Hey you, get off my cloud: Swooping eagle warns hang-glider pilot off his patch

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Coasting almost silently across the sky, a hang-glider pilot comes as close as any human can to experiencing flight.
But not all birds are entirely happy about that - as Mark Russell discovered when competing in a competition high above Australia this week.
The winged wonder received a very aggressive 'inspection' from a rightful member of the flying fraternity, a wedge-tailed eagle with a wingspan of seven feet.

Bandits at 6'o'clock: The eagle swoops behind Mark Russell who was competing in the Gulgong Classic hang gliding competition

Checking for damage: Mark pictured after he was 'buzzed' by Australia's largest bird of prey

Fly like an eagle: Modern hang-gliders are capable of covering hundreds of miles by coasting on rising thermals

Chiropractor Mark, 45, was competing in the  Gulgong Classic, near Mudgee, in New South Wales, when he found himself tailed mid-air.
He had just released his tow rope when the eagle let him know he wasn't welcome to share a thermal updraught.
'I only noticed when it was in front of me,' he said.
'It came in screeching down with its talons out and its wings folded back.'
He clearly wasn't daunted by the presence of 34 competing hang-gliders.
Mr Russell is no stranger to eagles, which are common where he usually hang-glides at Mount Borah near Tamworth.
He keeps the eagles at bay by blowing a cheap whistle.
The week-long Gulgong Classic ends on Sunday. It attracts competitors both from Australia and overseas.
Ian Harris, one of the event's organisers,  told reporters that pilots could fly immense distances with modern hang-gliders.
'I think the world record is in excess of 350 kilometres,' he said.
He said that the world record was unlikely to be broken at Gulgong, competitors could be expected to cover hundreds of kilometres.
Competitors navigate using small lightweight GPS units. Harris said that pilots rarely get lost but that it's not unheard of.
If the worst does happen, they could always ask a passing eagle for directions

Formation flying: Mark's hang-glider and a passing paraglider get a serious once-over from the none-too-impressed eagle

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