Swallows attacking my mini!

[macik]

While flying near an overpass where it seems swallows like to swarm, I was chased and hassled until I either flew over 100 feet or move 50-75 yards away. I’m thinking having a swallow hit the drone would be bad for both of us.

any thoughts gang?

thanks.

in case you didn’t guess i am one month new to this drone stuff.

macik

 

[dirkclod]

My thoughts.

Fly with em. ​

 

[Speed]

Dont know about swallows but a pro tip I have heard if you're having bird trouble .... Always ascend. Birds dive much faster and more agile then they climb.

 

[dirkclod]

Very true, with any raptors i stay away or do as you say but these i just hover in them or go slow. They seem more curios than anything else.But anything can happen.?

 

[macik]

My thoughts.

Fly with em. ​

Great video! The birds are really kind of cool; just don’t want to hit one!

thanks for sharing

 

[Nonprophet]

I think the swallows are usually more curious than they are super aggressive, but other birds like gulls, eagles, hawks, etc are documented to have actually attacked drones. If I'm feeling like they are getting too close, I'll ascend rapidly--which they can't do. Usually, this deters them. I know some people put "Eagle eye" type stickers on their drones, but frankly I'm dubious that this scares them off....

 

[Deleted member 103366]

I very much doubt swallows or any birds of that family would bother the drone though I do think a collision with a drone would be probably fatal for the bird.
You probably flew into an insect cloud though I have wondered if a drone can maybe stir up an insect cloud.
That said, for their safety, I wouldn't hang around.

 

[Flygmaskin]

While flying near an overpass where it seems swallows like to swarm, I was chased and hassled until I either flew over 100 feet or move 50-75 yards away. I’m thinking having a swallow hit the drone would be bad for both of us.

any thoughts gang?

thanks.

in case you didn’t guess i am one month new to this drone stuff.

macik

Swallows.. Funny birds. All they ever do all day long is fighting and chasing each other. But when you put up a UAV, they all suddenly unite and swarm your craft with great collaboration (speaking from personal experience).

The fact that they seemed to stop harassing you at a certain distance, may indicate that they are nesting nearby, or trying to protect their chicks. Not sure about swallows nesting and hathcing season, but many birds do become very territorial when they have chicks, and will defend their nests and their young. I was fiercely attacked in person last week, with no UAV involved whatsoever. The outraged bird was a seagull and it won the battle.

I agree with what you said, a collision would be bad for both of us. I do think it’s our responsibility as pilots to try our best to not disturb birds (or any other animals). A collision would most certainly hurt them really bad, and one is also likely to loose their AC. There is lots of reports about “bird strikes”, the impact shatters a propellor and down you go.

As others pointed out above, if you find yourself harassed by birds, ascend straight up as quickly as possible, they can’t follow you that way.

 

[Flygmaskin]

I very much doubt swallows or any birds of that family would bother the drone though I do think a collision with a drone would be probably fatal for the bird.

I don’t doubt it one bit. Swallows have been very interested and focused on both my Spark and my M2. They gather together and circle around it, obviously following and chasing the craft. Sometimes they sweep down, probably a scare tactic though.

I also think that a collision with such a small bird would be fatal to it.

 

[Starz]

Another name would be
Wingman?

 

[macik]

I think the swallows are usually more curious than they are super aggressive, but other birds like gulls, eagles, hawks, etc are documented to have actually attacked drones. If I'm feeling like they are getting too close, I'll ascend rapidly--which they can't do. Usually, this deters them. I know some people put "Eagle eye" type stickers on their drones, but frankly I'm dubious that this scares them off....

Great info all. Thx

 

[macik]

I think the swallows are usually more curious than they are super aggressive, but other birds like gulls, eagles, hawks, etc are documented to have actually attacked drones. If I'm feeling like they are getting too close, I'll ascend rapidly--which they can't do. Usually, this deters them. I know some people put "Eagle eye" type stickers on their drones, but frankly I'm dubious that this scares them off....

Great info. Thanks. When in doubt, go up!

 

[KirkVoclain]

I had a Hawk chase me one time when I was doing some real estate photography. I did not pay much attention to the birds until this happened. He went int a dive and I dodged him. He circled around and started into another dive, and I dodged him again. So I decided to move out of his space, and he chased me all the way to the ground. Once I landed he left me alone.

Kirk

 

[mano]

I had a Hawk chase me one time when I was doing some real estate photography. I did not pay much attention to the birds until this happened. He went int a dive and I dodged him. He circled around and started into another dive, and I dodged him again. So I decided to move out of his space, and he chased me all the way to the ground. Once I landed he left me alone.

Kirk

I also had a hawk chase me at dusk and followed me home, then perched on a tree limb 25' away watching for a few minutes. Good to know about ascending!!

 

[Peter Hughes]

My greatest “Foes” are gulls!
I’ve found that both here in the U.K. and as far afield as New Zealand they seem to have a pathological hatred for drones.
Have a look at what happened to me in New Zealand (forgive the cheesy sound effects)
Enjoy your flying, take care. Peter

 

[Sitka78]

While flying near an overpass where it seems swallows like to swarm, I was chased and hassled until I either flew over 100 feet or move 50-75 yards away. I’m thinking having a swallow hit the drone would be bad for both of us.

any thoughts gang?

thanks.

in case you didn’t guess i am one month new to this drone stuff.

macik

I guess I missed the attacks. But in my experiences, move away from the trees where possible nests are and gain altitude quickly and get away from them. If that doesn't work, move to a different area where there aren't any swallows. Just keep it simple and safe for all.

 

[PinpointUAVS]

While flying near an overpass where it seems swallows like to swarm, I was chased and hassled until I either flew over 100 feet or move 50-75 yards away. I’m thinking having a swallow hit the drone would be bad for both of us.

any thoughts gang?

thanks.

in case you didn’t guess i am one month new to this drone stuff.

macik

Swallows can be extremely territorial and protective of their nests. I worked several years as a scaffolder in the oilfield sector. I frequently erected scaffolding on or around aerial coolers and this seemed to be a hot spot for swallow nests. They would dive bomb us non stop. Some days it was so bad I would have my ground hand or second builder shield me with a piece of plywood just so I could work without worrying about the birds coming at me.

 

[mereflyer]

These pigeons nearly brought me undone!

 

[norsehabanero]

I did notice too that they united and swarmed the drone but a quick accend got me away from them, I do a weekly flight our launch site is close to some cliffs but will have to move to a different launch to avoid. Had about 5 or 6 circling close on launch and decent, they seamed they needed to chase away