Park rangers set up a tiny camera in Western Australia last May to film fresh-water crocodiles in the Margaret River. When it disappeared, they figured it had fallen into the water. They were wrong. The camera was later recovered and returned to the rangers, who then strung together the delightful footage above. A misguided young sea eagle snatched up the device and took it for a ride, soaring about 70 miles away, where it was found by another ranger. The debatable highlight comes when the eagle lands and begins pecking the hell out of the camera lens, apparently trying to kill it. (Rangers said they believe the eagle was a juvenile because an adult eagle would drop purported prey shortly after taking flight, securing an easy kill.)
The footage may not be as ridiculously spectacular as some other captured eagle flights, but the lesson is the same: We need to give more eagles cameras.
