soaring bird photos

While the photos below

http://www.pbase.com/bret/2005

are not of sailplanes, they are of soaring. A hawk and sandhill cranes.
If, like me, you were fascinated by soaring birds long before you could
even think of soaring yourself, I suspect you will love them as much as
I do. I just stumbled across them in my web browsing and thought this
group would be interested.

Martin

Here is a soaring bird for you at 18000ft.....

http://silentflight.com/P0000386.JPG

Al

At 07:00 04 December 2005, wrote:
Here is a soaring bird for you at 18000ft.....

http://silentflight.com/P0000386.JPG

Al

Canada Goose at 18000 ft, that is impressive, you have
to wonder if that was intentional, on the part of the
goose that is. I know birds go to those heights but
a goose?

wrote:
Here is a soaring bird for you at 18000ft.....

http://silentflight.com/P0000386.JPG

Al

Is that on a migratory route for geese? If so, do you know what their TP
list is? I've wondered ever since you first posted about high altitude
waterfowl.

--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. |
org | Zappa fan & glider pilot

I think it is very intentional. There are several migratory species
that fly at very high altitudes. I myself have seen cormorants at over
12'000ft. I've heard of swans flying close to 30'000 ft. Thankfully not
all are as unfortunate as the official record holder:

From http://www.shawcreekbirdsupply.com/world-records.htm

Highest Flying Bird
The highest altitude recorded for a bird is 37,000 ft., for a
Ruppell's vulture (Gyps rueppellii), which collided with a commercial
aircraft over Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, on November 29, 1973.

Regards
Marcel



Donn Johnstone schrieb:

...
Canada Goose at 18000 ft, that is impressive, you have
to wonder if that was intentional, on the part of the
goose that is. I know birds go to those heights but
a goose?