A Crow flirts with my drone at 400'

[paparatzy]

My flight last Friday was interrupted by a "dark ghost" that flew by the corner of my RC Controller screen while the image the drone was seeing violently twisted and then rightened itself. This was my very first encounter with a bird and it was quite a shock since I hadn't seen any bird(s) flying around the drone. I had a spotter as well, but they hadn't seen any either.

I've spent enough time on the forum to know that to evade birds, you should fly up, not down as birds apparently only continue attacks while flying down. However, I was already at 397 feet and was limited from going higher and had no choice but to descend. Fortunately the bird did not chase the drone further but it was a wake up call.

What should I have done differently in that scenario?

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I'd probably have gone to sports mode and skedaddled following an erratic course in 3D, got hopefully safe and then called it a day in that location.

 

[GFields]

That was about all you could do. Glad it worked out for you.

 

[DARKSeifer]

Just go up, it doesn't matter if you are at the legal limit, it's an emergency maneuver. The same when you are running low on battery or a copter decides to fly nearby for example, rules are just for general purpose, safety of the flight always prevails.

In classic aerial combat, altitude and potential energy is all that matters. If you stay at the same altitude... bad news, almost every bird can outrun a drone that is not an FPV, and if it's a diver, like a hawk that has decided that the drone seems tasty, good luck surviving that boom&zoom.

The good news is that birds need a lot of time to climb, there isn't any bird capable of following a drone ascending, even in normal mode. Ascend 20-30 meters and then fly away 100-200m and descend to the normal altitude, if the bird persists repeat.

If the bird is big enough, like a seagull for example, you can "fight" with the bird and force it out of the area if you want, as long as you maintain altitude advantage it can't do anything. Chase the bird a bit and it will end up going away.

Smaller birds attack on swarms and are too agile to fight with them, so just go up and away. Small birds will make high speed passes, but they won't touch the drone. Big birds can physically attack the drone, but it's not common.

Size also matters, with <250g drones you'll get basically bullied by any bird around, but with an M3 or similar they think twice.

When flying with birds in areas where there are cliffs or similar locations where there are might be nests, the best thing to do is not to hover. Stop 1-2 seconds, take the pic and keep moving, if you hover you make yourself an easy target. If birds are around but not attacking, be predictable in flight, so they have time to evade.

In the end bird confrontations are anecdotal, they are curious at the beginning, but they leave you alone after a while. Birds are smart and have good memory, they are not idiotic kamikazes that will decide to suicide themselves on that noisy flying machine at first glance. If other people have flown drones in that area, they probably won't care about yours.

 

[karlblessing]

^ What he said, the nutshell is that it's harder for a pursuing bird to climb than it is for them to dive.

 

[Daytona500]

The same when you are running low on battery or a copter decides to fly nearby for example, rules are just for general purpose,

Where do you this from this from. Manned aircraft always have the right of way no matter what

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Just go up, it doesn't matter if you are at the legal limit, it's an emergency maneuver. The same when you are running low on battery or a copter decides to fly nearby for example, rules are just for general purpose, safety of the flight always prevails.

...........

If the bird is big enough, like a seagull for example, you can "fight" with the bird and force it out of the area if you want, as long as you maintain altitude advantage it can't do anything. Chase the bird a bit and it will end up going away.

The problem with the OP attempting to climb is that they would have had to reset the height to allow a reasonable additional climb ( to me the wording of the opening post suggests that the OP had a 400ft ceiling set in the control app ).
Resetting heights take time and concentration on the app, especially when one is a bit panicked and time is something the OP may not have had.


With regards to "fighting" a sea gull etc. I must admit that I have actually flown a Mini at a passing gull that had looked to be 'taking a look-see' and that worked, the gull turned away but it is a bit risky.

 

[Glenh]

Good info, thank you. Not sure why but I am a bit scared of birds. Maybe I feel that I am invading their domain. Magpies are a pest but they are mostly active when protecting their young (as we are). Is there any good literature about bird and human interaction?

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

In the end bird confrontations are anecdotal, they are curious at the beginning, but they leave you alone after a while. Birds are smart and have good memory, they are not idiotic kamikazes that will decide to suicide themselves on that noisy flying machine at first glance. If other people have flown drones in that area, they probably won't care about yours.

I am afraid I would have to disagree with that line of thinking.
I have seen video of an Oystercatcher pressing home an attack and, from memory, causing the drone to crash, I think it was in Asia in a town park.
There are videos of wild raptors pressing home an attack and I think I have also seen videos of waterfowl pressing home attacks.
Yes birds have memory but they can only remember something if they have experienced it and the experience may be fatal for the bird and the drone.
I think it is better to err on the side of caution and "get the heck out of there".

 

[Glenh]

Birds are the agents o FAA, CASA etc. They check out your flying capabilities and let you know how they feel. They are also one of the custodians of our land so should show due respect. Never the less they are a pests!

 

[SkiProiii]

If I bird takes interest, UP and Away! Best for your expensive drone and the bird. There are many incidents posted on the internet where birds have taken down large drones used for surveillance and survey which are 10kg+ in size where they drone stayed at same altitude and area, assumingely to complete the flight mission.

I fly mainly on the coast of Canada where we have seagulls, crows, and a number of predator birds like osprey and bald eagle. If I see I predator bird in the area, I’m landing as fast as practical and not waiting to see if it’s interested! Where you fly there may be laws regarding their nesting areas and you want to stay clear of those areas for obvious reasons - we are very much invading their space!

Seagulls and crows are the most common we see here. I’ve had 2 interactions with one of each. In both flights they were about 30m high at the time they came close to the drone, both following from behind, so I climbed straight up in sport mode and away. Both stopped following the drone so I came back and landed without a strike.

I later read the bird will look for patterns in tracking prey and flying up is not one they are used to seeing pray do. Second is climbing takes much more effort so physically tire of the chase more quickly and move on. Common thinking is the worst thing you can do in flight is descend - it’s a normal behaviour they are used to and easy for them to dive after.

 

[dave canada]

if you see your drone rolling on the screen pull you sticks in to start position when it gets upright in the rool the bird usually lets go when it restarts worked twice now for me

 

[Will_UK]

"Just go up, it doesn't matter if you are at the legal limit, it's an emergency maneuver. The same when you are running low on battery or a copter decides to fly nearby for example, rules are just for general purpose, safety of the flight always prevails"

Don't do this! The rules are laws, not guidelines. I fly drones and helicopters. If I'm coming to recce a private site at 500ft for landing and flying at 80kts and you come in to my path it's unlikely I would be able to avoid you.

 

[Glenh]

Good point big W. But, have you registered your flight plan? Are you in contact with those around you on radio? Be humble and respectful

 

[Will_UK]

Good point big W. But, have you registered your flight plan? Are you in contact with those around you on radio? Be humble and respectful

You don't register a flight plan staying inland within the UK. I am in contact with ATC in the helicopter however I am not in contact with them when flying a drone and nor do they see drones on radar so that wouldn't really help. In any event, at 500 feet, depending on the terrain, there's a good chance they wouldn't hear me and I would have already reported landing at a private site before getting down to that level.

Always respectful but let's be realists and fly within the law and not give advice that it's ok to exceed 400ft. It's not.

 

[LoudThunder]

f you see your drone rolling on the screen pull you sticks in to start position when it gets upright in the rool the bird usually lets go when it restarts worked twice now for me

The problem with this is the IMU in the drone must sense a semi-upright position. If the drone is tumbling or spinning, the IMU may not sense an upright position and it will not allow the motors to restart.

This positional On/Off of the IMU is the feature that some fliers use when the they hand-catch their drone, they immediately whip the drone over onto its side and the motors shut off.

 

[Parkerjh]

"Just go up, it doesn't matter if you are at the legal limit, it's an emergency maneuver. The same when you are running low on battery or a copter decides to fly nearby for example, rules are just for general purpose, safety of the flight always prevails"

Don't do this! The rules are laws, not guidelines. I fly drones and helicopters. If I'm coming to recce a private site at 500ft for landing and flying at 80kts and you come in to my path it's unlikely I would be able to avoid you.

Wrong. You can do this legally. It is better to avoid a collision with the bird and have the drone free-fall and potentially cause other damage to people or property than simply LEGALLY flying higher temporarily to avoid the bird. The FAA allows this - it IS the rule. Operator can still of course remain cognizant of surroundings and be aware of aircraft for example

 

[Will_UK]

The clues in my name, I.e. UK. It's illegal in the UK to exceed 400ft regardless.

 

[MS Coast]

The clues in my name, I.e. UK. It's illegal in the UK to exceed 400ft regardless.

I'd be surprised if there's not something similar in the UK rules.


Source:

Federal Register :: Request Access

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

if you see your drone rolling on the screen pull you sticks in to start position when it gets upright in the rool the bird usually lets go when it restarts worked twice now for me

Sorry for the very late reply but do you have the flight logs the these flights, both before and after the attack? They would be rather interesting I think.
If you have them and are willing to share them can you upload them to DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help
and post their URL's here please?