Bird attacks. My biggest concern when flying

[Pedwards]

A few days ago I tested the way-point function. During the flight the UAV remained in sight and could see the bird, but it was difficult to see how close to the UAV the bird was. When I reviewed the video I was surprised by the birds actions.

I can ensure the drone is serviceable and safe to fly, but birds remain my biggest concern when I fly.

 

[old man mavic]

unfortunately this is something that we all have to cope with whenever we take to the air
it can be mitigated to some extent, by not flying to close to nesting birds, as that is when they are at their most aggressive defending their nests
for the most part they will circle around the drone because they see it as a possible enemy

 

[THE CYBORG]

Close call with birds over water, nerve-wracking

 

[Pedwards]

I frequently fly between 300-400 ft and find there is less bird activity at that height. From memory, the flight plan the UAV was operating was descending when the bird first was seen and would of been at about 220 ft. It was a close call, for the drone and the bird. I would stop flying if I was the cause of a bird injury.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

It is pleasing to read of your concern for the birds themselves.
The best escape route is UP, apparently drones can out climb them.
Once clear "get the heck out of there" lol

 

[Pedwards]

Agreed! This is exactly the advice I passed to a new pilot a few weeks ago!

 

[Dakarenduro]

Yep, I have this scenario happen daily. Very nerve wracking. Especially during hyperlapses. I seem to be on a hyperlapse kick right now so most flights are send the drone out, setup a hyperlapse scenario then let it run autonomously for 10-15 minutes, return. During these flights birds get somewhat aggressive. on one occasion striking the top of the drone, no marks or crash, just kind of a mid air bounce! super duper pucker factor! My obstacle sensors are always going off... front, back, side, above, etc. I guess I've just been lucky so far to not have a full on strike resulting in a crash...

When I watch them, if its just one bird they tend to fly near and then get bored. If it is a bunch then its basically game on. Time for evasive maneuvers. I've found that going straight up is always best. Yes, it can out ascend them because it can go directly up. whereas the birds have to sore in circles to gain altitude (mainly). And hi speed flight in straight line, I seem to be able to outrun 90% of them.

Good luck.

 

[15PSI]

Nice to hear you are worried about the birds being injured. I agree that we must be mindful around animals in general. Drones spook horses especially and when we contract a mission around horse estates, we are very aware of that possibility. On my property, I have bee hives. When they forage, they can fly locally around my gardens or further away for nectar and pollen (up to 2-3 miles). There are numerous hives in my area in Virginia. One of the issues I have encountered, as well as other local pilots, is honey bee drones (not a pun) mistaking the UAS as a virgin queen flight. They then attempt to mate with UAS. it happens more with my Mini than my larger aircraft. Apparently, the frequency of the Mini’s rotors is similar to the sound of a virgin queen requesting suitors.

 

[iaincaradoc]

I would stop flying if I was the cause of a bird injury.

Anyone else thinking about Randy Johnson?

 

[KiloMeater]

Lately I am flying a lot near and over sea, I found out seagulls are quite aggressive and definitely interested in my MM.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Oyster catchers too according to here and youtube, that surprised me but I don't doubt the observations. My mini got buzzed by a couple of unknown species of long beaked waders the other evening

 

[iaincaradoc]

Locally, the Great-Tailed Grackle is my nemesis in the air. They're aggressive. Fortunately, I never see more than two or three at a time.

 

[razoraerial]

It is pleasing to read of your concern for the birds themselves.
The best escape route is UP, apparently drones can out climb them.
Once clear "get the heck out of there" lol

This is what I do once in this situation. Works well.

 

[RisingSky@UVT]

I have had a few close calls and it gets nerve racking at times. Ive been on site about to fly a job and spotted groups of turkey vultures, it worried me quite a bit but had to get the job done. %100 for straight up being the best escape method!

 

[Made2Phly]

In Cincinnati, if I see barn swallows flying, I do not launch. They have come after my M2P, and they are relentless.They are extremely fast and agile. They are active most often around dusk. Typically there will be at least 5 flying in the same vicinity.

Beware the barn swallow.

 

[Nonprophet]

We have a lot of swallows nesting on/under bridges here in Oregon. While they do notice my drone and a small group will swoop in for a look, mostly they seem to keep their distance and I think they're "bluff-charging" hoping to scare me off. I do ascend straight up, and they don't/can't follow. It's nerve wracking for sure being so close to water and having them pester my drone.....but so far so good.

 

[E90RAW]

A few days ago I tested the way-point function. During the flight the UAV remained in sight and could see the bird, but it was difficult to see how close to the UAV the bird was. When I reviewed the video I was surprised by the birds actions.

I can ensure the drone is serviceable and safe to fly, but birds remain my biggest concern when I fly.

It's fun to see what pops up on your videos that you didnt see during the flight. Very cool. Although I would say thats not an attack because your drone is still in the air and made it home. The birds seem alot closer on the video than they really are. I have some great footage I will download when I get around to it with my sensors going off with the drone in the middle of what seemed like a barrage (flock of pelicans), but in reality they didnt get that close. You forget how good birds are at flying.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

I have turkey vultures around here that like to cruise nearby sometimes. The smaller birds never bothered my X-Star much but that's probably because it's a bit bigger and orange. So far I've been lucky non of the birds around have gone after my MA2. There are some Blue Jays around the neighborhood and they are known to be aggressive but so far so good. I was filming some of the flooding near my house last year and had a fly-by but no circling or aggressive action. I didn't even see him until I reviewed the footage. He went by so fast, it was just a blink on the video.

 

[Bluebird715]

I was practicing maneuvers this week and had a hawk circle my drone so I just came down to about 10 feet and she left it alone. Maybe next time I should just go straight up but I wasn't sure which way to go! ?‍

 

[Roos]

Sparrow Missile Beautiful place in NV full video