A falcon in the rig
A falcon in the rig
When Statsraad Lehmkuhl was anchored just outside Rio, a small falcon spotted the ship, and decided to take a look.
Content-producer Hanna Thevik had climbed the rig to take pictures, when she spotted the falcon. It sat by the main royal, the top sail on the mainmast.
A bat falcon
The falcon was about 20 centimeters long, gray-spotted, with a white collar and orange lower body - a bat falcon. These birds normally live in forests, where they sit and look for prey from a tall dry tree. They hunt for small birds, mice, large insects, and as the name says, bats. They prefer to hunt in gray light and dusk, and the falcon may have seen the skip as a nice place to spend the day.
Did not bother
Hanna was lucky. She brought with her a 360-degree camera attached to a long pole. The falcon probably perceived the camera as part of the ship, and completely harmless. Hanna could stick it close to the bird, which did not bother much.
In the video below, you see the beautiful pictures she took when the falcon flew away.
The bat falcon is common throughout the northern part of South America.