Share your tips on how to avoid birds!

[Av8rshane]

They can’t see colour.

That’s old information, they see color humans can’t see.
Birds see colors invisible to humans - Futurity

 

[macoman]

That’s old information, they see color humans can’t see.
Birds see colors invisible to humans - Futurity

Interesting read!!!

 

[jmitteco]

If anybody has any advice when dealing with birds in the area please let me know. I live in Ohio and I see hawks everywhere, which means I never ever take my drone LOS or I know that it will be taken out of the sky.

Honestly I'm really surprised at how territorial birds are. The mavic is extremely loud so you'd think that they wouldn't attack it.

This is easily my biggest fear whenever I fly my bird especially if I am on vacation and don't know what birds are local.

I'm dealing with seagulls mostly amongst other birds.
Go straight up as they get close.
This shows them strength.
If you go down they will take it as a sign of weakness & attack.
This has worked for me dozens of times.
Hawks & other birds of prey would be a bit tougher but I would think the same princible would apply.

 

[Te Rangitira]

Yea it seems like that is the only solution. I really don't want to throw reflective tape on my beautiful mavic though, but then again if it works it works.

Balance with the tape, try fluro paint spots

 

[Te Rangitira]

If anybody has any advice when dealing with birds in the area please let me know. I live in Ohio and I see hawks everywhere, which means I never ever take my drone LOS or I know that it will be taken out of the sky.

Honestly I'm really surprised at how territorial birds are. The mavic is extremely loud so you'd think that they wouldn't attack it.

This is easily my biggest fear whenever I fly my bird especially if I am on vacation and don't know what birds are local.

Going up fast is good, they see it as a threat, especially when you come down fast!. Seagulls and albatrosses is my problem

 

[CandyMan_ZA]

I wish I had tried some of these tips before this Black Eagle took my MP down

I now have a MPP so maybe the colour wont attract the birds as much

My Mavic Pro was attacked by a Black Eagle

 

[jerryflah]

If you have hawks and crows in your area, you know that crows know exactly how to handle hawks. They attack from above, diving down on the hawk because they know the hawk can't suddenly fly upward to grab them. I have, however, seen a hawk flip onto its back to try to catch an attacker coming from above, but this is pretty rare. My strategy is #1 stay away from hawks and eagles when possible, but if I ever see one diving on my MP, I hope I'd have the presence of mind to go UP Up and AWAY at the same time.
Most hawks that you see circling in the sky in N. America are Red-Tailed hawks. They are for the most part ground feeders,catching snakes, squirrels and rabbits. I've never seen one catch anything in the air. They're big and not terribly agile flyers.
Hawks that hunt other birds are usually falcons, and you rarely see them circling. They typically hunt from a perch. They fly straight and fast, catching prey from behind or while on the ground. They don't soar, but flap, glide, flap, glide for the most part.
As to the territoriality of red-tails, I spent one spring observing three nests within a half mile of each other and never observed any territorial disputes among the nesting pairs. Red tails drift and hunt over huge expanses. One that's directly overhead may be a mile away a few minutes later. I'm guessing that if they dive on a drone, they think it's prey. And their prey flies straight and fast. They know how to compensate for that movement.
Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles also mainly eat things they catch at ground or water level, but will hunt waterfowl also. Flying waterfowl go straight and fast, so trying to escape by flying horizontally way from a hunting eagle seems like a BAD idea. If the attacker is coming from a distance, going up may not save you, but it will no doubt surprise the eagle because its normal prey can't do that.
Well, I'm just thinking out loud here, based on years of observing hawks and eagles in action. Hope this helps a little. UP UP AND AWAY![/QUO
I've seen Hawks turn the tables on diving Crows by turning upside down in level flight menacing talons at the not so nimble Crow.

 

[TerryJ]

My technique is as follows...
1 Notice bird or birds....
2 Immediately begin decending
3 Fly mavic toward me....
4 Land until birds have gone...
This easy four step process has worked flawlessly for me.

 

[macoman]

My technique is as follows...
1 Notice bird or birds....
2 Immediately begin decending
3 Fly mavic toward me....
4 Land until birds have gone...
This easy four step process has worked flawlessly for me.

What about flying in another area or away from the birds.... Worked for me all the time.

 

[_supdns]

I've had close calls with all sorts of birds on a few continents, and one thing that always works is switching to sport mode and using evasive maneuvers

 

[Clipper707]

This is an interesting thread. Without reading the article about birds seeing color, I knew the statement birds are colorblind to be false. Male birds are colorful for a reason: to attract females.

As for hawks and gulls, look at their wings. They are soaring birds and capable of speed in a dive, but they're not great climbers. If a hawk takes a predatory or territorial interest in my drone, I ascend quickly as I evade. The shapes of birds' wings often tell you what kind of flyer they are.

Also, birds are more territorial if they have young ones around. Are there nests nearby? A place that's unsafe to fly today (due to birds) might be fine next month. I've been ignored by crows and swarmed by crows. It depends if they have nestlings.

 

[Te Rangitira]

This is an interesting thread. Without reading the article about birds seeing color, I knew the statement birds are colorblind to be false. Male birds are colorful for a reason: to attract females.

As for hawks and gulls, look at their wings. They are soaring birds and capable of speed in a dive, but they're not great climbers. If a hawk takes a predatory or territorial interest in my drone, I ascend quickly as I evade. The shapes of birds' wings often tell you what kind of flyer they are.

Also, birds are more territorial if they have young ones around. Are there nests nearby? A place that's unsafe to fly today (due to birds) might be fine next month. I've been ignored by crows and swarmed by crows. It depends if they have nestlings.

In Alaska the Eagles couldn't care less, but the Crows were not that happy. In Hawaii it was ok, but here in New Zealand I have a lot of trouble with larger Seagulls and small Albatross. They dive bomb, so I go up fast, then descend fast straight at them. That's when they think it's a game. Even when they are not breeding they are territorial. Fluro dots on the props deter them a little.

Steve

 

[Mako79]

I installed a holographic skin and haven't had a single problem since and it also looks pretty cool View attachment 36223

1970's just called. They want their disco ball back.

In seriousness...
spiral up and away from the direction the bird came from and land once cleared. Do NOT go downwards as the Mavic has a very slow descent rate and makes it easy prey.
And best of all, try not to fly during hatching season..

 

[MartinFahrer]

I installed a holographic skin and haven't had a single problem since and it also looks pretty cool View attachment 36223

I thought my Iron Man skin was over the top. I do like that though. Won't loose that in the trees flying line of sight.

 

[SpitFire]

If anybody has any advice when dealing with birds in the area please let me know. I live in Ohio and I see hawks everywhere, which means I never ever take my drone LOS or I know that it will be taken out of the sky.

Honestly I'm really surprised at how territorial birds are. The mavic is extremely loud so you'd think that they wouldn't attack it.

This is easily my biggest fear whenever I fly my bird especially if I am on vacation and don't know what birds are local.

Having a co-pilot helps in watching for birds that are territorial. Then Left, right, straight up full throttle what ever the situation calls for. And, don't go looking for trouble to see if you can out run the birds.Usually, I bring a friend to help watch for Birds in the distance.

 

[FL1H1]

Honestly I'm really surprised at how territorial birds are. The mavic is extremely loud so you'd think that they wouldn't attack it.

This is easily my biggest fear whenever I fly my bird especially if I am on vacation and don't know what birds are local.[/QUOTE]


Oh yeah, Australian magpies protect a substantial area and are the most aggressive magpies I've ever come across. Not proven to work but bright yellow and stripes of any color, red, black, are in the natural world often a stay away warning. Think of many poisonous snakes, caterpillars - look at the cinnabar moth caterpillar, great example, a lot of fish too are brightly coloured with stripes. Wasps, bees. I don't guarantee it will work but such a skin MIGHT help, just might because in the natural world, bright colors and stripes are often a warning predators naturally understand. Stay clear of me, that's what it means.

 

[The Editor]

They can’t see colour.

Yes they can, but they can ALSO see UV.

How Do Birds See Color?

Do birds see color? Yes, but not like us! Learn how birds see colors and what that tells us about bird behavior and being better birders.

www.thespruce.com