Bird Strikes - are they common?

[LeSchmoo]

So I was flying my MM (unfortunately not recording) and noticed a flock of birds flash by below it, next thing they swirled up and came head on in such a way that the MM went through the middle of them, it seemed like a deliberate maneuver and it looked like they got really close - I was waiting for the MM to spin and fall, but luckily for all involved no contact was made.

So I was wondering, how common is this?

 

[chriscuk]

I had this once with a flock of seagulls. I had to fly aggressively straight up then straight down to get rid of them.
The worst one was flying too close to a wasps nest. The little buggers attacked my old drone and then tried following it back to me. I landed it about 50m away and left it there for a few hours!

 

[TDZHDTV]

Crashed my Mavic Air into the side of a derelict building after a flock of seagulls took interest, I panicked as I was over water, went to sports mode to escape, had VLOS but misjudged AC position. ? Lucky I had insurance.

I’ve had a couple of pigeons come very close, not sure if it’s the size or lack of operating noise, but the pigeons clearly didn’t see it till late.

 

[MercHornet]

Birds are very aggressive, I would always keep line of site on your drone . In Louisiana we have Purple Martin birds about 6 months out of the year that will go after your drone especially after there eggs hatch.

 

[hiflyer201]

I would stay away from nesting areas for sure...even small birds will come after YOU...heck with the drone