Every time I tried flying my Mini 3, South African swift birds would swarm it. One day during Return to Home (RTH), I noticed a huge flock circling the drone. I decided to add reflective tape to it, and since then, the birds have mostly ignored it. Not sure if this works for other types of birds, but it’s made a big difference for me.
I was worried about birds of prey in my area, so I added reflective tape too. I just put it on the top since I didn’t want to risk the drone being overweight.
Rodriguez said:
I was worried about birds of prey in my area, so I added reflective tape too. I just put it on the top since I didn’t want to risk the drone being overweight.
If you’re American, you’re probably overweight anyway.
@Miller
Who cares? Forget the rules and just fly it!
@Miller
Not American, actually.
Rodriguez said:
I was worried about birds of prey in my area, so I added reflective tape too. I just put it on the top since I didn’t want to risk the drone being overweight.
I totally get that. Losing line of sight and having to rely on the video feed is stressful enough without worrying about birds.
Rodriguez said:
I was worried about birds of prey in my area, so I added reflective tape too. I just put it on the top since I didn’t want to risk the drone being overweight.
Does the reflective tape actually work?
@Nico
It worked well for the birds that were bothering my drone. They’re still curious but don’t get as close as before.
Delivery drone for Marlboro Reds?
Casey said:
Delivery drone for Marlboro Reds?
Now that you say it, it kind of looks like that!
I added reflective tape to mine too. From what I’ve seen, it seems to work.
Do you think regular red electrical tape would work, or does it have to be reflective?
Avery said:
Do you think regular red electrical tape would work, or does it have to be reflective?
The reflective quality is key. It makes the drone look unnatural to the birds and keeps them away.
@Marsden
As if a four-winged hovering thing wasn’t unnatural enough to begin with. Birds are wild!
I have hawks and eagles around where I fly. Should I try this? I haven’t had any close calls yet, but this post got me thinking.
Luca said:
I have hawks and eagles around where I fly. Should I try this? I haven’t had any close calls yet, but this post got me thinking.
It’s worth a shot. From what I’ve read, hawks and eagles are predators and might not be scared off, but it’s better than nothing. It worked well for me with territorial but non-predatory birds.