even 70 years ago in the UAE most of the population were Bedouin living in the desert.
“It was hard to survive, so they used wild falcons to hunt meat. It wasn’t a sport, it was a necessity for survival.
“So falcons were integrated into the Bedouin family like a child and even today, falcons have exactly the same position in the family. They’re not regarded as a sports tool — they are like a son or daughter.”
The BBC and PBS have also in recent years shown what a the bird’s eye view from falcon looks like, except the camera was mounted more on the animal’s back. Watch BBC’s report:
See PBS’ video here.
(H/T: Gizmodo)
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Comments (51)
Meyvn
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 4:11pmKinda cool, but I would not call it mind blowing.
Report Post »SgtB
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 11:14pmAgreed. However, and this is a big however; there is a video of some men from Mongolia I believe, who hunt down wolves with their trained EAGLES! That video is mind blowing the first through fifth time you see an eagle take down a 50+ pound Mongolian wolf.
Report Post »charleyrocks
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 4:03amdon’t men have better things to do with their time!!!
Report Post »yiddishlion
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 4:27amI decided NOT to watch the video because if it ACTUALLY blows my mind away I will then become a liberal.
Report Post »dont_drive_slow_in_the_left_lane_obliviot
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 3:46pmtotal return of the jedi scene through the trees, cool as crap.
Report Post »hi
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 3:38pmSo evolutionists think this bird spontaneously developed those skills. But with all our amazing scientific intelligence, our drones are unable to quickly fly in and out of trees like that. Our scientific inventions ate nothing as compared to God’s creations.
Report Post »Pilgrimsarbour
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 2:40amI can’t get over how level and steady his head remained in flight. The camera was so smooth. Remarkable.
Report Post »THX-1138
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 3:36pmJust a glimpse of the real world for us civilized humans. It makes one reflect on the brevity and delicate nature of life…
Report Post »blair152
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 3:34pmOne word: WOW!
Report Post »COFemale
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 2:38pmAmazing to watch. I love watching them when I attend the Air Force Academy football games. The cadets who handle the Peregrine Falcon conduct a demonstration and many times the bird has flown directly over me. They will stay in the confines of the stadium, but one time one of the Falcons decided to go on his own hunt and heck with the swirling bait; I was there for that time. They caught up to him about an hour later near the stadium. It was hilarious to watch. They even made a joke of him flying away.
Report Post »TunaBlue
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 2:09pmAwesome. My brother had a hawks when we were kids. Our father would take us to the high desert to hunt rodents and such. It was amazing to watch the birds hunt. It was soon banned, as was taking [anything] from the desert.
Report Post »Abila
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 2:02pmHow cool!
Report Post »ThankBabyJesus
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 1:48pmneat
Report Post »DIVINEPROVIDENCE1776
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 1:29pmThat is awesome!
Report Post »Beachmastermax
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 1:27pmObviously a dry run. Next time they strap the bomb on the bird.
Report Post »cerlav
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 1:46pmwe have drones and blimps now. if we strapped bombs to birds they would quickly unionize and then we’d have to pay for the vet care, etc.
Report Post »Alydia
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 10:11pmLol
Report Post »beggindog
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 1:23pmSo they release some game bird and the falcon nails it. Controlled hunt. Wow. But it’s “an integral part of the region’s cultural heritage”–yeah, so is stoning. Let us celebrate, all together now…:\
Report Post »liberalsarefunny
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 12:55pmMan oh man–that is some seriously ugly music in the background…..
Report Post »Patrick Henry
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 1:11pmBeing a source of support to a friend, loved one or even a stranger can be very rewarding, but when other people’s problems negatively affect your life you need to re-evaluate the relationship. You can’t control anyone else but yourself, so begin with that. Become the Amazing You and Dump The Drama from your life.
Report Post »GREENDOG
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 1:28pmwhere are all the goats?
Report Post »threedoor
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 12:16pmBeautifull bird.
Report Post »Eric_The_Red_State
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 12:15pmA-well-a everybody’s heard about the bird
Report Post »B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a don’t you know about the bird?
Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word!
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a everybody’s heard about the bird
B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a don’t you know about the bird?
Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word!
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a everybody’s heard about the bird
B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is th
Wyratt
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 12:12pmSo that’s what they do with all their spare time on the dunes…
Report Post »aggiebrewer
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 12:09pmcool video.
Report Post »OniKaze
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 12:01pmI really love animals, and Predators are my favorite variety… Birds-of-prey are amazing…. I have a Bald eagle that hangs out near my house (and has been for quite a long time….) and every now and then, If I see it flying around outside, I will throw a piece of chicken into the air, and sometimes the bird will go and grab it before it hits the ground….
They amaze me…. Just like large cats, I can’t get enough of watching them…
Report Post »macpappy
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 2:49pmOn Bolivar Peninsula, Tx the hawk, falcon,and eagle population is great at the right time of year, Your Yorkie, Pomeranian, or other small dogs have to be kept inside or carefully watched. I guess cats put up too much of a fight.
Report Post »capitalismrocks
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 11:57amThe video is very cool, the annoying music was the only thing I didn’t like…
Report Post »phillyatheist
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 11:44ami love this stuff. if i could afford it i’d get into falconry. these birds are just too awesome for words.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 3:03pm“if i could afford it i’d get into falconry” Thanks for sharing Philly! :-O
Report Post »But you’ll never get your very own falcon by supporting Obama, you’ll be lucky to afford a parakeet.
KeithOlberdink
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 11:30amI wonder if his scalp itches with that little hat on.
Report Post »Mr.Fitnah
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 11:17am“will blow your mind away” , not really. Can the editors kind of try to get their stuff together a little bit?
Report Post »beggindog
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 1:08pmThank you, I expected more…
Report Post »AMENDMENT
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 11:16amNext they will be strapping on suicide vests and belts to the bird.
Report Post »Pilgrimsarbour
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 2:42amThey culled the camera and head gear together from some left over bomb parts.
Report Post »BannedByHuffpo
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 11:14amYou sure these clips weren’t from Curiosity? The landscape looks like Mars.
Report Post »TEARS FOR AMERICA
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 5:52pmThat is what struck me was the god-forsaken landscape…bleak…cursed…depressing…now the bird- that was incredible.
Report Post »Usa1Ing
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 5:58pmHuffpo banned me too …. Just sayin lol
Report Post »Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 10:56amBio-Drones?
Report Post »