This is What I Would Call Grace Under Pressure

bbgun

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Fantastic photography. BP in slow-motion at a buffet line must be similarly spectacular.
 
Hostile

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Many years ago I was hiking in Zion's Canyon in Southern Utah. There is a hike called Angel's Landing that is just amazingly beautiful and in my opinion, fun.

At one time when my friends and I were pretty high up there we heard an amazing high pitched shriek. I looked up in time to see a hawk in a power dive as it hit a duck that was flying in a V group.

It was the most violent, powerful thing I have ever seen. Hawks dive at about 200 miles per hour according to a friend of mine. This hawk hit that duck and there was an explosion of feathers in about a four foot wide ball. The other ducks scrambled away in every direction as this hawk flew away with his dead meal in his talons.

To this day one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed. I always wished one of us had a video camera that day, but even if we had I doubt we could have been fast enough with it to catch that collision.
 
joseephuss

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Hostile;3991902 said:
Many years ago I was hiking in Zion's Canyon in Southern Utah. There is a hike called Angel's Landing that is just amazingly beautiful and in my opinion, fun.

At one time when my friends and I were pretty high up there we heard an amazing high pitched shriek. I looked up in time to see a hawk in a power dive as it hit a duck that was flying in a V group.

It was the most violent, powerful thing I have ever seen. Hawks dive at about 200 miles per hour according to a friend of mine. This hawk hit that duck and there was an explosion of feathers in about a four foot wide ball. The other ducks scrambled away in every direction as this hawk flew away with his dead meal in his talons.

To this day one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed. I always wished one of us had a video camera that day, but even if we had I doubt we could have been fast enough with it to catch that collision.
Click to expand...

Peregrine Falcons are the fastest birds(animals) on Earth. They hit just over 200 mph when they dive bomb for their food, which I believe is most commonly some sort of pigeon. I don't know if hawks hit that type of speed, but I am sure they are pretty fast.

There is a highway called MOPAC or Loop 1 that runs north/south in Austin. There are many hawks that sit atop the light poles along this highway. I love when I happen to be driving along and catch them swooping down to catch their prey. This happens quite frequently. I swear the number of hawks has increased tenfold in the 15 years I've lived here.
 
casmith07

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There's another awesome video where they strap a camera on the back of a Goshawk, I believe, and then let it fly through the forest.

Amazing.

[youtube]DeCf1kRVtA0[/youtube]
 
5Stars

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casmith07;3992047 said:
There's another awesome video where they strap a camera on the back of a Goshawk, I believe, and then let it fly through the forest.

Amazing.

[youtube]
DeCf1kRVtA0
[/youtube]
Click to expand...

FAIL....



:laugh2:
 
Hostile

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5Stars;3992043 said:
:laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:

That is one bad bird.

Could you imagine waking up to see that bird dancing around your face...


:eek:
Click to expand...
The BBC guys do a lot of cool videos with strange animals and that bird reminds me a little of the first one in this sequence which always cracks me up.

[youtube]LMrDcNDtkeU[/youtube]
 
arglebargle

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joseephuss;3991975 said:
Peregrine Falcons are the fastest birds(animals) on Earth. They hit just over 200 mph when they dive bomb for their food, which I believe is most commonly some sort of pigeon. I don't know if hawks hit that type of speed, but I am sure they are pretty fast.

There is a highway called MOPAC or Loop 1 that runs north/south in Austin. There are many hawks that sit atop the light poles along this highway. I love when I happen to be driving along and catch them swooping down to catch their prey. This happens quite frequently. I swear the number of hawks has increased tenfold in the 15 years I've lived here.
Click to expand...

The Texas State Capitol building has had a couple of hawks nesting somewhere up high there, for a number of years. Funny how the pigeon problem became so much less of an issue....
 
CowboyDan

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Notice how the bird's eyes are always focused on the prize........never glancing at the opening in the wall, just completely zoned in on the prey. They tell motorcyclists to employ this same strategy when riding.....look where you want to go, not at where you are. Your brain makes your body follow your eyes.
 
trickblue

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CowboyDan;3992474 said:
Notice how the bird's eyes are always focused on the prize........never glancing at the opening in the wall, just completely zoned in on the prey. They tell motorcyclists to employ this same strategy when riding.....look where you want to go, not at where you are. Your brain makes your body follow your eyes.
Click to expand...

Yep... and that can be easily proven with a small experiment. Carry a full glass of water in your hand. Focus on looking at the water while you walk (as most do) and you will likely spill it. Look ahead at your target as you walk and you will likely spill none...
 
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