Birds that don't like the Anafi

[Drbgaijin]

Last week I was going to take a 360° Sphere in an area frequented by black-eared kites (Milvus migrans lineatus). I counted 10 soaring around the hill in the background. Only one showed an interest in the Anafi, gliding in its general direction, glancing at it and the soared off back to the hillside.
In the picture at the link below you should be able to see 5 of them!
Click for image!

 

[Zamzara]

One way to spot thermals is to look for birds hovering without flapping their wings.

Apart from the angry oystercatchers... I wonder if some birds see the Anafi hovering and go there thinking they might be able to hover too?

 

[Island Xpress]

. They may think.. what a crazy bird, can fly vertically up, hover, and even fly backwards.
?

 

[Zigzag84]

[QUOTE = "Drbgaijin]
Dans l'image sur le lien ci-dessous, vous devriez pouvoir en voir 5!
Cliquez pour l'image!
[/CITATION]
Woua the quality 360° is very fine ! Do you use free or pro application ?

 

[S.C.C.]

No incidents with birds yet, but I had a swarm of bees rise up 75' and engage my Anafi!.

So what happened with that bees swarm? I had my 1st flight today, and I already noticed a few insects around it (January is supposed to be winter, no insects !). After landing it I noticed what appeared to be insects wings on the props, I first feared the blade was damaged, apparently it was the opposite... Several hives in the area where I'm planning to fly, so I'd like to be sure it will not hurt the drone, no matter if hundreds of bees attack it ! (I like bees, but some guy placed a few hives just against the hedge without asking, that's just inappropriate).

About birds, I'd say that swallows and swifts most likely come for the insects, as said by user Landbo, and not against the drone. Nesting birds are another story, many of them can attack other birds, even humans !
Crows can go after anything that flies, and seagulls can be aggressive, too, in fact the more I read about drones, the more I suspect that seagulls are drone killers...

 

[derelekt1]

Swallows and seagulls at a nearby lake will usually be an end to my flying after they notice my little bird. The gulls usually seem curious. The swallows start gathering around it.

 

[Axonanafi]

Seagulls are definitely a problem, especially at lower altitudes.
Crows just seem to do a fly by.
Goshawks also took a very unhealthy interest necessitating a very rapid return.

 

[Clrk]

Seagulls, always...

My heart stopped that time, she came right at me, of course above the sea

 

[S.C.C.]

Seagulls, always...

My heart stopped that time, she came right at me, of course above the sea

View attachment 3382

It adds some action to a very nice picture...

If you - and all those who endured attacks - could mention the month and area (here it looks like Mediterranean Europe), it would give a more documented idea of the species and behaviour. As said before, nesting birds can be particularly aggressive, and that perdiod covers mostly 3-4 months, with peaking late April/May in the Northern hemisphere.

 

[Clrk]

It adds some action to a very nice picture...

If you - and all those who endured attacks - could mention the month and area (here it looks like Mediterranean Europe), it would give a more documented idea of the species and behaviour. As said before, nesting birds can be particularly aggressive, and that perdiod covers mostly 3-4 months, with peaking late April/May in the Northern hemisphere.

Very nice idea !
You're right, Seagulls from Italy, during nesting season (June)

Properly impossible to fly without being attacked by gangs of seagulls determined to protect their nest.
I would recommend to avoid flying during this time around Mediterranean sea.

Would be incredible to have this kind of info pinned on this topic, so we could have a calendar on where we should avoid flying!

 

[ROBANAFI]

Very nice idea !
You're right, Seagulls from Italy, during nesting season (June)

Properly impossible to fly without being attacked by gangs of seagulls determined to protect their nest.
I would recommend to avoid flying during this time around Mediterranean sea.

Would be incredible to have this kind of info pinned on this topic, so we could have a calendar on where we should avoid flying!

Its a good point

"The busiest time for nesting birds is from 1st March until 31st July and of course varies according to species " - UK

Drones and nesting birds in the Lake District - HoverShotz Aerial Drone Photography, Video and Surveys

www.hovershotz.co.uk

But i suppose its down to the drone operator to check the area you are flying. It would be impossible to cover every area with a calendar.

 

[S.C.C.]

Seagulls from Italy, during nesting season (June)

Funny, I have been attacked by seagulls while kayaking in Switzerland, also in June (more or less the same species), otoh I could safely shot a picture of a seagull sitting on the same nest in April, only a few meters from it ! They could be more aggressive when they have youngs in the nest ? (I wonder about these Oystercatchers in the first posts)...

But i suppose its down to the drone operator to check the area you are flying. It would be impossible to cover every area with a calendar.

You're probably right, but if some trends become obvious, say some weeks with peaks of aggressivity, or species that can attack anytime of the year, it would be useful for light drones like the Anafi.

Most of the time I'll fly in an area with many birds. I haven't seen any attack yet, but I intend to be very careful in the coming months, safety first, my Anafi and the birds ! I can already see that small chickadees/tits are afraid, but they are back minutes after I land, calling a lot.

 

[Joe_Scot]

Oystercatchers (in Scotland) seem to be very active throughout the year. I've had them attack my Anafi in multiple locations, often in places I wouldn't expect them to be. I've never seen an oystercatcher's nest!

They seem to be just as prevalent inland (such as near the Glengoyne Distillery in my original post) as they are on the seashore. And once you have one circling, it's only a matter of seconds before they call on reinforcements.

Seagulls have perhaps been more of a problem during nesting times. We certainly have gulls by the sea but plenty live in Glasgow too!

 

[S.C.C.]

Oystercatchers (in Scotland) seem to be very active throughout the year. I've had them attack my Anafi in multiple locations, often in places I wouldn't expect them to be. I've never seen an oystercatcher's nest!
...

Yes, looking at a range map, Scotland is gifted with a resident population, not only on the coast but also inland, unlike most other countries... and you may well never see a nest, because they often don't build any, just lay eggs in a scrape in the sand : Oystercatcher's nest.
Would you say they can really attack troughout the year, outside of nesting months, or just are they flying by the rest of the year?

 

[Joe_Scot]

Yes, looking at a range map, Scotland is gifted with a resident population, not only on the coast but also inland, unlike most other countries... and you may well never see a nest, because they often don't build any, just lay eggs in a scrape in the sand : Oystercatcher's nest.
Would you say they can really attack troughout the year, outside of nesting months, or just are they flying by the rest of the year?

Hard to say if they actually intend to attack or not. They have a very persistent and angry squawk which must serve to mobilise their friends to come and join in. They circle the drone and divebomb it so I've always landed as soon as possible. The annoying part is that often they seem to be in places where you wouldn't predict them - and there's no sign of them until you take off. Then suddenly they appear!

 

[Gipsz Jakab]

For me with DJI Spark, there was no bird event yet. Maybe because of that?

 

[DutchMountains]

Was in Cologne recently and the drone caught the attention of four Parrots ;-) passing by. They came back and became aggressive flying in ever closer circles around the drone. Decided to go down and shelter below a tree. So Parrots and my Parrot didn't became friends....

 

[NatureIsKing]

I laugh and learned a lot while reading all of these messages. My brand new Anafi was attacked by insects and some pigeons started to fly around one time. Its funny that the 3 rd flight I ever had with this drone was through hundreds of seagulls and nothing happen. After reading this topic I won t attempt that one again to soon.

 

[DutchMountains]

Oystercatcher two weeks ago, as Rob said, are cheeky indeed. Due to the birds I increased the drone performance on rising and dropping speed in the film mode. May make a difference in surviving...

 

[Jagerbomb52]

I find crows the worse and most likely to actually hit your drone. They will do barrel rolls coming with in inches of the Anafi. All it takes is one wing to touch the Anafi and game over. I have plenty of seagulls just fly over top of the Anafi but they don't seem to attack like crows.