It really depends on where you are. I fly in the remote mountains of Northwest Montana where eagles see almost no human activity, and I’ve never had issues with my reflective tape while flying there for hunting or fishing. But in crowded areas where eagles see a lot of human stuff, they could be curious.
@Foster
Reflectors work passively. If no one is shining a light on your drone, it won’t be noticed. The only thing that will really help visibility from a distance is a nav strobe. They’re cheap and worth it.
@Foster
Sounds like it would be fun to use a thermal drone in a place like that.
I’ve noticed ‘bird interest’ in my drone before even without the tape (never attacked, but I’ve seen them circle). But once I added red reflective tape, I didn’t see any birds within a hundred yards of my drone. I can’t speak for others, but I’m not flying without the red tape anymore. I also have bright flashing lights on my drone, so they might help keep birds away too. Each bird’s eyesight is different, and some can see things we can’t. If you make your drone look unusual, it might keep them away. They definitely don’t like it when I fly with strobes attached.
@Vern
Thanks for sharing!
You could draw a mouth with teeth like those old fighter planes.
SolarSage said:
You could draw a mouth with teeth like those old fighter planes.
LOL! I thought about it, but the gimbal could get in the way.
For finding your drone, it’s great. Red tape is supposed to be better than other colors for deterring birds.
I think it’s mostly just personal stories. There doesn’t seem to be a formal study out there. But a lot of pilots swear it works. I personally fly with a strobe day or night and haven’t had any attacks. I’m not in areas with dense birds like seagulls at the beach. I’ve seen a few birds of prey at altitude, but they just circled far away. Did the strobe change anything? Who knows. I see tape or strobes as having little effect on flight but they help with visibility. They should help keep things safer, so even if they don’t scare off birds, they are still worth considering. I haven’t used tape yet, but I have some fun design ideas for it.
I heard some people in Australia had good luck with red reflective tape, but I doubt there are any solid studies on what works or doesn’t. Too many bird species and too many factors to consider. It might also depend on territory and breeding season. I’ve seen videos of an eagle snatching a drone to take back to its nest. Pretty wild.
From my experience, the tape isn’t nearly as good as just gaining altitude as soon as a bird gets too close.
Reflector tape only stands out if you shine a light on it. I doubt you’d spot your drone at night just by looking at it. During the day, having some color on your drone might help. I’d suggest flying your drone up and using a bright LED flashlight to see how it looks.
No, not from my experience. Pigeons flock together.
What’s the point of the tape?
Dale said:
What’s the point of the tape?
It’s meant to keep aggressive birds away. I’ve heard and read mostly opinions, so I’m hoping to hear from someone who took this seriously.
Dale said:
What’s the point of the tape?
It’s meant to keep aggressive birds away. I’ve heard and read mostly opinions, so I’m hoping to hear from someone who took this seriously.
Oh okay. But how does it actually affect birds?
@Dale
That’s what I’m trying to find out by getting rid of the opinions part.
It works only if the sun hits it. If not, it might not help.
Wouldn’t a strobe or two be a better way to keep it visible?
No, I wouldn’t say that based on all the bird attack videos I’ve seen online. Best to gain altitude if you spot them before they get close.