Birds

[Macabre]

So I was flying more drone rather calmly but I noticed a lot of birds tend to fly around it. They are probably curious.

How safe is it to fly around birds? I mean, I don't try to fly into them, just that they can appear out of nowhere and are faster than my drone.
Are there any bird strike risks? I'm not talking about predator birds like eagles and hawks, I'm talking normal birds.

 

[Prismatic]

During nesting, most any bird will become aggressive toward a drone that it perceives as a potential threat to its nest. Many (e.g., swallows, finches) will "feint and flee" from the much larger drone; others (e.g., seagulls, crows) may attempt a strike.

And while the props have low mass, their speed and sharp leading edges make them extremely dangerous for a bird of any size (including raptors); a bird strike may or may not disable your drone, but it will likely be ultimately fatal to the bird (lost toes, cut tendons, broken beaks, and so on lead to a dismal end).

First, discourage attacks. Make your drone a scary alien presence (to birds, anyway ). Strongly patterned skins, holographic "dazzle strips", and/or stick-on googly eyes have all been used for the purpose. Of course, you'll never really know if it works, because you can't know if any potential attacks were actually warded off.

Second, if a bird does appear to be threatening your drone, stop all horizontal motion and ascend at max power. This maneuver is "impossible" from a bird's point-of-view, and extremely scary to them. I once had a swarm of swallows around my drone scatter every direction when I did that. This move is about your only recourse from a raptor on an attack run; it won't know how to adjust its flight for a target that does what birds can't do. You'll never outrun it or outmaneuver it any other way.

 

[Macabre]

Thanks for the tips. I do know the part about stopping and ascending, but I noticed it's not always effective.

 

[GGehret]

Thanks for the tips. I do know the part about stopping and ascending, but I noticed it's not always effective.

So I was flying more drone rather calmly but I noticed a lot of birds tend to fly around it. They are probably curious.

How safe is it to fly around birds? I mean, I don't try to fly into them, just that they can appear out of nowhere and are faster than my drone.
Are there any bird strike risks? I'm not talking about predator birds like eagles and hawks, I'm talking normal birds.

I remember reading some where that bright strobe lights help ward off birds too. I don't have any personal experience with whether or not that works, but just in case it does, I just ordered a couple of FAA compliant strobes for my drone. It will help me see it better during my flights too.

 

[Robollox]

I had a close call yesterday flying my Mavic 2 Pro over the river Severn near Worcester (England), whilst static over the river, checking settings, a gull flew straight at it, and swerved away at the last moment. When I looked a the video on my pc later, it looked very close! If it had hit it, not only would the bird have been fatally injured, my drone probably would've ended up in the drink, never to be found again! Phew!

 

[Prismatic]

Thanks for the tips. I do know the part about stopping and ascending, but I noticed it's not always effective.

You're right; some birds in some situations don't scare so easily! ? It's a last resort, and about all you can do when a raptor is on approach ... I guess ... I've not actually had to do that (yet), but I'm very sure descent and/or horizontal maneuvers won't get you out of that jam! ??