Looks like that eagle needs to tie his shoelaces.
pablo | Homepage | 11.07.05 - 11:44 am | #

I love that: absolutely not photoshopped.
KathyR | Homepage | 11.07.05 - 11:59 am | #

Stunning. Soaring and stunning.
yankee transplant | Homepage | 11.07.05 - 12:00 pm | #

is that a pirate?
kara | 11.07.05 - 12:29 pm | #

Amazing! I could have used these photos a few days ago when I was posting about eagles.
Deb | Homepage | 11.07.05 - 1:23 pm | #

Pablo-- We don't know what that eagle grabbed, but it flew to the top of the hillside, reached down with those amazing talons, and plucked something up. It looks like it picked up some stray dried grasses with it.

KathyR-- We couldn't believe that the eagle and para-glider would get close enough to be in the shot. I had photographed the para-glider earlier with a heron far off in the distance. Then, this happened.

YankeeTransplat-- Thank you, it is all about timing.

Kara-- Actually, no. It's some guy who was para-gliding above the trail the whole time we were walking. We kept looking over our shoulders thinking some huge bird was hovering over us. It was the para-glider.

Deb-- I thought of you when I took these photos. We hadn't seen any eagles for about three months. They disappeared right around August, and then suddenly they're back. We saw two right out our window today!
Rexroths Daughter | Homepage | 11.07.05 - 1:43 pm | #

I wonder what the eagle thinks of paragliders.
C. Corax | 11.07.05 - 4:22 pm | #

Have these things replaced hang gliders? It certainly looks safer. Or at least more comfortable, with the nice chair.
Huitzil | Homepage | 11.07.05 - 6:59 pm | #

CCorax-- Oh, I think the eagle must think, "Silly humans, haven't they heard of Icarus?"
Rexroths Daughter | Homepage | 11.07.05 - 7:00 pm | #

Huitzil-- I just googled paragliding vs hang-gliding and came up with this:
http://www.glidell.com/History.html
I think the difference, according to this article, is that the paraglider is suspended 20 feet below the sail and has more lift and more ease of motion and landing. The hang-glider is much closer to the apparatus itself, it is heavier and less easy to use.
So maybe this has replaced hang-gliding. Either way, I'm never going up there!
Rexroths Daughter | Homepage | 11.07.05 - 7:07 pm | #

Breathtaking! What a magnificent bird.
soccer mom | 11.07.05 - 7:49 pm | #

I'm thinking it was photoshopped

Now, that's a picture!
oldwhitelady | Homepage | 11.07.05 - 10:07 pm | #

Oh - I haven't seen an eagle fly in years! How wonderful - you always manage to be in the right place at the right time - I guess it's all that good karma!
The Fat Lady Sings | Homepage | 11.07.05 - 10:11 pm | #

If ever given the choice between the two, I would rather be the eagle!
Ontario Wanderer | Homepage | 11.08.05 - 2:47 am | #

Wow. Must've been quite an experience for the paraglider, to see eye-to-eye with a famous bird of prey. Rather like Philippe Petit's anecdote about how he encountered a high-flying seagull whilst capering about on a tightrope suspended between WTC1 and WTC2.
TheaLogie | 11.08.05 - 9:06 am | #

Great photos. The eagle must be laughing his butt off at our silly attempts at soaring.
Florida Cracker | Homepage | 11.08.05 - 3:59 pm | #