SAN DIEGO — Hey, sometimes you meet someone who makes you feel like you can fly...*Swoon*. No, I'm not talking about falling in love...I'm talking about flying with a raptor!
Introducing the total raptor experience...parahawking!
Meet Bunko and David Metzgar. They took me high above Torrey Pines Clifftops...roughly 500 feet in the air for an exhilarating experience.
Bunko is a Lanner Falcon and he flies with David---who is a parahawking pilot and wildlife conservationist. David has had a lifelong love affair with flying and falconry. While in a former life David was a microbiologist, his mission now is educating people about raptors and their ecology. And he also helps you experience life from a bird's-eye view. Don't roll your eyes at my puns. I see you.
So what is parahawking? It's basically paragliding with a falcon. You get to hold a stick while David puts meat treats out for the bird. The best part? Well obviously, the views are breathtaking, but you also get to look straight in the eye of a bird of prey.
Even though Lanner Falcons are highly trainable, they're not pets. The raptors are free to fly and hunt, we're just along for the ride. David says they're just tolerating us for the food and protection. But he also says they're pretty loyal and seem to always fly back home.
Well, now that my head is officially out of the clouds, I can officially say this was indeed, love at first flight. Thank you Bunko and David! And if heights aren't your thing, you can still visit David and the raptors at their educational classes. Plus, he's got a show on his YouTube Channel.
SOARING SPIRITS SHOW:
TOTAL RAPTOR EXPERIENCE
www.totalraptorexperience.com