Where Eagles Dare To Scare
By Emma Norman
Paragliding in sunny Australia, just imagine it: The serenity of gently gliding down to earth, taking in the beautiful landscape beneath you, the glorious blue skies and the enveloping golden rays of sunshine. When all of a sudden you are swooped upon by a pair of not too pleased large eagles, talons blazing, resulting in a near death experience of a ground-rushing, canopy-ripping brawl. Gosh.
Alternatively, from the point of view of the eagles: Imagine gliding through the carefully guarded haven of your own personal no-fly zone, above your beautifully beak-crafted nest (the envy of all breeding pairs around you.) When all of a sudden from out of nowhere appears a giant, sponsor covered, one winged foreigner, gliding around as if they own the place. How rude indeed.
Well for a pair of loved up Australian wedge-tailed eagles and Britain’s top female paraglider this was all too real a drama. For whom it was the most traumatic, it is not clear.
Nicky Moss, Britain’s top female paraglider was preparing for the world paragliding titles in Manilla, New South Wales, Australia, when she was attacked mid-air by first one then another of the two-metre wing spanned eagles. She was 2,500 metres above the ground when, after going for her head, the birds ended up entangled in the canopy’s lines and collapsing the parachute-style canopy. As their razor sharp talons also shredded the reserve, she was hurtling towards the ground and only became free 100 metres above the ground when the birds finally freed themselves. Amazingly both paraglider and eagles came out of the ordeal virtually unscathed.
These eagles are Australia’s largest predatory birds, and although deemed to be the sharks of the sky, attacks by them on humans are rare. The area Moss was flying in was an area where the territorial birds wouldn’t be used to sharing their air space with human pilots.
Forget green taxes or the forced demise of budget air travel. Could it be that nature has its own way of keeping numbers of sky travellers down and reducing climate change?
Emma's page is now up and running. Quick - go and have a look!
Alternatively, from the point of view of the eagles: Imagine gliding through the carefully guarded haven of your own personal no-fly zone, above your beautifully beak-crafted nest (the envy of all breeding pairs around you.) When all of a sudden from out of nowhere appears a giant, sponsor covered, one winged foreigner, gliding around as if they own the place. How rude indeed.
Well for a pair of loved up Australian wedge-tailed eagles and Britain’s top female paraglider this was all too real a drama. For whom it was the most traumatic, it is not clear.
Nicky Moss, Britain’s top female paraglider was preparing for the world paragliding titles in Manilla, New South Wales, Australia, when she was attacked mid-air by first one then another of the two-metre wing spanned eagles. She was 2,500 metres above the ground when, after going for her head, the birds ended up entangled in the canopy’s lines and collapsing the parachute-style canopy. As their razor sharp talons also shredded the reserve, she was hurtling towards the ground and only became free 100 metres above the ground when the birds finally freed themselves. Amazingly both paraglider and eagles came out of the ordeal virtually unscathed.
These eagles are Australia’s largest predatory birds, and although deemed to be the sharks of the sky, attacks by them on humans are rare. The area Moss was flying in was an area where the territorial birds wouldn’t be used to sharing their air space with human pilots.
Forget green taxes or the forced demise of budget air travel. Could it be that nature has its own way of keeping numbers of sky travellers down and reducing climate change?
Emma's page is now up and running. Quick - go and have a look!
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