Hawk Attacking Water Balloon at 4000FPS Makes for Some Incredible Footage

PETAPIXEL ^ | March 06,2014 | Gannon Burgett

[SWAMPSNIPER]

With the rise in popularity and drop in price of high speed cameras, more and more incredible footage is getting captured of events our human brain would otherwise be unable to see in such detail.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Incredible shots!

[SWAMPSNIPER]

pinglist

[trisham]

Wow!

[Riley]

Oh frames per second. I'm thinking, 'that is awfully fast, a hawk that can waltz away from a .22-250'. LOL

[Tucsonican]

So that’s why my front yard looks like a war zone after one of them snatches a dove!

[Doogle]

pretty cool..I like to watch the Red Tails get fed up with the local crows when they get harassed. The crows will dive,pluck at, and generally street organize the hawk *smiles*.....the hawk has two things he can do, well three if he sits in a tree. First he can put up with the *hit till he gets high enough, (crows will only go so high),..or if the hawk gets pissed enough, he’ll suddenly spin over on his back while flying and try to nab a driving crow with his talons. Depending on how close he comes, the crows usually give up...

[TheOldLady]

Thank you for the post and ping, SWAMPSNIPER. That was very enlightening.

[scripter]

Well that made me smile. I was thinking along the same lines...

[Riley]

Having now watched the clip, I’m guessing that this started out as a prank. :-)

[Vigilanteman]

Had one of those damn wild rabbits set up house in our front of our house a couple years back. It would chew down all the flowers I planted for the Mrs. and leave its scat all over the entrance as if to rub it in.

I trimmed back the bushes but could never get the damn thing with my pellet gun.

One day, I looked out the window to see a red tail hawk having a meal. It was the rabbit! The hawk even left me a little fur where the rabbit used to leave scat as a thank you gift. Wifey was a little put out at me when I hung it from her garden banner pole like a scalp. But no rabbit has tried it since.

[Plumberman27]

That hawk looked my ex wife going after my wallet on payday!

[Steely Tom]

When it’s wings are sweeping down, the shape of the hawk’s body is pretty much an exact match to the shape of the fuselage of the B-2 bomber.

A coincidence, I’m sure. ;)

[Menehune56]

Just hope the little fella didn’t eat the balloon!

[E. Pluribus Unum]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CFckjfP-1E

[SWAMPSNIPER]

They are amazing critters!

[Silentgypsy]

Astonishing! Thank you!

[afraidfortherepublic]

Amazing! This clip is going directly to the grandchildren! Thanks.

[ßuddaßudd]

ßookmark

[afraidfortherepublic]

Amazing. And the music was perfect.

[Bigg Red]

They are, indeed, incredible shots. But I can’t help thinking that something was manipulated here. Why would a goshawk be interested in a balloon? What do I not understand?