Birds and the Mavic Pro

[Angelwings]

Hello all, I’m new here and at drone flying. I bought a Mavic pro in Oct. and only got up the nerves a week ago to get it in the air. My first flight was my backyard only. Yesterday I decided to branch out a little ways further but still not far. I get very scared with that thought of losing control. I have watch videos and read articles now for months before getting my feet wet. So it was going great yesterday until a flock of geese decided they wanted to get to know my drone. They actually circled around me three times and each time they were getting closer. Finally it seemed like they were close enough so I just brought it down. Has anyone had any encounters with birds or prey from the air. I’m not sure if they would have come even closer but it scared me enough to call it a day. Any help or input would be greatly appreciated. Btw I’m also scared of heights and I think that part of my problem but hope to work on that. Shirlene

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

Hello all, I’m new here and at drone flying. I bought a Mavic pro in Oct. and only got up the nerves a week ago to get it in the air. My first flight was my backyard only. Yesterday I decided to branch out a little ways further but still not far. I get very scared with that thought of losing control. I have watch videos and read articles now for months before getting my feet wet. So it was going great yesterday until a flock of geese decided they wanted to get to know my drone. They actually circled around me three times and each time they were getting closer. Finally it seemed like they were close enough so I just brought it down. Has anyone had any encounters with birds or prey from the air. I’m not sure if they would have come even closer but it scared me enough to call it a day. Any help or input would be greatly appreciated. Btw I’m also scared of heights and I think that part of my problem but hope to work on that. Shirlene

Yup... the best thing to do is not what I did, but to avoid the birds. It’s so tempting to fly with them but a collision is catastrophic for both the drone and the bird.

 

[Scooped]

I have had an Osprey chase mine around. I had to put into sort mode to try and get away from the hungry bird. Was able to get back to the ground safely. There must have been a next near as it was very protective of the air space I was in

 

[Skywatcher2001]

This is a big problem since we are sharing the skies with them. Most are just curious. It's the big apex predators you need to worry about. Your bird is pretty heavy and intimidating with the buzz of the props. I'm in a mountainous region so when I approach the nest of a hawk or owl then they let me know.

I generally have more problems with killer bees here in Southern California than birds of prey. I typically land 30' away and wait for the bees to disperse. Having a yellow M2P doesn't help much . . . when selecting the color I didn't think it thru.

 

[Bill combs]

Hello all, I’m new here and at drone flying. I bought a Mavic pro in Oct. and only got up the nerves a week ago to get it in the air. My first flight was my backyard only. Yesterday I decided to branch out a little ways further but still not far. I get very scared with that thought of losing control. I have watch videos and read articles now for months before getting my feet wet. So it was going great yesterday until a flock of geese decided they wanted to get to know my drone. They actually circled around me three times and each time they were getting closer. Finally it seemed like they were close enough so I just brought it down. Has anyone had any encounters with birds or prey from the air. I’m not sure if they would have come even closer but it scared me enough to call it a day. Any help or input would be greatly appreciated. Btw I’m also scared of heights and I think that part of my problem but hope to work on that. Shirlene

i’ve been flying dji drones since 2013 and have had many close calls with birds of all types and have found its much wiser to drop to the ground and run for home,when watching video after running from birds i realized they were inches away and would have hit me had i not run away.

 

[JimWest]

I very nearly lost my MP2 over the Detroit River last spring--I saw a large bird, goose maybe, take extreme evasive action to avoid hitting it, and I am very grateful to that bird.
I've also shot photos several times of abandoned farm silos, and usually there is a flock of birds that will come out and circle around. Small ones, though, and over land, so not as bad as over the river.

 

[Angelwings]

Thanks guys, I guess birds and prey are not just a threat to me. Who knew several days ago I would even be talking about birds smh. NOW another worry to keep me grounded lol

 

[Camino Ken]

I live and have been flying in a heavily forested area for over a year and have never even had a close call with a bird. I do encounter many birds and the huge majority are just curious and eventually just fly away. I worry a bit about the bigger birds so I usually either fly away or reduce altitude and they go away. Nesting season is the worst because the bird activity is high and sometimes they can get very aggressive when protecting their nest. The good news is nesting season is fairly short and I avoid the tree tops as much as I can during these times.

 

[mereflyer]

Yes it is kinda scary when this happens in front of your "aerocamera"
I immediately descended my mavic pro and vacated the sky until they left the locality. Waited a while then returned to flying again with no further sightings.

 

[25Vettes]

Welcome! I live and fly near the water a lot, so Gulls are always an issue and are very curious. When the get too close and I need to exit quick, I just fly straight up, as birds need to circle to gain elevation.

 

[Thomas B]

@Angelwings ..... Fly much and you’ll get bird buzzes for sure.
This eagle was buzzing me... kept getting closer and almost hit the drone in the fourth buzz. All happened in about 30 -40 seconds. Abandoned my planned project. Have a look. Gets closer at every pass.

 

[bonmot]

Yes it is kinda scary when this happens in front of your "aerocamera"View attachment 90961
I immediately descended my mavic pro and vacated the sky until they left the locality. Waited a while then returned to flying again with no further sightings.

Wow great picture. It makes everyone want to fly above the birds!

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

And birds are like electricity transmission / telephone wires, when you see them in the camera view, things are getting serious !!

 

[dronerdave]

In my area we have a lot of osprey, eagles, turkey vultures and hawks. Not too much issues with hawks or vultures but the osprey and eagles often swoop on my MP. In one location, an osprey took a couple of shots at my quad but missed. I had a spotter warning me about it on it's third swoop and I shot straight up to avoid it. After that, it stayed away. Over the rest of the day the bird seemed to become more accustomed to our drones and my buddy actually got a nice shot of the osprey on top of a pole from a reasonable distance. I've noticed that many birds and animals that are spooked by a new intruder seem less worried once they figure the drone isn't an enemy. Unlike raptors, Gulls on the water really freak out, often taking off if I fly too low. Before you know it you're surrounded by birds. Many bridges that have nesting swallows also don't like my Mavic if it's getting too close. Not a good feeling for sure and you just don't know how they plan to react. I just try to ease my quad into the birds environment in the hope they don't attack or swarm. If I have issues I leave.

This hawk is OK with people, cars, and even became quite calm with our Mavic's flying in its hunting area.

 

[Walkery]

Had a hawk come out of no where hit my Marvic Mini
Marvic Mini came down like a rock
End results

 

[Thomas B]

Had a hawk come out of no where hit my Marvic Mini
Marvic Mini came down like a rockView attachment 91082
End results

Bad news! Hope you had insurance or DJICARE.

 

[bonmot]

Had a hawk come out of no where hit my Marvic Mini
Marvic Mini came down like a rockView attachment 91082
End results

Sorry to hear that.
Any film about the hawk approaching?

 

[Walkery]

No film came from side- rear

 

[bonmot]

No film came from side- rear

Right, those big brothers normally "chase" from behind...

 

[mereflyer]

Had a hawk come out of no where hit my Marvic Mini
Marvic Mini came down like a rockView attachment 91082
End results

Very sorry for you. Hope you are covered by insurance!