Bird Makes Forced Landing into Harbour - Avian World Daily News
Bird Makes Forced Landing into Harbour - Avian World Daily News
Investigators are probing into the causes of the accident which caused a bird to make a forced landing in the harbour on Saturday.
The bird, part of the Western Flock, was reported missing just after midday by flock members. Shortly afterwards, the bird was found close to drowning just north of the ferry pier. The bird was rescued and had suffered minimal injuries.
Western Flock operates approximately 50 Black Kites and is the sole predator in the skies of that area. Their operations mainly include hunting and gathering.
The speculation is that the bird may have experienced a 'helicopter strike'.
An eyewitness said this:
"I was riding another thermal during a fishing flight when I heard a loud squawk. I looked over to see the bird in trouble. I'm sure I saw some of the Tertial flight feathers missing as he made the forced landing into the harbour."
Investigators have confirmed that part of the bird's tail feather arrangement was missing, but it is not yet known whether they separated in flight or were eaten by fish after hitting the water.
"Helicopters are a problem for birds in the area," one expert said. "It seems that there are more and more helicopters in the air now and they migrate frequently in both directions across our thermals. Helicopter avoidance is getting harder."
Birds are trained in recognising signs of helicopter activity. "A loud noise and unstable airs are the two most common indicators. You have to be alert and keep a good lookout for helicopters," said a spokesbird from the Avian Oversized Predators Association (AOPA). "Despite thorough training and excellent eyesight though, sometimes helicopter strikes are unavoidable," he said.
Avian World caught up with principal emu of the 'Emu School of Flight - Physics of Soaring Flight Department'.
"When de bir land on de wartah, he deproying her frock," said the emu. "De frock ..er..a welly important part of safety...er.. froatation system," Emu explained.
However it is widely considered that the Emu is in fact a 'hack' since emus cannot fly at all and probably hasn't a clue what its talking about.
Early newspaper reports alleged that the Black Kite did not have the required number of 'frocks' for the flight, but this has been since confirmed to be careless misinformation. The bird was properly preened in compliance with all the standards and requirements before flight.
Bird related discussion groups around the world are abuzz as the avian community waits eagerly for more information. In one well known forum, 'PPreen - Soaring Beaks', birds have begun the inevitable speculation as to the likely cause of the incident.
"Just a few months ago, a similar black kite, had not preened well, and lost its entire tail whilst foraging around on the ground for worms. Maybe its the same problem," said one poster.
Another poster who goes by the moniker, 'Claps Pinko' and is considered a bit of an expert on the subject of bird design by himself and a few others, mused whether the flying conditions in the area put too much stress on the bird's body.
"Flying there is rigourous and there is a lot of stress on the basal and terminal phalanxes during take off and landing. A failure in those parts would make soaring impossible, and require a bird to 'autoflap' to the ground or water," Pinko wisely posts.
A spokesbird for Western Flock made this statement:
"We have suspended all soaring hunting and gathering flights for the time being until more information on the cause comes to light. We commend the kite for his handling of the situation. Safely landing on the water with tailfeather problems, whilst avoiding other birds, buildings and ships is a notable feat."
The avian community now waits.
Last edited by Chi Sin Gei Si; 7th Jul 2010 at 05:24.