Hawks & seagulls

EagleAviator · May 5, 2018

jmonaco said:
Am guessing the prop guards may be what is deterring them. Plan to do likewise on mine.

Actually the prop guards were added later after a close encounter with a palm tree but I’m sure it helps confuse nature with the neon colors...

EagleAviator · May 5, 2018

BigAl07 said:
Awesome decal

I didn't even know they made prop guards for an inspire. Learn something new every day . . .

Thanks... Here is the profile shot...

GadgetGuy · May 6, 2018

I encounter lots of seagulls, and they always manage to turn vertically at the last minute to avoid impact. Their OA is better than mine! This guy chased me for a mile, but never attacked!

Geoff G UK · May 6, 2018

Try not to look like a competitive male of the same species - especially in the breeding season. Good advice for anybody!
Know where they are breeding an stay well away from the nest area.
Don't get dressed up like food!
Get out of the way if you see a bird taking interest. I think that their eyesight is about 10x better than ours, so a dedicated observer or two with binocs would be on better terms - good mitigation.

Get local advice from birders and conservation groups (mitigation).

Maybe they can't fly upwards, but I've watched peregrine falcons stoop from a great height, >500ft, and hit their prey (pigeons mostly) from beneath, then killing their speed by climbing vertically - surrounded by a plume of pigeon feathers! That would be a good way to avoid the rotors as well.

John Githens · May 7, 2018

Geoff G UK said:
Try not to look like a competitive male of the same species - especially in the breeding season. Good advice for anybody!
Know where they are breeding an stay well away from the nest area.
Don't get dressed up like food!
Get out of the way if you see a bird taking interest. I think that their eyesight is about 10x better than ours, so a dedicated observer or two with binocs would be on better terms - good mitigation.

Get local advice from birders and conservation groups (mitigation).

Maybe they can't fly upwards, but I've watched peregrine falcons stoop from a great height, >500ft, and hit their prey (pigeons mostly) from beneath, then killing their speed by climbing vertically - surrounded by a plume of pigeon feathers! That would be a good way to avoid the rotors as well.

To "Get local advice from birders and conservation groups (mitigation).", I would add "and local falconers."
They have in-depth knowledge from direct experience in the context of where you intend to operate.

MapMaker53 · Apr 14, 2019

Had a brief bird encounter this past week while filming a school trip for an environmental education center. I was returning to my launch site at around 100' AGL when a flock of crows passed nearby. Two of the crows abruptly broke off from the group toward my P4P. Hard to say whether it was an aggressive move or just being curious as crows can be, but they we trying to get uncomfomfortably close when they seemed to get flustered (a few irratic wing flaps) and then flew away. I'm not sure if the eyes on the top of my drone was the reason, or the super bright flashes of my 4-LED Cree strobe on the top center of the shell caused temporary flash spots in their vision. I suspect it was mostly the strobe they couldn't deal with -- which may be a good thing to use to mitigate bird encounters.

R.P..R · Apr 14, 2019

Hawks and pigeons should be avoided at all times. My first Mavic Pro was taken down by a Hawk, and my friend’s i1 was taken by pigeons. [emoji23]

Seagulls on the other hand are just squawks

R.Perry · Apr 14, 2019

Normally hawks are hunting for food, they have excellent eye sight and are extremely fast. Normally you will see the circling and area for short time then moving on, once they move on normally they won't come back unless you are close to their nests. If a hawk or eagle are above you, and you see them cock their wings back, they are going to dive on you. I have had hawks dive on me twice. Whatever direction he came from go the opposite direction and as he dive start climbing as fast as you can, hopefully he is just attempting to scare you off. I don't think they perceive drones as a food source, there vision is too good, I think they would be perceiving you as a threat.
The eagle I had an encounter with dove at me twice, but stopped his attack well before he got to the drone. I must have been close to his nest, I didn't see it, but I also didn't go looking for it.