Eagles and Mavics

[usaken]

Hi, I’m going to Fairbanks Alaska in a couple weeks. Planning to fly my bird while there. Does anyone have experience flying around eagles? Clearly a mavic offers no protection against a bird with a 7 foot wingspan. Birds have taken an interest in my drone but never attacked it. BTW, there is alot of controlled airspace above Fairbanks proper. You need to get a ways out of town to find flyable areas.

 

[THE CYBORG]

 

[CactusJackSlade]

If it nesting season or mating season watch out, they are most aggressive then.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Hi, I’m going to Fairbanks Alaska in a couple weeks. Planning to fly my bird while there. Does anyone have experience flying around eagles? Clearly a mavic offers no protection against a bird with a 7 foot wingspan. Birds have taken an interest in my drone but never attacked it. BTW, there is alot of controlled airspace above Fairbanks proper. You need to get a ways out of town to find flyable areas.

I have come to the conclusion with birds that they look for weak prey based on when I fly very cautious down a channel as compared to when I am taking control of the Sky,

I also borrow from the Russian Sub Playbook and that is to do some Crazy Ivans drone style, meaning to do some Vertical Blasts up and down if I see or sense trouble.
If you watch my Sea Gull videos you can clearly see that flying backwards away from the birds is not a good move better to fly towards them and vertically climb.

Its my Scare Crow theory " Once they see you not as a bird , there more likely to leave you alone.
I have also found my drone more attacked from behind.

Something to consider, ponder, research and put into action.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavic in the Rain.
Coal

 

[Big-Foot]

Eagle - 1
Drone - 0
But I guarantee you that the eagle needed to lick his wounds a while after attacking a flying salad-shooter....

 

[virtualphotographers]

Birds don’t like drones. Especially in mating season and when they young

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Eagle - 1
Drone - 0
But I guarantee you that the eagle needed to lick his wounds a while after attacking a flying salad-shooter....

You could see that bird sitting in the tree and than deploying , and engaging , not sure what could have been done , WOW

 

[ChrisJM]

Wow. Cool video

 

[Ramjam61]

I am used to birds joining my RC gliders for flights. Sometimes I'm sure they have mating attentions. Drones are something else. They can injure birds. My first instinct would be to land. Failing that sudden changes of direction can phase birds and cause them to break off attention.

 

[Scooped]

I fou d that if you seem to be getting attacked, climb. It's one thing birds can't really do is go straight up. Will give you time to switch to sport mode and try to get the heck out of there.

 

[Bob1956]

Raptors (all) are protected animals. Interfering with them could land (no pun intended) you in serious trouble.

I photograph bald eagles as another hobby. Here in Ohio eagle chicks are "branching" Flapping wings and hopping to tree branches near the nest. Another 3 weeks to a month here and the nests will be empty. When I lived in northern Minnesota, the eagle chicks were in the nest thru July and left for good in August. Guessing Alaska is a little later.

Bald eagle parents will try to kill your drone if you get too close.

 

[Ol' Sparky]

Had a couple bald eagles take an interest in my Spark last week. They circled it and came in close. I did a couple of straight up and then down maneuvers and they lost interest and continued on their way.

 

[Coco 60]

When you see birds very close to your drone just climb up very fast . Birds can't fly up that fast and you may get away from trouble. But with eagles that may be a different story.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Had a couple bald eagles take an interest in my Spark last week. They circled it and came in close. I did a couple of straight up and then down maneuvers and they lost interest and continued on their way.

I think there is something to the birds seeing the Vertical movement of the drone that does cause them to loose interest.
Agreed.

 

[dave canada]

i had something roll my mavic pro in sport mode and moving rolled it twice i think, it was fast on the screen i pulled the joysticks in twice and it came up and kept on flying If it was a bird ,d say it was probably a red tail there is alot of them where I fly. I always see followig shadows no doubt birds are intrigued