Just doing a normal flight when all of a sudden it was pandemonium and panic stations as I didn't know what on earth was going on. Later analysing the footage in slow motion, I worked out what it was. Bird Strike on a DJI Mini 4 Pro. I don't want these experiences too often!, but RTH came up trumps. See the video
Bird Strike
- Thread starter Derek H
- Start date
Welcome to the bird strike club. Glad to see your drone kept going. They are fairly robust.
You're lucky it didn't shut down after doing a flip and RTH. 
Most DJI drones fail when inverted.
Fly safe.
.
Most DJI drones fail when inverted.
Fly safe.
.
MA2 317" data-source="post: 1658442" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">You'd have to see the flight data to tell whether the drone was inverted during the incident.You're lucky it didn't shut down after doing a flip and RTH.
Most DJI drones fail when inverted.
.
Greetings from Birmingham Alabama USA, welcome to the forum! We look forward to hearing from you!
AeroJ
Well-Known Member
Hmmm. Sorry to hear one got you, but max props (no pun intended etc) to the craft for continuing OK after being carried (if that's what happened) ! I have wondered if our little guys are less domineering to larger birds than their bigger cousins.
I have some reflective red tape, but haven't applied any yet other than for navigation / LOS reasons. Are diagonal stripes still thought to be the best pattern for those does anyone know ? Several times I have got to a launch location and decided not to fly because of circling raptors and whatnot, but of course that can't save us if we don't see 'em coming !
I have some reflective red tape, but haven't applied any yet other than for navigation / LOS reasons. Are diagonal stripes still thought to be the best pattern for those does anyone know ? Several times I have got to a launch location and decided not to fly because of circling raptors and whatnot, but of course that can't save us if we don't see 'em coming !
I did an afternoon internet search one rainy day last winter and could find no real evidence that reflective tape or eyes frightened birds or deterred their interest. Anyone else find anything other than anecdotes?
MA2 317" data-source="post: 1658442" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">Yes I wonder why that didn't happen, it certainly did a 360 degree roll. That would have ended on disasterYou're lucky it didn't shut down after doing a flip and RTH.
Most DJI drones fail when inverted.
Fly safe.
.
So were there people who got attacked even with the tape.... Maybe there's some evidence it does deter but not completely
Did you see the incident as it happened or are you basing your comment on what you saw in the video?
AeroJ
Well-Known Member
I imagine that getting definitive data on that is 'quite challenging' to say the least !
TBH - it doesn't put me off much that most 'evidence' / discussion is anecdotal, as the tape is such an easy (and reversible) thing to do, that even if it makes only a slight difference that might be enough one day to offset an attack, and I will be grateful for that day if it ever happens, even if I will never know what caused the bird to turn away instead !
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Was it a Buteo (soaring hawk) or a Accipiter (killer) or didn't you see it? We have both here is WNY. I don't worry about the bigger soaring hawks, Buteo's, they are slow. But the Accipiter, Cooper's and Sharp shinned, are so fast you might not see them before the strike. I've seen them take birds out of the air and you only see the puff of feathers and then the hawk go to the ground, they are killers. Just wondering if I should worry about the bigger, slower soaring hawks too?
Bird attacks on drones are rare, so there's not much information to examine. But people have been interested in reflective tape and false eyes for a lot of other reasons, like keeping birds away from fruit trees. I didn't find anything substantive that suggested a benefit.
I fly near hawks, eagles, gulls, and other birds often and I've not yet seen one take any interest in a drone, other than Purple Martins and swallows. They seem curious and I've had them orbit around the drone, but they never approach closer than about 10 feet.
orionshooter
Well-Known Member
I once heard a fellow droner say this, “Reflective tape is like holy water, it probably won’t help but it can’t hurt.”
AeroJ
Well-Known Member
Not as much, but if they do take against you, they do more damage on contact, and they are the ones most likely to actually pick up the drone and carry it, either back to their nests or to the ground. They are slower to climb, and need to make bigger circles around to do so, making them easier to evade with a hard rise. However, they often start higher than we are, so usually have an advantage right out of the gate...
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What would motivate a bird of prey to take a drone to its nest? Its doubtful that they'd mistake a drone for a prey item like a bird or rodent. Have there been any actual cases of a bird taking a drone to its nest?
Animals generally don't have any interest at all in something unless they can eat it or breed with it or they feel threatened or that their territory is being infringed upon.
AeroJ
Well-Known Member
The nest may be close by, and the bird hasn't had time to properly register what it has caught yet ? Or it might be part of a hunting pair, and is bringing it back to show the other one ?! ''Hey Harriet, check out this mega-stiff flying rabbit I've found ! - it makes a really interesting squeak ! '' etc etc
More seriously I have seen one video where a drone was bought back to a nest, and no I can't find it now !
I can find a good few where the drone has been brought to ground tho."Animals generally don't have any interest at all in something unless they can eat it or breed with it or, ..."
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