{"id":789,"date":"2019-11-12T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-12T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/?p=789"},"modified":"2021-12-08T16:08:28","modified_gmt":"2021-12-08T16:08:28","slug":"drones-to-scare-birds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/drones-to-scare-birds\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Scare Birds Away with Drones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/bird-scaring-drones.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The skies are no longer the sole preserve of birds \u2014 not since man perfected powered flight. And now, the birds have drones to contend with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are the Effects of Drones on Birds?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2015, Elizabeth Vas, a graduate student <a href=\"https:\/\/royalsocietypublishing.org\/doi\/full\/10.1098\/rsbl.2014.0754\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"conducted a study (opens in a new tab)\">conducted a study<\/a> in to the effect of drones on birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She wished to assist Cyleone, a drone manufacturing robotics\ncompany that wished to establish a flying protocol for environmentalists who\nwere potential investors in their UAVs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For her experiment, Vas used a quadcopter controlled from the ground, the sort of highly maneuverable drone which environmentalists would prefer when creating inventories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The experiment needed to take place in a bird-rich area\nwhere she could get the consent of the relevant authorities. After looking\naround she settled on the Wetland of the Camargue near Montpellier, France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The quadcopter was fitted with a GoPro camera and during the experiment many variables were taken into consideration like angle of approach, drone colour, approach speed, and weather conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After 204 approaches, Vas realized that birds could indeed be\nscared off by drones. But how much they were scared depended on the angle of\napproach and the drone\u2019s position relative to the bird.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Birds tended to be scared more when the drone approached at\nright angles (90 degrees) to them and if they came from above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flocks of birds also showed a much stronger response than\nlone birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Further research remains to be done to investigate the effect of factors like drone size, nesting season, and territoriality. But the potential for drones to be used for scaring away potentially problematic bird flocks is quite huge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"aawp\">\n\n            \n            \n<div class=\"aawp-product aawp-product--horizontal\"  data-aawp-product-asin=\"B07ZJZMFFH\" data-aawp-product-id=\"4470\" data-aawp-tracking-id=\"dronesvilla20-20\" data-aawp-product-title=\"DJI Mavic Mini CP.MA.00000120.01\" data-aawp-geotargeting=\"true\">\n\n    \n    <div class=\"aawp-product__thumb\">\n        <a class=\"aawp-product__image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B07ZJZMFFH?tag=dronesvilla20-20&amp;linkCode=ogi&amp;th=1&amp;psc=1\" title=\"DJI Mavic Mini Drone\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\" target=\"_blank\">\n            <img class=\"aawp-product__image\" src=\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/31iPTd2nOyL._SL160_.jpg\" alt=\"DJI Mavic Mini Drone\"  \/>\n        <\/a>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"aawp-product__content\">\n        <a class=\"aawp-product__title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B07ZJZMFFH?tag=dronesvilla20-20&amp;linkCode=ogi&amp;th=1&amp;psc=1\" title=\"DJI Mavic Mini Drone\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\" target=\"_blank\">\n            DJI Mavic Mini Drone        <\/a>\n        <div class=\"aawp-product__description\">\n            <ul><li>12MP \/ 2. 7K Quad HD 3-Axis Gimbal Camera<\/li><li>Up to 30 Minutes of Flight Time<\/li><li>Stream HD Video from up to 2. 5 Miles<\/li><\/ul>        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"aawp-product__footer\">\n\n        <div class=\"aawp-product__pricing\">\n            \n                            <span class=\"aawp-product__price aawp-product__price--current\">&#36;301.39<\/span>\n            \n                    <\/div>\n\n                <a class=\"aawp-button aawp-button--buy aawp-button aawp-button--amazon rounded\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B07ZJZMFFH?tag=dronesvilla20-20&#038;linkCode=ogi&#038;th=1&#038;psc=1\" title=\"Buy on Amazon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\">Buy on Amazon<\/a>\n            <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n    \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Are You Allowed to\nScare Birds with Drones?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>That would depend on the area you intend doing the scaring.\nIn some areas, drone regulations could restrict the purposes to which you could\napply your drone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Environmental restrictions could also exist, and these would\nplay a part in determining whether you can use drones to scare birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A good rule of thumb is to check with the relevant\nauthorities to see what the available options are, and also if you need a\nlicense to fly your drone in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where Are Drones Used to Scare Birds<\/strong>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Drones are being used to scare birds in mainly the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/how-drones-are-impacting-agriculture-and-farming\/\">agricultural<\/a> and aviation industries where unregulated interaction with birds could result in hundreds of millions of dollars every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, Marlborough Vineyard in New Zealand <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stuff.co.nz\/national\/111004202\/marlborough-vineyards-scare-birds-with-drones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"is slowly making the transition (opens in a new tab)\">is slowly making the transition<\/a> from traditional methods of bird control to drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tactics they previously relied on to police bird hotspots include flying fake hawk kites, netting, gas guns, reflective tape, shotguns, and even releasing predators like hawks. But health and safety concerns are making them turn to drones more and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Drones don\u2019t give off the loud bangs that come with shot guns and gas guns when discharged. And even for people who have an issue with the noise drones make, they can safely approach the pilot to make a complaint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Management also realized that using drones to scare birds allowed\nthem to cover a large area in a shorter amount of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using shotguns and gas guns requires people to use motorbikes to reach bird hotspots and shooting. The procedure required people to ride round and round in the farm trying to scare the birds away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, drones allow people to sit at the top of\na 120-150 hectare vineyard and easily cover it all in a short amount of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only does this reduce the need for fuel, it reduces the\nneed for cartridges as well, leading to reduced overall cost of managing the\nfarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apart from the agricultural sphere, the idea of using drones\nto scare birds is also gaining grounds in the aviation industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ordinarily, drones are not allowed anywhere near an airport\nfor fear of interfering and endangering manned flights. The FAA requires drone pilots\nto keep their drones a mandatory 5 miles from any airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And this is the reason why it is a little surprising that at\nleast one airport is availing themselves of drone technology to chase away\nbirds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Birds present a serious problem for airports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Collisions with birds and other wildlife cause more $1.2\nbillion in damage to the aviation industry every year worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between 1990 and 2013, in the United States, 142,000 bird\ncollisions were behind the destruction of 62 civilian airplanes, injuring 279\npeople, killing 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Likewise in the UK, there were a recorded 1,835 bird collisions\nin 2016 alone; about eight for every 10,000 flights in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And according to experts, Korean civil aircraft suffered more than 1,000 bird collisions in the years between 2011 and 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These are dire stats, and they make a compelling argument\nfor bending the rules a little in order to preserve life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Airports are large open spaces, and as such they attract large\nflocks of birds seeking food and shelter. And the presence of these birds\npresents a danger during the critical take-off and landing phases of flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Birds quickly get used to the usual methods which airports\nuse to scare them including firing off compressed air cannons or devices that\ncreate a loud noise when activated. Even using dogs and falcons has been found\nunreliable in solving the problem in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So some airports have begun testing drones to scare birds. One of the drones being tested is known as <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Robird (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.robird.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Robird<\/a>. Robird looks and behaves like a female peregrine falcon, possessing moves that mimic the predatory bird in flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pilots seek resting birds in areas found within an airport\u2019s\nboundaries that pose a risk to flights and chases them away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clear Flight Solutions in Holland recently completed a trial\nof the system in Edmonton airport in Alberta, Canada. After obtaining flight\nclearance to fly within airport grounds, they were able to demonstrate how the\nsystem worked for the benefit of stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Technology Is\nUsed?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Various types of technology are used to create drones to\nscare birds. We have already mentioned Robird, a drone that looks like and\nmimics the female peregrine falcon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other methods are also exist which take advantage of or try\nto imitate nature\u2019s example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, scientists have been studying flocking\nalgorithms to better understand how flocks of birds avoid predators. The goal\nis to use this information to create a drone that could single-handedly guide\nentire flocks away from an area without breaking their formation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other technology used to create drones to scare birds\ninclude drones that send out distress bird calls or predator bird calls\nwhenever they fly over bird hot spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tech company, Precision Hawk has also designed drones\nthat resemble hawks, capable of collecting date on crop production and crop\nprotection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Best Bird Scaring\nDrones<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>DJI Matrice 600 Pro\nBird Control System<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/go\/dji-matrice-600-pro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"448\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/dji-matric-pro.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-919\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/dji-matric-pro.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/dji-matric-pro-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/dji-matric-pro-552x353.jpg 552w, https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/dji-matric-pro-168x108.jpg 168w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Dubbed \u201cThe Scarecrow\u201d, the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"DJI Matrice 600 Pro (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/go\/dji-matrice-600-pro\/\" target=\"_blank\">DJI Matrice 600 Pro<\/a> Bird Control Drone System comes with a portable, highly foldable design that can be easily folded into a protective case for easy transport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Conversely, setup time from unpacking to flight takes mere\nminutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This device is capable of carrying a payload of 5.5kg and\ncomes with a bird control system that has been proven effective against\nnumerous bird types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notable benefits of this drone include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Highly portable and foldable, requiring only a few minutes to unpack and fly<\/li><li>Quick release bird control system with a proven track record against various bird types<\/li><li>Smart power multi-bay charging system that consists of individually controlled circuitry enabling you to individually charge and deep cycle up to 6 Matrice 600 batteries at once<\/li><li>Capable of carrying a payload of up to 5.5kg<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>ProHawk UAV Bird\nControl Drone<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The design of the ProHawk UAV combines a sonic bird repeller\nwith autonomous flight GPS technology. It is one of the most bird-friendly\ndevices that anybody can use. You can keep your crops bird free without harming\nany birds or the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The design of this drone mimics a predatory look which, when\ncoupled with the naturally recorded predator cries, comes across as a real and\npresent danger for the unwanted birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It comes with autonomous flight abilities which you can\nsimply program so the drone launches and patrols the land on its own. Pilots\ncan establish \u201cwaypoints\u201d to better customize the patrol areas using GPS\ntechnology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notable benefits of this drone include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Effective bird control device, combining frightening physical presence with effect predator sounds<\/li><li>Easy to maintain and operate with the latest GPS technology<\/li><li>Less expensive than falconers and a more reliable alternative<\/li><li>Autonomous feature means less man-hours required for keeping birds away<\/li><li>Able to cover large areas very effectively and quickly<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Aerodrone Avian Scout<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Aerodrone Avian Scout is a drone that is designed to\nscare a variety of birds, including: crows, rosellas, parrots, cockatoos, starlings,\nand more. It takes advantage of leading edge sonic bird deterrent technologies to\nensure that your crops are never in danger from any birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Aerodrone is capable of up to 25 minutes of flight time per battery, covering 200 acres in that time. Adequately weather resistant, it can withstand winds that travel at 30 knots and light rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notable benefits of this drone include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Capable of scaring away many varieties of birds, leveraging leading edge sonic technology<\/li><li>Covers a wide area in one flight\u2014up to 200 acres in 25 minutes of flight time<\/li><li>Weather resistant, capable of flying in 30 knots windspeed and light rain<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Would Any Drone Work\nto Scare Birds?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Birds have shown themselves to be highly unconcerned about\nthe new devices that are taking up their air space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unless in a few cases of territorial birds that attack drones,\nbirds, in most cases, simply ignore drones when they pass by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why when creating specific drones to scare birds, manufacturers incorporate other unique features for that purpose. Examples include, drones that are a particular shape, make a particular sound, or actually look like and mimic predatory birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are in need of drones to scare birds, those are the\nones you should buy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The skies are no longer the sole preserve of birds \u2014 not since man perfected &#8230; <a title=\"How to Scare Birds Away with Drones\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/drones-to-scare-birds\/\" aria-label=\"More on How to Scare Birds Away with Drones\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/bird-scaring-drones.jpg",825,457,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/bird-scaring-drones-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/bird-scaring-drones-300x166.jpg",300,166,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/bird-scaring-drones-768x425.jpg",768,425,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/bird-scaring-drones.jpg",825,457,false],"img_rate_products_categories":["https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/bird-scaring-drones-552x306.jpg",552,306,true],"img_rate_products_slideshow":["https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/bird-scaring-drones.jpg",825,457,false],"img_rate_products_preview":["https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/bird-scaring-drones-168x93.jpg",168,93,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/bird-scaring-drones.jpg",825,457,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/bird-scaring-drones.jpg",825,457,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Sam","author_link":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/author\/sam\/"},"uagb_comment_info":4,"uagb_excerpt":"The skies are no longer the sole preserve of birds \u2014 not since man perfected ... Read more","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/789"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=789"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3134,"href":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/789\/revisions\/3134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dronesvilla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}