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Interesting. I wonder why the drone caused such a disproportionate response. The article doesn't address it but I doubt that if, say, an eagle had landed or sta

Interesting. I wonder why the drone caused such a disproportionate response. The article doesn't address it but I doubt that if, say, an eagle had landed or started killing birds they would have abandoned so many eggs.

mschuster91 5y ago
The article mentions other disturbances from dogs, bikers and walkers. Perhaps the drones were the last drop in the bucket to convince the birds "this area is unsafe for nesting".
- slver 5y ago
  It's a pretty devastating evolutionary loss to have to abandon your offspring due to a disturbance. This is why mammals carry their "eggs". Birds couldn't evolve this way as they're very sensitive to weight due to flight.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
prawn 5y ago
I fly drones including with commercial filming permits at conservation parks/islands with large bird populations. Different types of birds react in various ways to a drone though I've never noticed similar birds to these act in an overly panicked way. Some types of birds will take flight and then resettle, some will circle closely and try to intimidate the drone (galahs), some charge or consider attacking it (osprey, whistling kite), some ignore it (wedge tailed eagles - at least in my experience so far^), etc. The permit in a case like this would require that I land safely if the presence of the drone alters the behaviour of the birds (even if they're staying on the ground, but bobbing their head). Here's a video below from a tiny, low island with a bird population in the tens of thousands, where a group of hikers have possibly spooked birds that are then flying towards the drone from the other side of the island. Most passed under the drone, suggesting they weren't concerned; I was keeping the drone still or moving slowly and predictably towards where I could land on the beach. This flock was going through for some time. I don't think these are terns, but there were crested terns on that island. Troubridge Island birds: https://bit.ly/3z49lwm https://bit.ly/3z49lwm I don't mean to discount the impact of drones, but I suspect that a repeated close drone presence is more likely to cause birds to abandon a nest than a crash. That is generally the concern with raptor nests where I live. My thought when reading the article was that off-leash dogs might've had the main impact in abandonment of eggs, but that drones are more likely to make a headline for the story. Couldn't find an original press release, but every news headline is about drones. ^ Here's one encounter with a wedge-tailed eagle. It beat its wings perhaps to make sure it was clear but didn't seem to move its head at all. In other cases, they've not beaten their wings or moved their heads so weren't visibly bothered. https://bit.ly/3uVIvn5 https://bit.ly/3uVIvn5 And here's a whistling kite coming in to attack but then changing its mind at the last moment: https://bit.ly/3vTJ0za https://bit.ly/3vTJ0za
- everybodyknows 5y ago
  As a mitigation, consider a slower, quieter, winged drone. With gyro stabilization, one could be built to mimic the profile of a large non-predator, recognizable as such to the vulnerable birds. Vulture, goose, albatross ... Drone hackers: Consider the business opportunity here.
  - SkittyDog 5y ago
    Fixed wing drones require considerably more skill and training to fly. They also cannot take off/land vertically, they need a runway or catapult/arrest system to operate. As a result, fixed wing drones are not generally a realistic substitute for quad-copter drones. The poster you're replying to has already mentioned getting permits to fly near wildlife, and taking appropriate consideration for the welfare of the birds being filmed. It sounds like they're doing a fine job of flying responsibly, already.
  - prawn 5y ago
    My interaction with birds is not a key part of my drone work, just incidental. The drone I have is the best option for what I need - often need to launch from a boat, hand-catch, move precisely amongst trees, etc.
- CameronNemo 5y ago
  Off leash dogs and bikes could not have reached the nesting site. It is an island with a fence between the trail and the waterways surrounding the island. I dunno maybe the barking could have caused a disturbance.
  - prawn 5y ago
    Must've been a reason they mentioned it. I was picturing an island well off shore. It's right next to a highway! Not sure exactly which island in the complex held the eggs, but one is about 100m from a campground/RV park.
- ericmcer 5y ago
  Wouldn’t the drones flying put it into a whole different threat category from humans/dogs/bikes? Birds are probably smart enough to realize hikers cannot threaten them or their eggs if they are up in a tree, but a large, fast flying object is pretty much game over for them and their eggs unless they abandon the area entirely. Your theory that dogs are the main cause just doesn’t make sense to me, birds can’t be so dumb that they leave their eggs to rot because a dog is walking around below them, why even bother evolving flight and nesting in trees?
nabilhat 5y ago
Eagle populations have recovered enough to become a problem for colony-nesting species. Murres on the North American west coast are one example [0]. Walking, dog, and bicycle restrictions are normal in wildlife refuges that prioritize being a wildlife refuge ahead of recreational use. Humans walking can be interpreted as a potential predation threat. Bicycling has a tall, loping aspect that checks off more of the "predator" boxes than walking. Dogs are always identified as an irrefutable predation threat by wildlife, on or off leash. Drones peering into a bird nursury are likely to get a pretty similar reaction from birds as if it was a human nursury, minus the adults calling police or coming after you themselves. If parents decide there's a problem, they will abandon the nursury. [0] https://www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/eagles-and-murres https://www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/eagles-and-murres

mschuster91 5y ago

The article mentions other disturbances from dogs, bikers and walkers. Perhaps the drones were the last drop in the bucket to convince the birds "this area is unsafe for nesting".

slver 5y ago
It's a pretty devastating evolutionary loss to have to abandon your offspring due to a disturbance. This is why mammals carry their "eggs". Birds couldn't evolve this way as they're very sensitive to weight due to flight.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

prawn 5y ago

I fly drones including with commercial filming permits at conservation parks/islands with large bird populations. Different types of birds react in various ways to a drone though I've never noticed similar birds to these act in an overly panicked way. Some types of birds will take flight and then resettle, some will circle closely and try to intimidate the drone (galahs), some charge or consider attacking it (osprey, whistling kite), some ignore it (wedge tailed eagles - at least in my experience so far^), etc. The permit in a case like this would require that I land safely if the presence of the drone alters the behaviour of the birds (even if they're staying on the ground, but bobbing their head). Here's a video below from a tiny, low island with a bird population in the tens of thousands, where a group of hikers have possibly spooked birds that are then flying towards the drone from the other side of the island. Most passed under the drone, suggesting they weren't concerned; I was keeping the drone still or moving slowly and predictably towards where I could land on the beach. This flock was going through for some time. I don't think these are terns, but there were crested terns on that island. Troubridge Island birds: https://bit.ly/3z49lwm https://bit.ly/3z49lwm I don't mean to discount the impact of drones, but I suspect that a repeated close drone presence is more likely to cause birds to abandon a nest than a crash. That is generally the concern with raptor nests where I live. My thought when reading the article was that off-leash dogs might've had the main impact in abandonment of eggs, but that drones are more likely to make a headline for the story. Couldn't find an original press release, but every news headline is about drones. ^ Here's one encounter with a wedge-tailed eagle. It beat its wings perhaps to make sure it was clear but didn't seem to move its head at all. In other cases, they've not beaten their wings or moved their heads so weren't visibly bothered. https://bit.ly/3uVIvn5 https://bit.ly/3uVIvn5 And here's a whistling kite coming in to attack but then changing its mind at the last moment: https://bit.ly/3vTJ0za https://bit.ly/3vTJ0za

everybodyknows 5y ago
As a mitigation, consider a slower, quieter, winged drone. With gyro stabilization, one could be built to mimic the profile of a large non-predator, recognizable as such to the vulnerable birds. Vulture, goose, albatross ... Drone hackers: Consider the business opportunity here.
- SkittyDog 5y ago
  Fixed wing drones require considerably more skill and training to fly. They also cannot take off/land vertically, they need a runway or catapult/arrest system to operate. As a result, fixed wing drones are not generally a realistic substitute for quad-copter drones. The poster you're replying to has already mentioned getting permits to fly near wildlife, and taking appropriate consideration for the welfare of the birds being filmed. It sounds like they're doing a fine job of flying responsibly, already.
- prawn 5y ago
  My interaction with birds is not a key part of my drone work, just incidental. The drone I have is the best option for what I need - often need to launch from a boat, hand-catch, move precisely amongst trees, etc.
CameronNemo 5y ago
Off leash dogs and bikes could not have reached the nesting site. It is an island with a fence between the trail and the waterways surrounding the island. I dunno maybe the barking could have caused a disturbance.
- prawn 5y ago
  Must've been a reason they mentioned it. I was picturing an island well off shore. It's right next to a highway! Not sure exactly which island in the complex held the eggs, but one is about 100m from a campground/RV park.
ericmcer 5y ago
Wouldn’t the drones flying put it into a whole different threat category from humans/dogs/bikes? Birds are probably smart enough to realize hikers cannot threaten them or their eggs if they are up in a tree, but a large, fast flying object is pretty much game over for them and their eggs unless they abandon the area entirely. Your theory that dogs are the main cause just doesn’t make sense to me, birds can’t be so dumb that they leave their eggs to rot because a dog is walking around below them, why even bother evolving flight and nesting in trees?

nabilhat 5y ago

Eagle populations have recovered enough to become a problem for colony-nesting species. Murres on the North American west coast are one example [0]. Walking, dog, and bicycle restrictions are normal in wildlife refuges that prioritize being a wildlife refuge ahead of recreational use. Humans walking can be interpreted as a potential predation threat. Bicycling has a tall, loping aspect that checks off more of the "predator" boxes than walking. Dogs are always identified as an irrefutable predation threat by wildlife, on or off leash. Drones peering into a bird nursury are likely to get a pretty similar reaction from birds as if it was a human nursury, minus the adults calling police or coming after you themselves. If parents decide there's a problem, they will abandon the nursury. [0] https://www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/eagles-and-murres https://www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/eagles-and-murres