Darshan the Eagle flying over Dubai.

This is a great video released by the BBC on 14 March 2015. It shows an eagle, Darshan, flying off of the world's tallest building in Dubai. He has a Sony GoPro-type camera strapped to him - don't worry, he's fine - and provides a unique view of what it is like to glide down to a safe landing. NO EAGLES WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS VIDEO.


Among the many sights along the way are the harbor and the famous suspended tennis court that the eagle glides over. It's all for a good cause, the preservation of animal life by Freedom Conservation. The video quality is spectacular in my opinion. This version, though edited, shows the eagle's landing, which many other versions omit. Put it in full-screen mode by clicking on the little box in the lower right corner of the video, and get out of that mode by hitting the escape key on your keyboard.


To me, one of the most fascinating aspects of this video is that the bird has been so highly trained that, despite the fact that its destination is just another spot in the distance, he knows just where to go. But then, they've been training eagles for hundreds and hundreds of years and know what they are doing. Darshan was trained by falconer Jacques-Olivier Travers in France. He descended about 2,700 feet.


I have seen two different versions of this. In one, the eagle finally lands near a fountain at the building’s base. In another, he returns to his trainer on the beach.


Anyway, hope you enjoy it like I did. I have posted another video from Dubai of jet-packers flying with an airliner over Dubai here.

In one version, the eagle flies back to its trainer in that orange rectangle in the city center.

2019