Mini 3 attracting small birds

[a2tomm]

Went out to fly this am took the Mini 3 and Air 2s over the Q.dam here in P.a. One thing I must share , for the past 3 weeks flying the Mini 3 I noticed small birds come out of the wood work more than usual,So this Morning when I took both birds up again the little birds really seem to be attracted to the Mini 3,NO attacks but flying around and around it .

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Are they from the Swift and Swallow family? If so I wonder if they are taking insects attracted by the drone's noise or drawn in or disturbed by its airflow.

 

[March411]

I have swifts fly around my MM2 whenever I put it up in the back yard. They stay with it when it is lower than 50' but usually pull off once my altitude goes beyond that height. Same thing though, a bunch of them show up and just fly around the drone, no contact.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I have also noticed an increase in small birds circling around the Mini 3 as well. Less noise and there not as afraid it seems.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water.

 

[MS Coast]

I've seen swallows and martins fly around a hovering or slowly moving Mini 2, Air 2S, and Mini 3 on several occasions. No sign of aggression. They appear to be just curious. They're powerful and highly maneuverable fliers accustomed to flying close to one another, so I see little danger of collisions.

 

[Aerialskape]

Yep, the smaller drones, I have MM2, seem to attract birds that feed on the wing, Mavic 2 less so for some reason. Never noticed it at all with Phantom.

 

[badshah]

I have also experienced the same. Small birds just come out of nowhere and circle around, almost as if they were going to take it down. A couple of times, an eagle just swooped at the drone and I had to hurriedly bring it down. The design definitely seems to be attracting birds for some reason.

 

[PHZ]

I wonder if the two large OA sensors in the front look like eyes and fool them in to thinking it is a live bird?

 

[Aerialskape]

I have also experienced the same. Small birds just come out of nowhere and circle around, almost as if they were going to take it down. A couple of times, an eagle just swooped at the drone and I had to hurriedly bring it down. The design definitely seems to be attracting birds for some reason.

I’ve had a couple of buzzards show an interest, possibly a young pair. Just leaving it hovering seemed to confuse them (I couldn’t climb to avoid as already at 120m), maybe I just got lucky? I did bring the drone back fast when they moved away a bit…

Pidgeons seem to get upset and the whole flock kept circling/swooping until I moved away from the building they were on.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I had a Buzzard make a pass at a Phantom, one was enough for me, I brought the drone home and left the Buzzard to it, have you seen their talons??????? scarey stuff.

 

[MS Coast]

I'm just noting some nomenclature differences between the US and Great Britain (a possibly other countries) with respect to buzzards. In the US, buzzard is a common name for a vulture. We have Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures. In the UK, buzzards are hawks and if I understand correctly, they're specifically species in the genus Buteo.

So, if you're in the US, don't be concerned about buzzards/vultures attacking a drone. They feed entirely on carrion and don't take prey on the wing.

 

[Aerialskape]

Valid point and one that always causes confusion, the difference in names of things between countries, some more entertaining than others. And yes, you are correct about buzzards being genus Buteo

 

[MS Coast]

Valid point and one that always causes confusion, the difference in names of things between countries, some more entertaining than others. And yes, you are correct about buzzards being genus Buteo

My glider instructor was a wonderful old British gentleman who was endlessly amused by the differences in English as spoken in the US and UK. He told a story about the uncomfortable situation caused when he asked a female hotel desk clerk in Atlanta if he could borrow an eraser, which being British, he described as a rubber

 

[123taff]

Obviously, birds will not have an understanding of what a drone is, so may well see them as a "strange" bird flying into their territory. Leading on from that the size probably has a relevance too. The smaller drones might not appear as a threat whereas the larger ones could be construed as larger birds of prey thus the smaller birds keep well clear. Obviously, Birds of prey themselves don't necessarily see any sized drone as a threat.
Recently, I flew over a road bridge with my Mini 3 that sea gulls were resting on and I hadn't noticed they were there until I saw them on the screen (I was being a good boy and flying VLofS ) Luckily they scattered and couldn't wait to get as far away as possible from it paying it no more attention!

 

[EricJT]

I have also experienced the same. Small birds just come out of nowhere and circle around, almost as if they were going to take it down. A couple of times, an eagle just swooped at the drone and I had to hurriedly bring it down. The design definitely seems to be attracting birds for some reason.

If birds are getting too close, I increase my altitude quickly as they cannot climb as quickly as my M2P. Then I move horizontally and bring it closer to me and land if need be.

 

[March411]

We had almost zero wind today in Chicago so I decided to take the little Tello out for a spin. I buzzed around in sport mode and twice had humming birds pace the Tello, they could stick to in flight like a glove. When I hovered one tried to pounce on it a couple times but never mad contact. I landed right after that and put the Tello away, no need to possibly hurt the hummers with the blades.

 

[CanadaDrone]

In my experience, most birds, especially sea birds, do not appreciate the presence of a drone. Any time I have been chased or dive-bombed or sense that I am not welcome, I immediately stop flying in that area. Not worth losing my drone, or worse, injuring a bird. If they are nesting or have young around they are particularly defensive. The smaller the drone, the more ballsy they are.

 

[MS Coast]

We had almost zero wind today in Chicago so I decided to take the little Tello out for a spin. I buzzed around in sport mode and twice had humming birds pace the Tello, they could stick to in flight like a glove. When I hovered one tried to pounce on it a couple times but never mad contact. I landed right after that and put the Tello away, no need to possibly hurt the hummers with the blades.

Given their speed and agility, I think a hummingbird that wanted to strike that Tello would have done it easily, whether hovering or in flight.

They regularly feint at one another when defending a feeder, bur rarely make contact. There's a lot of hummingbird four-way mock combat going on in the back yard right now.

 

[March411]

Our neighbor has two feeders that we get to enjoy the hummers. We often see a couple battling it out near them, especially in the evening when they are muscling each other for space.

 

[Robert Prior]

he asked a female hotel desk clerk in Atlanta if he could borrow an eraser, which being British, he described as a rubber

My first engineering manager did that. Also told a (female) coworker he'd knock her up after dinner — meaning, of course, knock on her door…

"Fanny" also has a different meaning in the UK. Not to mention "pants".