Stunning moment daredevil falconer PARAGLIDES with his hawk Frederick as it hunts 500ft above the Shropshire hills
- Nigel Hawkins, 48, from West Midlands, was filmed gliding through air with hawk
- Frederick is seen perching on his finger before darting off to find some prey
- Mr Hawkins will then whistle or shout to call Frederick back to his arm
This is the incredible moment a daredevil falconer was spotted paragliding with his hawk Frederick 500 feet above the Shropshire hills.
Nigel Hawkins, 48, a firefighter from the West Midlands, was filmed while gliding through the air with his pet hawk Frederick.
Frederick is seen perching on Mr Hawkins’s finger before darting off to find some prey.
Mr Hawkins will then whistle or shout to call Frederick back to his arm and the pair glide in unison for a few moments before Frederick leaps off again.
Nigel Hawkins, 48, a firefighter from the West Midlands, was filmed while gliding through the air with his pet hawk Frederick
In the footage Mr Hawkins can be heard giggling and saying: ‘Mate you’ve got to be joking me, this is amazing man.’
Mr Hawkins, who has been paragliding for 12 years and practising falconry for 20 years, said: ‘No I’m not the inventor of parahawking but there has only been a few people around the world that have ever done it, this is the first time it’s ever been filmed on a 360 camera which makes the footage so awesome to watch.
‘I’ve been into airsports for over 20 years – skydiving, speed flying, paragliding and base jumping and have always wanted to fly next to my hawk on my paraglider so it seemed a natural progression to train my hawk that I use for my private falconry experiences.’
Frederick is seen perching on Mr Hawkins’s finger before darting off to find some prey
Mr Hawkins will then whistle or shout to call Frederick back to his arm and the pair glide in unison for a few moments before Frederick leaps off again
He added: ‘My definition of the art of falconry is to allow people a preview into a raptors world by flying the birds as close to their natural wild state as possible.
‘Frederick, my Harris’ Hawk, is flown daily and lives a life as close to his wild cousins as possible.
‘When the day’s falconry is over I simply get my paraglider out of the car and enjoy a nice sunset flying session with my hawk.