Watch: Drone Captures Breathtaking Aerial Footage Of Calvert Vaux Park

It’s a bird … it’s a plane … it’s a Phantom 3 drone!

Calvert Vaux Park — southern Brooklyn’s hauntingly beautiful, yet neglected and overgrown green space — is known as a haven for rare birds and other exotic animal species, but did you know that it’s also a mecca for drone enthusiasts?

We came across this flying footage of the park, filmed by Kenny Lee, a 48-year-old IT administrator who has lived in Bensonhurst since 1977.  Lee — who has been experimenting with photography for more than 20 years, since before the digital age — told us that the Phantom 3 is his first drone.

“Bird’s eye view is more dynamic,” he told us.”And I think the technology will only get better and better.”

The drone flies up and down the coastline and the interior of the park, exploring the beauty of Calvert Vaux’s elaborate ecosystem as well as abandoned ships and other relics of the past.

Lee told us Calvert Vaux’s open, underdeveloped grasslands are ideal for drone-flying, which can be risky business. In 2013, a 19-year-old died while flying a model helicopter at Calvert Vaux when the device whirled back towards him and slashed his neck.

“You can’t just fly anywhere you want,” said Lee. “Calvert Vaux is perfect, especially in the back end. Keeps out of danger and makes flying fun.”

The hobby is also quite regulated: As of this month, all drones weighing more than half a pound must be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or their owners risk being fined $27,500 or jail time, reports The Hill.

On Lee’s Youtube channel, more amazing footage of the Coney Island’s Luna Park and the construction site of the Southwest Brooklyn Waste Transfer Station can be found. Check it out.

[Additional reporting by Ben Cohn]