Stop Birds Attacking Your Drone With These THREE Things!!

[@reviewprodigy]

Reflector Tape amzn.to/3RYSwPv Master Airscrew Propellers amzn.to/3GQgx4v Lume Cube Strobe Light amzn.to/40h54DM

[@reviewprodigy]

Get 2 FREE Lightroom Presets and Join my free weekly email list for photography tips and tricks! stan.store/ReviewProdigy

[@rustystuff]

Helpful video as usual Brett. I've covered my drones in red tape and added the Firehouse strobe. So far so good 👍

[@reviewprodigy]

Good stuff! Good luck:)

[@thesnakeanddragonreptilebr2988]

I watched both your videos on the subject and I have put this exact tape but in this video you said to put a strobe light on top as well. Well I have flown a few times with no issues, didn’t see any birds, but today a hawk followed my Mini 4 Pro and circles it on two occasions but never came with around 10m of it. So I count this as massive success. The interesting part was on the second flight and the hawk came back to circle, other birds started to attack the hawk rather than going for my drone. So thank you for the tips, it seems to be working well.

[@reviewprodigy]

Glad its working for you, thanks for the comment:)

[@Destin65]

As someone who lived with birds over the past 3 decades and also living in southern USA where old traditions are still found, I think this is an interesting subject and I'm not surprised that anything reflective works. Lot of relatives were farmers and so they'd put out crystals or foil pie plates, even just pieces of foil hanging from a string, and the reflection and shininess from it scares birds away. With some of our pet birds over the decades we learned to be careful when opening blinds, curtains, etc., because sudden onset of sun reflecting off shiny floors or objects create reflections on walls which freak out the birds. Also, shadows freak them out and they'll react the same way. Lastly, stripes will make them react in much the same way. A relative came over one time in a black/white striped shirt and soon as they entered the home the pet bird just freaked and flew away, wouldn't go near them. So, yeah, I wonder how shiny stuff on drones like glitter or shiny tape or even stripes would work.

[@reviewprodigy]

Thanks for the information. Its very interesting indeed. I'm going to keep researching to find the ultimate solution ( without harming any birds of course).

[@Destin65]

I don't know how to project a shadow on the drone, but I'm guessing putting some silvery reflective tape or even tying a string with a little strip of shiny material to it might ward off birds.

[@reviewprodigy]

Silver tape might work but a string hanging from the drone will most likely get caught in the props at some point:)@@Destin65

[@photony]

@@Destin65 We used strips of mylar hanging in our eaves to keep birds from nesting there. Some farmers use it to great effect. But Brett's right, it would be pretty easy for it to get into the props if it's long enough. Or pass in front of one of your obstacle avoidance sensors and freak the drone out!

[@Destin65]

@@photony You're right. Thank you for reminding me that strings and drones together are a bad idea. 🙃

[@THEEYEINTHESKIES]

I think Master Airscrew have improved their stealth props. The finish now is very glossy and the edges are smooth too. I like them as the noise is slightly less and when hovering they seem just as stable.

[@reviewprodigy]

I agree, I love mine

[@HerrMittmann]

Very interesting project what you're doing here. There is special anti-bird foil, which is silver and glittery. I tried covering my whole drone in it...but then realized it could't find GPS anymore :D probably because it acted like tinfoil. So I removed it and switched to neon-orange. I thought this might look so unnatural, birds wouldn't see it as a threat. Can't say it works that well, though... I would be interested in seeing you testing different colors and perhalps trying to cover even more surface area of you drone...? Just to get some more A-B-Testing to see what actually makes the difference.

[@johnlavin-ford8372]

Mate that was very helpful…. Thanks for taking the time to share you experience. Just subbed to support you… I’m a professional photographer and find birds beautiful but also a blo o d y nightmare when using my drones.

[@reviewprodigy]

I have nothing against birds at all, I just want to share the sky with them. except crows, they are the worst

[@johnlavin-ford8372]

@@reviewprodigy Ironically I shoot both with a camera and a gun…. Literally it illustrates both good and the bad in life lol… thank you for taking the time to comment back to me…. I’ll keep checking in…. I appreciate your conveyance of information… (friendly personable professional not self grandeurising)

[@reviewprodigy]

@@johnlavin-ford8372 Much appreciated

[@andrefernandes9194]

Just want to share that I did on my mini 4 pro. It was “attacked” by seagulls during my first fly on the beach and after adding the reflective red tape they just go around and then leave it alone. Thanks a lot!

[@reviewprodigy]

Thats great, Im glad it worked for you:)

[@normanrukki3954]

Magpies are pricks no matter what part of the world you live in. And it's not just nesting season. They're pricks 7 days a week 12 months of the year. If they can fly they will try and ruin your day....

[@reviewprodigy]

The biggest issue we have in Melbourne are crows.They are a nightmare all year round

[@jackbelk8527]

I'm charging the battery on my very first drone now. I have nesting Kestrels, Redtails, RoughLeg hawks and LOTS of magpies. We'll see!

[@FLYGUYMERRILL]

Thanks for your study i did purchase the red reflecting tape and do have l.e.d. lights will definitely give this a try....look forward to your next study with larger birds hawks

[@reviewprodigy]

Thanks, let me know how you go

[@agentk4257]

I took my dogs training sonic thing apart and hooked up up to be constantly going off. Last about 2 hours per battery so can be expensive in the long run I guess but it works great. Only thing is cats dogs little kids and all birds hear it and go away. Usually 20 feet away they’ll stop their attack and turn away. Even chased hawks with it.

[@reviewprodigy]

Thats a really interesting idea:)

[@wazreacts]

I've been using red tape for three months now, and so far so good - except maggies of course. I wonder if the strobe might help against them also? I gather not, unless it's on the underside, as they often fly up and first attack it from below at an angle ..

[@reviewprodigy]

I found that the magpies attack from whatever angle suits them. The red props might help though

[@Geeta1810RB]

It's really good information sir Thank you

[@reviewprodigy]

Thanks for your comment

[@TOURMANBOB]

Excellent suggestions...I will add the strobe and red tape to both my Mavic 2 Zoom and Mavic 3 Classic and hope this will work as you suggest it might

[@reviewprodigy]

I think you'll be happy with the result

[@VivoFotografie-DroneInspecties]

Great test and glad you wanted to share it with us. Is the tape also easy to remove once the breeding season is over?

[@reviewprodigy]

Yes it is, Just use a little eucalyptus oil or something like that to remove any sticky residue

[@VivoFotografie-DroneInspecties]

@@reviewprodigy Thanks!

[@photony]

Great advice. Have you ever had your drone attacked by bees? I have, once. I felt awful, as I love bees, so I landed and turned off the props as quickly as I could, right then and there. No damage to the drone, but it did take a while to clean. I wonder if your bird deterrents would deter bees?

[@reviewprodigy]

Yes I have, Sadly tape has no effect on them. I havent had a bee attack since I have changed the props though. It could also be coincidence

[@giorgos1giorgos]

Would be nice to know if colourful drones themselves, like the orange ones Autel makes, are less attacked by default.

[@reviewprodigy]

That would be interesting to know for sure

[@fottogruff3003]

Thanks Brett Haven’t tried the red reflective tape yet although I have bought some on your advice to decorate my drone with next time I get hassled. Have you had much success with it when there are crows around? They are the birds that give me the most grief often appearing out of nowhere and harassing the drone until I land it. I’ve had them chase it for hundreds of metres and up to 60m high - very persistent and aggressive.

[@reviewprodigy]

Ive had crows chase my drone for up to 100 metres. They are relentless. The tape works well with them on sunny days. Not as effective on cloudy days.

[@RONNIEJNZN]

What about big eagle or hawk eye decals ? Like mimicry ?

[@reviewprodigy]

I tried those goggly eye stickers but not Hawk or Eagle stickers. Thats a good idea.

[@ryanb2348]

i tried the tape for some local crows, it did nothing, the war continues

[@PaulCote-s8s]

Hi Brett, I've seen several websites state that the color white signals danger for many types of birds, causing them to avoid white objects. This is a rationale for painting houses white. Have you tested or considered testing white tape and white propellers? Just curious. Paul

[@reviewprodigy]

I didnt test with white propellers but I did test with white tape and it didnt make a difference. Also my last drone was a phantom 4 which is entirely white and birds still attacked it.

[@ThirstysURL]

I find if i spray the drone with a good cologne they'll know he's not to be messed with joking 😂 but it may work 🤔 Let's be honest, I'm just trying to get maximum fragrance spread! 🚁👃

[@reviewprodigy]

DJI should develop a bird cologne.

[@BrjanBuckmaster]

How about not flying near nesting areas?

[@reviewprodigy]

I dont choose to fly near nesting birds. I am a real estate photographer and quite often land or houses come up for sale near nesting birds. Agents or house owners wont wait for months for photos. They barely wait days. I cant just come back in a few months and photograph the land.

[@buwaya5704]

have a SNIPER FRIEND by your side when fying

[@rocknbury]

GO 33

[@GlenB1963]

Thanks Brett. Fun video too. Bloody magpies, prick of a team, prick of a bird ha ha. Best wishes.

[@reviewprodigy]

I'm a hawks man myself:)

[@terryshrives8322]

Great video

[@reviewprodigy]

Thankyou

[@joeshmoe7967]

Prefer the DJI prop sound in this comparison.

[@reviewprodigy]

so do I but the birds dont:)

[@kendallcarlsson]

Thanks Brett. My Mini 4 Pro comes in at just under the 250g minimum rego limit so guess with the lume cube adding an extra 10g it’d then require registration. Lucky in southern NSW skies are sunnier than Melb, so hope the red tape will suffice against our corvid hordes.

[@reviewprodigy]

good luck

[@CarlosAustin]

Hey Brett. Wondering if the surface of a mini pro 4 will let the tape stick properly? I tried adding a label with my contact info and it started to peel off. Took it off to avoid the props catching it and bringing down the drone. Thoughts? Anybody? Thank you.

[@reviewprodigy]

No sure but the stickiness of the tape is pretty good. Much more adhesive than a normal label

[@FrankRizzo804]

Try prepping the surface first with sandpaper to make it rough. There may be a finish on the surface that makes it slick and hard for something to stick to it.

[@NickWyc]

Wow, the LED... You mounted it across the width of the top face, and not ALONG it to keep it symmetrical! Either way around would have been OK, but maybe the narrow end of the 'teardrop shape' first... But not width ways!!! I feel violated. 🥵😱

[@reviewprodigy]

I'm sorry you feel violated, unless you like that kind of thing, if so - you're welcome;)

[@ofer3877]

Thank you for the video, it works! I used the red tape and the strobe light and the magpies stay away. Wow😀

[@reviewprodigy]

awesome:)

[@2718281828459045236]

I'd imagine that for a bird, a drone is a giant flying spider performing a very noisy threat display. That would make it both edible if it can be killed and so weird that it triggers fight or flight. So if you can make your drone no longer match that pattern, it should improve things. The tape probably partially removed the fat spider body, the painted props make it look less like having spider legs, the light make it more into a car or something clearly artificial. Maybe a painted prop guard could also help if it does not look anything like a spider web but appears to be part of the drone.

[@reviewprodigy]

That all sounds possible to me. Prop guards may be a good idea too

[@Ghryst]

its cos drones sound like a very large insect, and insects are at least a supplementary food for just about every bird on earth, if not the primary food.. who wouldnt try to attack a very large, slow version of your favourite food?

[@reviewprodigy]

Thats a good point:)

[@Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay]

I suspect the battle is only half what our UAVs look like. Flight behaviour is the other half. Everything else in the sky is a vastly superior flyer than we are, so we should do the only move birds cannot easily follow or replicate, which is the in-place hard 100 ft rise and escape at that level.

[@enemywithbenefits]

Any update as to if this works with hawks/eagles?

[@reviewprodigy]

Yep have tried it about 5 times now with no issues from larger birds at all

[@enemywithbenefits]

@@reviewprodigy Interesting. Are you flying away from treelines? I assume you're deterring the scavengers looking for food. Where I live red-tailed hawks will attack humans who get too close to their nest, so I doubt the strategy would work in this case. It's worth decorating the drone to deter the meal aspect though. Thanks for your testing and good luck with the magpies.

[@reviewprodigy]

I would expect larger birds to attack if you were really close to a nest but otherwise they leave you alone

[@SnowdoniaSkies]

Great advice thanks.

[@David_Glazebrook]

Do you think the colour of the reflective tape matters?

[@reviewprodigy]

I do, but feel free to try different things as birds are different everywhere

[@Henno1965]

I hate those guys that have to put in a nit picking correction but I am about to become one, sorry. I think the seagull you show a still shot of at 1:36 is a plover. Very interested to see your results on birds of prey in the bush. My mini 3 was attacked in Indonesia by one of their marine hawks or eagles but survived and righted itself. I had no idea as it happened so quick and it was fairly bright conditions where I was filming from. It scared the hell out of me when I first found it during replay on my big screen telly at home! I am proud of the big talon scratch on the side of my drone I have since found!

[@reviewprodigy]

You may be right on it not being a seagull but it was amongst about 40 seagulls so I just assumed. I would own that eagle scratch will pride.:)

[@johnb1714]

Doesn't it affect the reflective tape with the signal between the drone and the rc?

[@reviewprodigy]

nope, it doesnt affect it in the slightest as long as you dont put tape directly on the sensors

[@ronhazlewood6767]

I've seen some sites offer propellers that are lit with LEDs, have you tried any of those?

[@reviewprodigy]

No I haven't but that seems interesting

[@BurgundyKRO]

I feel like i'm the only one who is asking the obvious question: How does the bird attack a drone without getting shredded by the rotors?

[@reviewprodigy]

smaller birds get shredded and larger burds get injured sometimes.