Pigeon photography
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The Bavarian Pigeon Corps (or Bavarian Pigeon Fleet) was a fleet of carrier pigeons, each of whom could be fitted with a miniature leg- or breast-mounted camera.[1][unreliable source?] The Bavarian Army used the pigeons to transmit messages and perform aerial reconnaisance over its theatres of operation in Europe during the early 1900s,[2][3] a time when Bavaria made up a part of the German Empire. Messages were attached to the pigeons' legs in the conventional way. The miniature 70 mm camera[4] attached to the birds was developed by Julius Neubronne, and patented in 1903.[5] The camera weighed 70 grams (2.5 oz), and was fitted with a timer which allowed pictures to be taken at 30-second intervals,[4][6] as "whole battalions"[7] of the trained pigeons flew behind enemy lines.[8] The tips of the birds' wings were often visible in the images, but this method of aerial photography—an early form of remote sensing[7]—was nevertheless preferred over the use of balloons and kites, which were relatively unreliable and easily shot down.[9] The pigeons did not always take the desired flight path however, and were themselves sometimes shot down for food.[10] This use of the pigeons was abandoned after the enemy discovered that they carried cameras, and so began to shoot them out of the air.[8]
Although mostly used for military and spying purposes, the pigeons were introduced to the public at the 1909 Dresden International Photographic Exhibition. Aerial photographs taken above the exhibition and presented as postcards were popular items among those in attendance.[2]
Gallery
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Chest-mounted camera strapped to pigeon -
Aerial images; top shows wingtips at edges -
Aerial image -
Foot-mounted camera on pigeon in flight
See also
References
- ^ Beavis, Steve (15 June 2008). "The Rise of Aerial Photography" (PDF), p. 3. aerialphotographyscotland.net. Retrieved on 1 June 2009.
- ^ a b "History of Aerial Photography". PAPA International. Retrieved on 1 June 2009.
- ^ Reuters (21 May 2004). "Pigeon terrorists were to drop bombs". ABC Online. Retrieved on 1 June 2009.
- ^ a b Lecture (12 January 2009). "Introduction, History of Aerial Photography, The Aerial Photograph, Physics of Aerial Photography; Visit to Map and Imagery LibraryToday" (PDF), p. 3. University of Florida: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Retrieved on 1 June 2009.
- ^ Estes, John E.; last revised 2005 by Jeff Hemphill. "Some Important Dates in the Chronological History of Aerial Photography and Remote Sensing". University of California, Santa Barbara: Department of Geography. Retrieved on June 1, 2009.
- ^ "Information Extraction from Hyperspectral Images" (PDF), p. 23. Vlaams Instituut Voor de Zee. Retrieved on 1 June 2009.
- ^ a b Course intro. "Introduction to Remote Sensing and Biodiversity" (PDF), p. 4. Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Retrieved on 1 June 2009.
- ^ a b Yost, Joseph; Tod Burke (1 October 2007). "Veterinary forensics: animals curtailing crime." FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Retrieved on 1 June 2009.
- ^ "The Bavarian Pigeon Corps (1903)". University of California, Santa Barbara: Department of Geography. Retrieved on 1 June 2009.
- ^ Middlebury College lecture. "Pictures from the Sky". geography.middlebury.edu. Retrieved on 1 June 2009.