Near bird strike

[notsane 0]

I call it a "near strike" since I figure "near miss" would be a strike.
Near the end of a wingsuit dive last week I saw 3 Turkey Buzzards in front of me and decided that the view would be too cool to miss, so I continued past them at just over 2K feet. The lead bird rolled inverted to see me and the one on the right (that's actually in the frame) can be seen doing the same thing around 12 seconds. The first clip is in real time .. look in the lower right. The second is zoomed and slowed to more what I experienced. The 0.6 wide angle lens had fogged pretty badly as I passed cloud base, so I'm lucky it got anything at all.

I remembered the pics on here some time ago of a guy hitting a bird with his face, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to scream by them. Woo-Hoo!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9Exn9eVcW0

[lurch 0]

Holy shit, Scott.
I figure the only thing running through those birds heads was "...!!!..."
Pity the camera fogged on you. That sort of close encounter will never, ever happen to you again...
Unless you've routinely got buzzards. LOTS of buzzards.
-B

Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

[BillyVance 34]

I got too close to one under canopy right after I deployed. I noticed it soaring down there so I front-risered to get closer. It did the barrel roll to face me and I thought for sure I was gonna get a stream of vulture vomit directed at me. So I backed off...

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[chrisgray 0]

That is awesome man. I am sure the bird was thinking "What the fuck is that over there?"...haha!

WSI-6 / PFI-55
The Brothers Gray Wingsuit Academy
http://www.myspace.com/cgwingsuitpilot
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[lurch 0]

Closest encounter I ever had was under canopy somewhere around jump#120-ish 5 years ago... 1200 feet, looked down and there was a redtail hawk 10 feet below my boots. Same heading, same speed, it was at a standstill relative to me, just enjoying the thermal off the hilly scrubby stuff just northwest of the DZ. I only had a few seconds to enjoy the birds' presence, then had to break off the bird-CRW, enter pattern and land, but I never forgot the shock of realizing I saw exactly what the hawk sees. The bird appeared totally undisturbed by close proximity to what must have looked to it like the biggest bird in the universe.
-B

Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

[fergs 0]

Scott,

Wow, what fantastic footage. Congratulations on having the skills to actually film your feathered friend. It certainly shows that there are big birds out there who are easily able to play with us. Do we play in their environment or they in ours?

I’m the guy who had the eagle strike last year. At the time, I was already convinced that the eagle was actually flocking with me, close on my left and slightly behind. As I started to go into my deployment procedure, which altered my line of flight, I caught him off guard and his right wing slapped me in the face. For those who didn’t see the pic, here it is attached again.

In fact, the laceration behind my left eye actually had a little piece of bone embedded in it – which was surely a tip of one of the little fingers at the end of his wing.

So your vid certainly suggests that you were being sized up as an opportunistic playmate for them to flock with as well. It also gives further proof that my bird strike was a flocking incident and not a random meeting of two bodies in the big skies.

So he barrel rolled and swooped up to take a careful look at you. What bird-forum is he now posting on – or nesting at the buzzard-pub, telling all his mates about the humanoid wingsuiter that stalked him?!!!

Life is good.

Fergs
BMCI

[Buried 0]

nice vid grab scott. haven't seen anything other than jumpers that close in a while

Where is my fizzy-lifting drink?

[saly 0]

3 Month back I was in a CRW 2 stack in formation with a flock of 10+ Cape Vultures that have a wing span of 2m.

Glad I am not superstitious, or I would wonder for whos benefit they were there for

---------------------------------------------
If you don't have wings you will never fly

[monkycndo 0]

It was a much slower closure rate, but had a visit from a pair of red tail hawks. I was under canopy coming back from a weird spot over the hills at Hollister. I guess I flew over their nesting sight and they came up to escort me away. It was cool having them fly that close for as long as they did. Having only ever seen them from the ground, it was quite the experience joining them in common flight.

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You know you want to spank it
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[birdynamnam 28]

Sorry one have to work once in a while besides flying wingsuit
Last weekend i did tandems and the last jump of the day, right after canopy opening me and my pass, looked to the left. Normally I would start speaking to the passenger right away - I didn't say a word was speechless. Passenger didn't say a word either. We where flying absolutely in tight formation with a hawk. He was only 5m or 15ft away at level with us in the harnesses keeping exact same speed - AND eyeballing us
"OMG Did you see that. DID YOU SEE THAT - DID YOU SEE THAT [yelling]...." the passenger kind'a broke the silence . Replying "That was awesome for sure" and then back to business doing the tandem routine, but we didn't speak much for the rest of the flight, until on the ground...

Next time in my wingsuit I hope..

[bch7773 0]

I wish i could wingsuit with them. I've only gotten to fly my canopy near birds.

once I got lucky and deployed near a pair of bald eagles. I spiraled down behind them, and one turned his head over his shoulder and looked at me. They were about 20 feet away, and after giving me a look, they just sped up and left me in their dust.

Its amazing how much better the birds are at flying then us, even with all our amazing gear.

MB 3528, RB 1182