Parahawking
Parahawking describes the combination of paragliding and falconry . Here, birds of prey are trained by a falconer to fly together with paragliders. Both use the natural thermal updraft sources .
Paraglider, hang glider and glider pilots often report on common flights with wild birds of prey. However, these are almost always chance encounters and usually only last a few minutes. When parahawking, the bird often accompanies “its” pilots for several hours and often flies alongside at a distance of a few meters.
history
The Italian Angelo d'Arrigo from Catania in Sicily , who flew kites and paragliders with self-reared birds of prey from around 2001, became known for his many spectacular activities . The Englishman Scott Mason also carried out flights with self-reared black kites and vultures from around 2001 to February 15, 2017 in Pokhara ( Nepal ) . In Denmark , Louise Crandal raised a steppe eagle in 2005 and flew with it.
In Europe, the Lenggries falconer Paul Klima is currently the only one who does this professionally and takes his own birds into the air. Since obtaining his license in 2008, he has been training some of his raptors specifically to accompany him in the air. Since the end of 2009 a golden eagle, a red kite and a few falcons have been trained to follow their falconer into the air. With the support of his team and the flight instructor and photographer Helmut Achatz, the birds of prey have now been able to land alternately on two parachutes in the air. Thermal flights with the golden eagle or kite over several hours could already be carried out. It is possible as a passenger on a tandem paraglider to take to the air together with the large birds.
As a special highlight, some birds are trained to fly with a full HD camera on their backs. This enables unique film recordings in television quality. Corresponding film productions are currently in the making and show for the first time the perspective "with eagle eyes" from the air. TV programs about and with the trained birds of prey ran on various TV channels.
Individual evidence
- ^ Anna Elkins: BBC - Travel - Soaring over Nepal with threatened vultures. February 27, 2015, accessed October 25, 2016 .
- ↑ Scott Hjertas Mason: Our last ever Parahawking flight in Nepal. February 15, 2017, accessed March 7, 2017 .
- ↑ About Parahawking & Falconry. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012 ; accessed on February 9, 2017 .
Web links
- Video Terra X: Germany from above 1: “Land” - in HD! (December 1, 2013, 12:45 p.m., 43:27 min.) In the ZDFmediathek , accessed on February 5, 2014.
- Lengries falconry, Bavarian television
- The fjord in the mountains - a year at Vilsalpsee, Bavarian television ( Memento from March 30, 2010 in the Internet Archive )