They shall mount up with wings like eagles...

So said Isaiah in Chapter 40:31. More on that in a moment. 

Jane and I spent the day today at the Falconry Center in Moreton-on-Marsh in the Cotswolds. There were lots of birds of prey to see of course, and three hours of fight demonstrations which we sat through and enjoyed in perfect, 70-degree weather with a gentle breeze.

Just as at the Warwick Castle display several weeks ago, the demonstrator was absolutely AMAZING and informative and the birds themselves were breathtaking.

Here was the guy who demonstrated all day with one of more than a dozen birds he flew for us including buzzards, vultures, kites, eagles, owls, hawks and more. He did a great job of teaching while demonstrating, showing how each of the birds hunts using wind currents, the sun, speed, strength, endurance, patience, sense of smell, eyesight or hearing to his best advantage. 

Lots of cool birds as you can see...

This VERY weird bird is a Secretary Bird, btw. Reminded us of Big Bird with the long legs and crazy feathers on the back of his neck!

This baby owl was only five weeks old and sat on the grass about two feet from us on the grass for 20 minutes or so- bobbing and weaving his head and watching us carefully.

An owl circles beautifully just over our heads, hovering before pouncing on his prey.

Now resting after a successful dive.

The owls repeatedly flew so close over our heads that wing tips and tail feather's brushed Jane's head. WHOOSH!

Motionless, hanging in mid-air watching as he prepares to dive straight down.

Several eagles were flown extensively.

Several kites flew as well...

This guy was an amazing flyer.

He landed 18" in front of Jane and looked us over carefully as you can see in the following photos...

We got to see several falcons fly in traditional falconry demonstrations, zooming downward at 150mph from 1000' to attack the falconer's lure. AMAZING!

So Jane and I were talking about Isaiah 40:31 on the drive home. Here's what the demonstrator told us: "Eagle are rubbish flyers!" (That's English-speak for 'lousy flyers') He explained that eagles are really designed to flap their wings for not much more than 30 seconds- 60 seconds is a max output, exhausting effort for an eagle. They are UTTERLY DEPENDENT on flying into uplifting thermals and strong headwinds to gain lift and altitude. Unlike falcons, kites and owls they simply can't haul themselves skyward with their own strength.

THAT ought to give us something to think about if we're called to 'mount up with wings like eagles'. At least it gave us pause to think more deeply.