Had my Mini2 out the other day and a Hawk started buzzing it. Immediately landed, packed it up and went home. Can anything be put on the drone to ward off bird attacks?
Bird Avoidance
- Thread starter VetteGuy
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IMO you did the correct thing, it's their sky not our's.
That was the best course of action. You could have waited till the hawk moved territory and then put it up again. I was flying the other day and three eagles were circling around my drone. I flew in the opposite direction far away from them, and they didn't bother to follow. I was also attacked by three different hummingbirds in several different locations the same day. They are very aggressive and territorial.
philztoy
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The hawks that have approached my drones a couple of times seem to disengage when either they are close enough to the drone to see it isn't prey and/or they see the human operator close by. Maybe a starter pistol (if it won't draw other unwanted attention) or something similar would help them make the connection between you and the drone and shy it away.
The hawks that have had my chickens pinned down for slaughter a couple of times disengage when they see me coming. Seems everything likes to eat chickens.
The hawks that have had my chickens pinned down for slaughter a couple of times disengage when they see me coming. Seems everything likes to eat chickens.
In Australia we put zip ties on our bike helmets to stop Magpies getting close enough to biting our ears.
I saw a photo a few days ago of a drone with zip ties on it and the owner said it works as a bird deterrent. I just found the photo again...
I saw a photo a few days ago of a drone with zip ties on it and the owner said it works as a bird deterrent. I just found the photo again...
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a2tomm
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The mini 3 pro with oem props attracted small swallows here in Pa ,I then switched to MAS props and that seemed to help .The Mini3 pro is so quiet as it is .
GregS
Well-Known Member
You did the right thing. I have done that several times due to Eagles. Was flying a few days ago and my Mavic Pro stopped....sea gulls flew in front of it.
Don't know how to stop the birds. To them the drone is a competitor or enemy. They will always buzz it or even attack it. It can be scary...for the bird, and the pilot.
I have a Mini 2 & fly exclusively in the Sonoran Desert USA where aggressive hawks & curious ravens rule the sky (along with the occasional Golden Eagle). I always have two strobes on when I fly to scare them away. 84 flights & no bird attacks yet!
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That's a pretty good thought for strobe benefit.
I'm sure birds would not like to get too near anything strobing that brightly.
It might be very similar to holographic drone skins, or tape you can get.
Holographic bird scaring tape, as used in orchards etc has been used and sworn to work by some drone pilots.
You can get stick on tape and it reflects like crazy in sunlight (I'd bet good for VLOS too for finding the drone in the sky).
My experience with raptors has been they are either curious, territory defensive, or looking for prey.
I think most drones emit enough noise that such birds would soon realise it's not something they can eat.
I've had hawks curious and fly off, never had an encounter with one of our infamous drone killing Wedgetail Eagles, but a Peregrine Falcon once buzzed me frantically, either nesting in a rocky outcrop I was filming, or defending its territorial food supply from a possible competitor.
I flew up fast at least 30m above it leaving it circling below, then flew to home point in sports mode to land without further incident.
Avoid predator feeding times, learning when helps. If you’re near a nest (i’d guess spring) the bird parents will let you know.
I have a sticker on my drone (mini2 and then mini 3 pro with yellow and black stripes. In nature that usually means keep away. Pretty sure the bird interest has decreased since. Apart from when I flew at the beach a few weeks ago when every seagull in the area took to the air screaming. They left it alone though. And of course I still get circling pigeons before taking it up higher to lose them. Before the sticker, I'd had song birds at high altitudes flocking round it and a seagull in an urban environment that would follow it up and down and side to side. Incidentally, I had to limit it to a sticker on the top, with bits cut off to keep under the weight limit, as the mini 3 pro is quite close to 250g.
BDMavic505
Active Member
Same thing with me and my Mavic Pro 2, was shooting at Liberty High in North Liberty, Iowa. It was easier to go back after landing and keep my equipment safe after a few crows showed their curiosity in their territory than test my DJI insurance ( another post).
I got my son some of these for his drone. Not sure if it would actually scare the bird off, or just antagonize it. 
Wow, the things you can learn here. I had never heard of this and it looks interesting. A 25' roll is only $4.25 on Amazon. Worth a try, and if it helps with VLOS, all the better. My neighbor has homing/racing pigeons that hone in until i get to about 100 feet. They will circle it at about 20-30 feet out.
A good controlled experiment is coming for me .....
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I’ve experienced many hawks and seagulls living in San Diego doing real estate photos and video. I’ve found the hawks are more curious than anything else, I’ve never been attacked by a hawk type of bird. Seagulls on the other hand are the dumb rats of the sky. They are very territorial and will dive bomb me. If I encounter one they will start squawking and calling their fiends in. They will dive bomb and swoop down on the drone. I’ve never been hit but their defense mechanism is to poop on the drone. I’ve found the best thing to do is fly straight up above them, they can’t seem to see you then any they will disburse.
When I come back to land I’ve had them follow me all the way down to the ground and until I put the drone away and out of sight in the back of the truck they won’t leave the area. In some sense I think the seagulls are the dumber of the species, the hawks seem to figure out pretty quick that the drone is not a threat and move on.
I fly everyday for my work, Knock on wood I’ve never been downed by a bird….yet.
When I come back to land I’ve had them follow me all the way down to the ground and until I put the drone away and out of sight in the back of the truck they won’t leave the area. In some sense I think the seagulls are the dumber of the species, the hawks seem to figure out pretty quick that the drone is not a threat and move on.
I fly everyday for my work, Knock on wood I’ve never been downed by a bird….yet.
skycam509
Well-Known Member
It was pure luck. I was making a video and just left the camera running. After that encounter I decided not to fly there for quite some time. It was taken with an Air 2s.
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