‘Hummingbird’ Spy Drone Captures Incredible Monarch Butterflies
PBS Nature series Spy in the Wild has captured some incredible scenes of monarch butterflies swirling and swarming throughout a remote forest grove.
This incredible spectacle of monarch butterflies, filmed deep in the mountains of Mexico, was shot using a “hummingbird” drone. It is here that the butterflies spend the winter after migrating from colder climates such as Canada, where they all huddle together to keep warm.
As the weather turns to spring and the sun warms the butterflies’ wings, movement begins to occur. When the butterflies reach the critical temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit, they can spread their wings and fly.
At this moment, the “forest comes to life” explains the narrator of the film. During this process, the drone captured ground-breaking footage of this species as they begin to swirl around the trees and above the canopy.
The drone itself has been constructed with shields covering the moving propellers. This keeps the butterflies safe and proves that there are ethical ways to film stunning natural spectacles like this with a drone, without harming or disturbing the wildlife involved.
Even though the quality of the drone footage may not completely match that of a high end cinematic camera, due to the tiny camera and sensor, the drone’s ability to capture this natural spectacle from an unusual perspective is a powerful tool for both scientific research and visual storytelling.
This innovative and progressive way of capturing and creating wildlife film is exciting, and is providing audiences with a unique insight into the natural world – one that is more up-close and personal than ever before.
The second episode of PBS Nature series Spy in the Wild, which includes this clip, will be aired on 6th May 2020. However, in the meantime click here to watch previous episodes.
"Hulmingbird: Spy Drone Captures Incredible Monarch Butterflies ""Hulmingbird: Spy Drone Captures Incredible Monarch Butterflies"" ni mfululizo wa filamu za PBS ""Spy in the Wild"" ambazo zinaonyesha ndege aina ya Monarch wakizunguka na kuota kwenye msitu wa mbali." Maonyesho haya ya ajabu ya vipepeo wa kifalme, yaliyochorwa ndani ya milima ya Mexico, yalipigwa risasi kwa kutumia ndege asiye na rubani. Hapa ndipo vipepeo hao wanapopitia majira ya baridi kali baada ya kuhamia kutoka maeneo yenye hali ya hewa baridi kama vile Kanada, ambako wote hukusanyika pamoja ili kujipaka joto. Hali ya hewa inapogeuka kuwa ya majira ya kuchipua na jua linapopiga mabawa ya vipepeo, harakati huanza kutokea. Wakati nondo hao wanapofikia joto la juu sana, wanaweza kupanua mabawa yao na kuruka. Wakati huu, "msitu huamka" anaeleza msimuliaji wa filamu hiyo. Wakati wa mchakato huu, drone ilichukua picha ya kuvutia ya spishi hii wakati wanaanza kuzunguka miti na juu ya canopy. Ndege hiyo ya kuendesha ndege imejengwa kwa ngao zinazofunika propela zinazosonga. Hii inaweka vipepeo salama na kuthibitisha kuwa kuna njia za maadili za kupiga filamu mandhari ya asili kama hii na drone, bila kuharibu au kusumbua wanyama wa porini wanaohusika. Ingawa ubora wa picha za drone hauwezi kufanana kabisa na ile ya kamera ya sinema ya hali ya juu, kwa sababu ya kamera ndogo na sensor, uwezo wa drone wa kukamata mandhari hii ya asili kutoka kwa mtazamo wa kawaida ni chombo chenye nguvu kwa utafiti wa kisayansi na hadithi ya kuona. Njia hii ya ubunifu na ya maendeleo ya kukamata na kuunda filamu ya wanyama wa porini ni ya kuvutia, na inatoa watazamaji na ufahamu wa kipekee katika ulimwengu wa asili - moja ambayo ni karibu zaidi na ya kibinafsi kuliko hapo awali. Kipindi cha pili cha PBS Nature, Spy in the Wild, kinachohusisha kipande hiki, kitatangazwa Mei 6, 2020. Hata hivyo, wakati huo huo bonyeza hapa kutazama vipindi vya awali.