EagleFilter

September 18, 2013 9:12 AM

Someone strapped a camera to an Eagle. The results are just about as awesome as you'd expect.
posted by jacobian (59 comments total)

Here's a Peregrine taking down a duck.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:16 AM on September 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

This feels like parachuting or hang gliding in Pilotwings.
posted by General Malaise at 9:18 AM on September 18, 2013 [3 favorites]

Now you know how feather mites feel.
posted by rtha at 9:20 AM on September 18, 2013 [3 favorites]

Steve Miller is going to freak when he sees this
posted by any major dude at 9:22 AM on September 18, 2013 [39 favorites]

Dazzling. Better than my lifelong dreams of flying like a raptor.
posted by bearwife at 9:24 AM on September 18, 2013

He ain't no goddamn son of a bitch...
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:30 AM on September 18, 2013 [5 favorites]

Needs more Taarna.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 9:38 AM on September 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Would've been even awesomer if it were longer!
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:38 AM on September 18, 2013

What happened when the eagle slowed and flew into the foliage just before fadeout? I fear the worst.
posted by vverse23 at 9:45 AM on September 18, 2013

I could have watched that for days. thanks for the find.
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:48 AM on September 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Wondrously beautiful and breathtaking.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:49 AM on September 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

I never really had that "I wish I could fly like a bird" thought before.
posted by moonmilk at 9:54 AM on September 18, 2013 [2 favorites]

There was a BBC programme along these lines recently. Here's a clip.
posted by Acey at 9:57 AM on September 18, 2013 [2 favorites]

CAMERAS ON ALL THE THINGS
posted by benzenedream at 9:59 AM on September 18, 2013 [15 favorites]

For once I love the YouTube comments: this is MAJESTIC AS FUCK
posted by sweetkid at 10:12 AM on September 18, 2013 [19 favorites]

After watching the eagle video, my only response is "More! More more more!" Amazing to watch.


The peregrine video unfortunately wobbles a lot more (more flapping, less-secure camera) and I got a little seasick from trying to read the spinning-in text.
posted by bookdragoness at 10:12 AM on September 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Please tell me I wasn't the only one pretending I was Gandalf riding one of The Great Eagles in search of Frodo.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:18 AM on September 18, 2013 [19 favorites]

Both these videos show great technical prowess for getting the cameras onto the birds, then totally clueless handling of titles and overlays.
posted by memebake at 10:21 AM on September 18, 2013 [3 favorites]

> Please tell me I wasn't the only one pretending I was Gandalf...

Nope, that was my first thought too.
posted by sourcequench at 10:23 AM on September 18, 2013

You might want to include an NSFW any time you link to oglaf.com. Safety first, cubicle dwellers!
posted by tmt at 10:30 AM on September 18, 2013

> You might want to include an NSFW any time you link to oglaf.com.

True dat. Sorry. Previous comment NSFW for swears, risque banner ads and being probably one click away from frank cartoon pornography.
posted by sourcequench at 10:38 AM on September 18, 2013

Frank says that it's art, not pornography.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:47 AM on September 18, 2013 [4 favorites]

My cat watched that with me, twice. She was impressed.
posted by antiquated at 10:57 AM on September 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Whether it's art or pornography is a minor tangent compared to having a guy fellating a dick on a door popping up on your screen at work. On the other hand, I get a "18 years or older" warning when I first click on the link. But a NSFW warning still may be polite.

But anyway - apparently the DVD commentary for Return Of The King had a really good counterargument to the "why didn't they just take the eagles to Mordor" - according to Wikipedia, you hear Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh wondering that aloud, and Phillipa Boyens suddenly snaps that the flying Nazguul probably would have been expecting that and would have fought them off. At which point Peter Jackson quietly states that that's a good point.

So it makes sense for them not to have taken the eagles to Mordor so nyah.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:58 AM on September 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Please tell me I wasn't the only one pretending I was Gandalf riding one of The Great Eagles in search of Frodo.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:18 PM on September 18

My first thought was "who gave the Hobbit a video camera?"
posted by elmer benson at 11:05 AM on September 18, 2013

Please tell me I wasn't the only one pretending I was Gandalf riding one of The Great Eagles in search of Frodo.

Actually, my brain cued up the Falcor theme from Neverending Story.
posted by Iridic at 11:08 AM on September 18, 2013 [2 favorites]

Wait, someone is fellating a duck at work?
posted by KokuRyu at 11:19 AM on September 18, 2013

I'd have to dig out the book but I believe the "taking the eagles to Mount Doom" was dismissed outright in the council of Elrond. Not only would the Nazgul be guarding but also: THE RING CORRUPTS EVERYONE WHO CARRIES IT. Hobbits showed the strongest resistance to the precious. Eagles, probably not so much.

While in Theodore Roosevelt Nat'l. Park this summer, we let out dog out to pee. Pippin (I know, I know) is a Pom/Corgi and weighs about 15 pounds. My wife yelled "get Pip back to the car, get him". I see no danger and then look up. Two golden eagles were circling overhead, calling dibs. I never scooped that dog up as fast as I did that day.
posted by Ber at 11:32 AM on September 18, 2013

Wait, someone is fellating a duck at work?

Wait, someone isn't?
posted by aubilenon at 11:32 AM on September 18, 2013 [3 favorites]

Upright walking is nice, I guess, but I wish we had evolved from large birds instead. Like, aquila sapiens.
posted by wachhundfisch at 11:38 AM on September 18, 2013

THE RING CORRUPTS EVERYONE WHO CARRIES IT.

But Bilbo already had the Ring on him when he rode an eagle in The Hobbit, and by all appearances the eagle was no more the worse for it. I mean, okay, maybe the Ring just needs more time to corrupt its bearers, but in that case you could maybe set up some kind of eagle rela-

[A TORTOISE drops out of the sky onto Iridic's SKULL, killing him INSTANTLY.]
posted by Iridic at 11:48 AM on September 18, 2013 [5 favorites]

> THE RING CORRUPTS EVERYONE WHO CARRIES IT. Hobbits showed the strongest resistance to the precious. Eagles, probably not so much.

They could grip it by the husk.
posted by sourcequench at 12:24 PM on September 18, 2013 [6 favorites]

THE RING CORRUPTS EVERYONE WHO CARRIES IT. Hobbits showed the strongest resistance to the precious. Eagles, probably not so much.

Case in point: Don Henley.
posted by mykescipark at 12:25 PM on September 18, 2013 [13 favorites]

this made me start singing my favorite John Ashcroft tune.
posted by entropone at 12:31 PM on September 18, 2013 [2 favorites]

I like the bit around ~:30 where the eagle starts looking around all casual like.

"Doop dee doop dee dooo. Where shall I soar majestically next?"
posted by brundlefly at 12:50 PM on September 18, 2013 [5 favorites]

THE RING CORRUPTS EVERYONE WHO CARRIES IT.

What about the whole Samwise 'but I can carry you' bit then?

But anyway, this is detracting from the point of this thread, which is: wow, eagles are just the best.
posted by Ned G at 1:08 PM on September 18, 2013

Camera strapped to a flying eagle.

Heavy Metal.

Oglaf.

LotR geekery.

Yep...favorite MeFi thread ever...
posted by Fists O'Fury at 2:35 PM on September 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Admittedly a whole lot more interesting than the time I strapped a camera onto a beagle.
posted by schmod at 2:53 PM on September 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

I want to see the footage of the camera being attached to the eagle.
posted by ninazer0 at 3:00 PM on September 18, 2013 [3 favorites]

1. How do you strap a camera to an eagle?

2. How do you get the camera or memory card back?
posted by yellowcandy at 3:00 PM on September 18, 2013

Steve Miller is going to freak when he sees this
posted by any major dude at 12:22 on September 18 [32 favorites −]

I was gonna make a Steve Miller joke, but I'm glad the Steely Dan reference did it instead.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 3:11 PM on September 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

How do you strap a camera to an eagle?

Grip it by the husk? No, wait, that joke's already been used in this thread.

How do you get the camera or memory card back?

Grip--   ahh, never mind...
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:41 PM on September 18, 2013

Wait, someone is fellating a duck at work?

I'll just leave this here (NSFW unless you work in the adult video department at the Nature Store)
posted by zippy at 3:43 PM on September 18, 2013

Next, strap a camera to a turkey. Thanksgiving is coming up, and the radio station needs to do a promo.
posted by five fresh fish at 3:45 PM on September 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

nowhere near as majestic but rather impressive in its own right, not to mention family (and cubicle) friendly - Gee Atherton (MTB downhill champ) vs. Peregrine Falcon.
posted by lonefrontranger at 4:17 PM on September 18, 2013

The second half of the video that Acey linked to is absolutely worth watching too.
Micro camera mounted on goshawk = the speeder chase in Return of the Jedi
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 4:18 PM on September 18, 2013 [3 favorites]

But the eagle didn't eat any tasty field mice.
posted by Chuffy at 4:36 PM on September 18, 2013

if you have a trained eagle or falcon, do they ask you for headscratches like parrots do?
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 6:50 PM on September 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

I, too, was waiting for it to eat something. Or someone.
posted by NoraReed at 6:51 PM on September 18, 2013

I'd have to dig out the book but I believe the "taking the eagles to Mount Doom" was dismissed outright in the council of Elrond

This belief is erroneous. Gwaihir and the eagles are only mentioned in relation to Gandalf's escape from Orthanc and the gathering of intelligence (and that latter only in The Ring Goes South).

I worry myself sometimes.
posted by howfar at 7:13 PM on September 18, 2013

What, another viral video sponsored by EagleCam? I thought you were better than this, MetaFilter
posted by invitapriore at 7:59 PM on September 18, 2013

If you enjoyed this, check out the BBC's Earthflight! It is the best, and full of flight footage. I have no clue how they pulled it off, but on the whole the sights are simply astounding.
posted by undue influence at 8:14 PM on September 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

CAMERAS ON ALL THE THINGS

Snailcam is coming. Very... very .... slowly.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 10:20 PM on September 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Snailcam is coming. Very... very .... slowly.

Someone should make a horror movie ... from the plants' perspective.
posted by zippy at 10:53 PM on September 18, 2013

"if you have a trained eagle or falcon, do they ask you for headscratches like parrots do?"

Most likely, no. Falconry frequently uses wild birds, and that's what most of these videos use. There is a belief by many falconers that tame birds are hazards, though I don't know that everyone agrees. They are tamed, but only so much. Because they're flying razor stabby death claws, getting too familiar can lead to a dangerous situation.

Parrots are hand raised so they imprint on humans, thus seeking affection from people. This can actually be problematic too, but for different reasons. Mainly though, they don't have feet made of death, so there is less worry about them being overly familiar.

I was sad when I found that out about falconry, because that means the birds are missing out on scritches. I'm convinced that humans are where we are because we are the bringer of scratchy fingers, not because of intelligence. We're just soft, hairless apes that wolves and sabertooth tigers would have eaten a long time ago; except we have the best tool of all, highly dexterous fingers that can get that itchy spot RIGHT behind an itchy ear.

At least I'm certain that's why my cats haven't eaten me yet.

If it makes Birds used for falconry are often trained and kept for a season or two, then released, so it's not like they're just left to lead a lonely existence forever. However some birds keep coming back even after being released. Also if I understand things right, the birds are pretty much free to leave during a hunt once they're trained. I would argue that, because their training makes it so that they don't really "think" about it, they're trained until they come back, so they always come back.

Not a falconry expert, just someone that spends too much time reading. This site has a lot of good info, despite it's 1998 web design.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 12:27 AM on September 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Falconry frequently uses wild birds, and that's what most of these videos use.

To clarify: Raptors used in falconry are generally trapped in the wild, but they are then captive. They are not "tame", exactly, but they are not wild-wild either. Some falconry cultures (e.g. in the Middle East, which has a very long history of falconry) breed hybrids for hunting.

I have very mixed feelings about falconry. But without falconers we almost certainly would not have peregrines in the U.S. today; in the early 1970s, there were two known wild breeding pairs in California, and we're now up in the low multiple hundreds.
posted by rtha at 8:42 AM on September 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

thanks - so interesting. Too bad about the scritches, though.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 10:36 AM on September 19, 2013

Snailcam is coming.

It all happened so fast!
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 1:04 PM on September 19, 2013

Naturally, it had to be remixed with the proper soundtrack.

Never Ending Eagle Cam!
posted by CrazyJoel at 1:56 PM on September 19, 2013