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AssetID: 34373654

Headline: Sea Eagle Flies With Model Gliders

Caption: This is the jaw-dropping moment a young sea eagle flew with model gliders. Photographer Keith Lightbody captured the scene as the white-bellied sea eagle swooped along with the small scale aircraft. His pictures show the bird matching the flight of the two gliders, which had their propellers turned off. At one point the eagle is pictured with wings fully outstretched mirroring that of the red-winged glider. Seemingly practicing its hunting skills, the eagle at one point managed to put its claws in the wing of one model. Keith, who took the images in March at Albany in Western Australia, said the pilots took great care to safeguard the eagle's well-being and opted not to turn on their electric propellers. He says that, based on the size of the gliders, the bird was about 1.8m wide in full flight. He says the sea-eagle was not approached by the pilots - the bird approached the model gliders - and the whole sequence lasted less than 4 minutes; the bird then resumed soaring along the coastline. Describing the sequence, Keith explains: "It was too windy for me to fly my hang glider so I parked at a lookout overlooking King George Sound in Albany. After a while I noticed some radio control (RC) model gliders were being launched on the hill nearby. Steve and Guy both launched RC models and commenced soaring in the ridge lift above the boardwalk that follows the coast all the way from Albany to Middleton Beach. As Guy was still learning they were flying gently back and forward in the wind when a juvenile white-bellied sea-eagle arrived. "The sea-eagle had been getting chased by seagulls along Middleton Beach - that may be why it decided to do some chasing itself! I pulled out my camera as the eagle started following the RC models - at first just staying close while it matched their flight. The pilots really had to lift their flying skills! I was getting some good photos now as the pilots had really started some excited flying with loops, wingovers and other radical moves. After a while the sea-eagle moved in closer and actually managed to put its claws into the wing of one model and hold on long enough for the pilot to decide he was too low and should land. The sea-eagle continued practicing its attack procedures with claws out-stretched on the remaining model. "The pilots should be complemented on their fair play as both models had electric motors with folding propellers - they could easily have started the motors. Similarly the sea-eagle did not flap at all. Everyone restricted their aerial manoeuvres to soaring by only using the wind blowing up the hill. Eventually the sea-eagle tired of the game and soared off higher to the west."

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