Angelo d'Arrigo, the man who lived by flying with birds. He tracked them during migration, studied them, and cared for them (video)

ANGELO D'ARRIGO FATHER OF THE BIRDS

A life for the birdsA life well spent, not wasted, flying and chasing the mysteries of nature, with extraordinary passion and equal technique. Angelo d'Arrigo, from Catania, was first and foremost a great sportsman, a teacher and a free flight champion, hang gliding, paragliding. A contemporary Icarus.

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FLYING WITH THE BIRDS

His dream, after having been twice world champion in hang gliding and after having left the competitive activity, was to fly like birds, chase them, cure them and even teach them how to flyD'Arrgigo said: "I am like a parent to birds, I chase them like a loving father, and once I manage to reach them I live in close contact with them, thus interpreting my desire to always be in contact with the air in a natural way."

D'Arrigo's experience has taken him around the world, studying the ethology of birds of prey, tracking them during their migrations and flying them back to their habitats. An incredible, one-of-a-kind adventure. From Australia to the Andes, from the Sahara Desert to the Mediterranean Sea, and even Siberia: everywhere d'Arrigo managed to chase the birds live, to live with them, to actively participate in their growth. Like a good father, indeed. Hawks, eagles, condors, seagulls, cliffs: there was no migratory bird that didn't enter d'Arrigo's horizon. He even imagined being able to fly with a machine very similar to the one once developed by Leonardo da Vinci.

CARE FOR BIRDS

Fate was cruel to such a powerful figure. Sadly, Angelo d'Arrigo died in 2006 in Comiso, during a celebration in his honor. A doubly cruel fate, as d'Arrigo crashed while flying, but in the way he imagined safest: in a two-seater with an Air Force general. But his business, his long life with the birds, it remained engraved in a book, published posthumously, which we suggest reading and giving as a gift, entitled 'The world above(Fandango editions). The underlying idea of ​​d'Arrigo's life—that man is instinctively drawn to flight and is much more similar to birds than we imagine—is the subject of studies, conferences, and seminars around the world. It's hard to forget the father of birds.

The photos are taken from the website of Angelo D'Arrigo Foundation.

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