A photographer from Torrey, Utah, has shocked the internet after sharing some incredible footage from his drone that an eagle took, after the bird stole the device in mid-air.
In the viral video, shared on Reddit on Thursday, Adam Culbertson, owner of Terra Incognita Photo & Film, says that the eagle, which was flying at over 40 mph, stole his drone as he was filming in the Utah rocks. While Culbertson hoped the eagle would drop the device at some point, the bird never did, at least until the device was completely out of range.
Culbertson wasn't able to retrieve his drone, but he did get a replacement. He said in a comment on the post: "DJI [the drone manufacturer] counted this as a 'flyaway' and I was able to get a replacement!"
He added: "[The eagle] was pretty far away by the time I lost connection. I spend a lot of time in the backcountry, and it's likely in one of the most inaccessible areas in the state of Utah.
"I was so ready to rapel or climb to get that drone back. Sadly it went out of range as is lost to the eagle realm," Culbertson added.
Birdwatching HQ says that two types of eagles can be found in Utah, the bald eagle and golden eagle. They are both large birds with dark-brown bodies. The main difference between them is that the bald eagle has a white head and tail with a large yellow beak, while the golden eagle has a brown head with golden feathers on its neck.
It is common to find golden eagles in vast, open areas with cliffs of mountains because that's where they usually build their nests. The golden eagles choose these places because the most important feature when it comes to building a nest is it needs to have a good view of its surroundings.
The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 9,500 views and 422 comments on the platform.
One user, gnowbot, wrote: "Such awesome footage! I once came in for a quick (low battery) landing and my quad flipped over. There in the DVR [digital video recorder] footage is a terrified SNAKE about 6 inches from the camera. He stayed frozen until I picked my quad up and that dang snake gave me a huge scare! I landed right on a snake."
And _Please_Proceed_ added: "[Not going to lie], the footage after the bird got it is pretty epic. Especially liked seeing its own shadow on the mountain."
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About the writer
Maria Azzurra Volpe is a Newsweek Lifestyle Reporter based in London. Her focus is reporting on lifestyle and trends-related stories, including stories with high human interest and personal finance. She has covered pet care stories extensively. Maria joined Newsweek in 2022 from Accountancy Age and had previously worked at Citywire Wealth Manager. She is a graduate of London Metropolitan University and Kingston University. Languages: English and Italian.
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