I wanted to post this brief topic as general guidance for flying drones when there is wildlife nearby.
I’ve read discussions across this forum, and seen footage of drones being flown close to birds, some with near misses and I wanted to offer some simple advice for safer flying around them.
As beautiful as birds are when in flight, and as tempting as it may be to get closer for that amazing cinematic shot, it is always best to give birds plenty of space. In particular, migratory birds would have expended a tremendous amount of energy to get to our shores and the last thing they need is to spend more valuable energy flying away from a drone, and that remains true even if the birds are just resting on the ground too.
It can be difficult to judge how far away from a bird a drone might be so it’s always best to exaggerate that distance and allow the birds space to be and rest. Perhaps consider if you actually need to get that shot at all?
Generally speaking the same rule applies to any form of wildlife too.
Please, let’s give them space, and enjoy them from a distance.
If you’d like to learn more about migratory birds and how it impacts a birds chances of survival, there’s a good read article on the BTO site here
Wouldn’t be surprised if drones had an effect on some nesting birds as well, especially ground nesters like skylarks. They have to hunker down a bit at the best of times and are known for their habit of rising from the nest singing loudly to distract anyone in the vicinity from the actual site of the nest, so too much interference will impair their ability to collect food for the chicks, possibly leading to a breeding failure.
But I’m a quarter of a mile away and my drone is 100’ up, you say. Fair enough, but I would worry that a drone, basically a cross-shaped object hovering in the sky, is going to translate as ‘Kestrel’ to a nesting bird, which is then terrorised into staying put. If you know that there are ground-nesters in the area, might be an idea to fly somewhere else, at least until the chicks have fledged.
Nothing to be surprised about, yes they do to a plethora of wild birds. My advice, keep well away from nesting grounds, especially the marine bird types.
