Scottish MP calls for drone-busting eagles A Scottish MP has suggested cops north of the border might consider the idea of drone-busting eagles, following recent Dutch trials of a winged anti-UAV operative. Dunfermline and West MP Douglas Chapman, who sits on the Commons Defence Select Committee, described the rising numbers of drones as "a real risk to people", "a …
Flying a paraglider in the company of raptors is huge fun - where else can you see every feather on a two-metre wingspan than sharing a thermal with one, or more? Usually Buitres in southern Spain, but once a Russian Steppe Eagle in Wales - don't ask - and often buzzards.
Mind you - it's sometimes a bit frustrating when one achieves the same result as all your weight-shifting and pulling on various bits of string, just by twitching a couple of feathers. They don't half look smug when they do that...
In thermals, not that I've seen - though there are of course far more raptors around than I've flown with.
However, if you fly too close to a buzzard's nest site at the wrong time of year, you'll discover that not only are they quite aggressive, but that they use some *appalling* language... after one occasion being sworn at by buzzards, I've made sure I keep further from their homes. I don't know where they learn that sort of language, though - probably hang glider pilots.
There's not usually any problem flying with them but I suspect that birds judge distance and speed of approach by parallax and see a five-times-bigger-than-them paraglider as five times further away, and there are occasional collisions, as here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGzzSIZvA40
(not safe for work due to swearing in Russian). The bits of string that attach the pilot to the glider make us uniquely vulnerable to collision with birds, if they get tangled.
Thanks
That was a good video, with some impressive cursing.
Thanks for the explanation of parallax that would explain that vid, (sure I have seen another similar type incident), although if thats the case would not geese do so? Thinking of videos I have seen videos of them flying in v formation with paragliders.
Just conjecture here as I know they can be teritorial (although also seen plenty of some species hanging out, Brahiny Kites seem to like hanging out together), was curious as to how they may see the human intruders up in the sky.
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It's mating season for Eagle Owls at the moment. Last week, an escaped specimen swooped down on to my friend as she was making her way home from the pub. She was thrilled, she loves owls.
Round here it's the only escaped eagle owl, but I understand that across the country there are around a hundred escapees (mainly Scotland and N England), some of which have successfully found a mate.
"around a hundred escapees (mainly Scotland and N England), some of which have successfully found a mate."
there were three pairs in Bowland a few years back, but they all appear to have been shot out. If they are still around, then the fact is being kept quiet. For what its worth, the World Owl Trust are convinced some of them are "real" wild birds from Europe, not escapes. But DEFRA and the BTO and RSPB lobby heavily against that view
This links to several stories about the persecution the birds face
http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/?s=eagle+owl
An owl got into one of our classrooms at primary school. Barn owl I think. Went in for a lesson, it decided it didn't like the look of a couple of dozen 9 year olds wandering into its bedroom and made a dash for it. They're not all that big, but when one's flying right at your face at full speed, it seems huge. I was the one standing in the doorway. As happens it was still on the rise, so scraped its talons across the head of the boy in front, and went just over the top of me.
I don't think he bled that much. I've no idea how it got in there. Certainly wasn't chasing any drones.
Yeah, exploitation. Ban this now
While we're at it, ban sniffer dogs. Drugs and rescue. Exploitation.
Then there's guide dogs for the blind, we should ban them too, they're being exploited.
In fact we should ban the keeping of any animal, it's all just exploitation. No pet dogs or cats, it's not fair that they are forced to love their owners just to get fed. Horses? Nope, set them all free, no more horse riding. No more pet hamsters.
I'm being sarcastic obviously, but just where do you draw the line on exploitation over benefit (rhetorical, that's a whole different debate than here)
The Dutch Police are giving this a try, along with several other ideas, as part of a research project. They put out a news story with some nice videos which got widely picked up because everyone likes birds of prey.
The Dutch don't yet know if this, or any of their other ideas, will work in practice or have much idea of the limitations. Nor have they published the results of this study.
It seems a bit early for Police Scotland to think about pouring money into it.
Seems to me that the people should train the eagles to take down the government's snooping drones.
Also, El Reg, your picture shows an American Bald Eagle - never seen in Scotland.
Ours are either Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) which are pretty big, or Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla), which are mahusive.
"Also, El Reg, your picture shows an American Bald Eagle - never seen in Scotland.". Never seen in Holland either but the video did show am American Bald Eagle. I have seen a Sea Eagle only once, accompanied by about 20 sea gulls trying to get rid of it. The size difference was indeed huge.
While the idea of watching an eagle take down a pesky drone is quite thrilling it will only take the first eagle to get horribly injured by the rotors of a drone to set the animal rights nutters off!
Also are they really going to be able to tell an eagle to target that drone at 1500 feet that has just wandered into a restricted zone by an airport? Gives new meaning to 'double bird strike'!
Micro surface to air missiles. Go on, you know the plods would love 'em!
'While the idea of watching an eagle take down a pesky drone is quite thrilling it will only take the first eagle to get horribly injured by the rotors of a drone to set the animal rights nutters off!..'
Animal rights nutters?, try the SSPCA, armed with the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, Section 19 all fired up...
With comments like "a real risk to people", "a danger to those on the ground" and even "a risk to national security" in the wrong hands, the Dunfermline and West MP appears to be jumping straight to "OMG drones can be used by paedos/terrorists/bad-guys for bad things, must come up with ridiculous solution to this menace"
Everything and anything can potentially fall into those risk categories if used by the "wrong" people.
What's next? Deploying roving platoons of Mongoose in case snake owners decide to do "bad things" with their pet...?
How about just ban everything? Because anything could be a risk to somebody, somewhere, right? Tool.
Seriously, prove there is a genuine tangible issue beyond vague "a risk to the people" crap, then and only then, if there really is an issue, devise intercepts that don't involve sending rare animals chasing big machines with fast-spinning blades...
At least the police inspector's comment was sensible. For once. How refreshing.
The video revealed (1) Where the bird grabbed the drone; (2) The bird conflicted with the rotors.
A pair of wires attached to a high-voltage generator and attached around the periphery of the drone's body might focus the bird on himself and not the drone.
Using razor-sharp edges on the rotors would enhance the likelihood of long term inability to catch drones by cutting a bird's tendons or damaging it's feet. How many of these birds would they be prepared to lose given their initial cost as well as that of training?
Perhaps the chopped feet could be sold to Chinese restaurants and enable them to offer chicken, duck AND eagle feet for dim sum.
This video was staged with optimum advantage for the bird given that the drone was travelling slowly and on an even keel. They must employ the type of photographer that makes the F35 look good.
Ignoring dubious ethics of the risk of injury / death to eagles on drones with non feeble rotor blades e.g. fast moving metal blade & bird not a good mix
Given the huge persecution of birds of prey in Scotland, the drone nabbing eagle task force would soon find it's numbers rather depleted, unless activities were kept well away from grouse shooting estates.
There is no question of ethics - it's a question of aerial engagement.
The whole idea is to prevent theft - so all is fair.
Maybe flash/bangs used on robotic devices could prove effective, too. I was hit by the casing of such a flash/bang on a robotic military device during development (used to ignite an explosive charge) and it hurt like hell.
The problem with drones is that they fly themselves, very little skill needed. Even conventional model aircraft with stabilization systems need more than a moron at the controls to avoid breaking them on landing. Many drones have a 'home' switch, hit that and the drone will fly back to its starting position or one that has been pre-programmed in, no damage ready to fly again.
A mid-air with a full size aircraft is likely to happen sometime, can we stop that? or shall we just wait for it happen and then wring our hands about it.
I enjoy radio control model glider flying and drones are causing the other model flying disciplines a big problem, the FAA (USA equiv. of UK CAA) have gone over the top and made all 'drones', including all model aircraft, be registered if they weigh over 250g. These multirotor drones could be responsible for all outdoor aircraft modelling being seriously compromised.
What's the answer - I don't know, but drone killing eagles is a fantastic idea.
Sharks are so yesterday, but I would pay good money to watch an Eagle take down an Army of Drones, Last Starfighter style, with a Death Blossom.
Your going to need to expand Hundred Acre Wood if you are suggesting that room be found for giant flying Russian bears and their hunneypots. These days the place is probably surrounded by a couple housing subdivisions too! That's a lot of demolition and rezoning!
And imagine the fuss the BNP will put up when it finds out you are bringing Eastern European bears in...
doesn't "present a danger to those on the ground, such as at a large public gathering", otherwise his plan might look just a bit stupid.
These are not dogs, in-bred to the point of moronic dependence on their human masters; they are wild predators with all the instincts and disregard for law and order thereof. They're only 'trained' by manipulating those instincts, trusting that they'll prefer the easier life of taking food from their handler over all the effort involved in honing their hunting instincts. One whiff of convenient chihauhua whilst on 'drone duty' and they'll be off with it and may well never come back. Not exactly the best return on police spending.
Or we could look for a truly Scottish solution and revive the traditional skills, passed on from father to son. Not many Glaswegians can still fling a Buckfast bottle the length of a football stadium with deadly accuracy, but a government grant could soon make this a viable solution to the drone menace.
Surely a determined national security threat could design something that would ruin the first bird that came into contact with it. We need a mechanical way of bringing down dangerous drones and maybe at the same time re-deploy the eagles to hunt down the operator and claw their eyes out?
Alternatively they could provide the eagles with steel nets that could be 'dropped' onto a drone of any current size and bring it down without harm to the bird.(possibly a risk to anyone underneath but you can't win em all)
The left field idea would be to fit Air to Air missiles to the birds and maybe a go pro to monetize drone destruction.
Gibbs
Abby
DiNozzo
Ziva
Ducky
McGee and 'Xerxes The Falcon!'
Just think about all the thrilling plots involving Arab Drones, Palestinian Drones, Russian Drones, Muslim Drones, Chinese Drones, Korean Drones, Indiana Drones etc.......sorry i'm Droning on.
'.. 'Xerxes The Falcon!' '
Xerxes?, the way NCIS is going I think you'll find it'd more along these lines
I used to work at the jet base there. There was one in the area that frequently ate it's catch on the building that had the canteen. So you'd often step out & see a pigeon head or wing lying on the ground just outside the door...
they used to do it at Blackpool airport
A few years back I was highly amused when the local falconer was trying to scare off some Pinkfoot Geese (a few hundred of them) with a large falcon (Gyr maybe?) when it decided to fly off and sit in a tree. Damn thing wouldn't come back, even when offered best raw rabbit.
Poor girl was totally frustrated and eventually was forced to sprinting up and down the runway in her landy, chasing and scattering geese across the grass while an Easyjet flight waited for the "off".
She eventually got it back next day when it finally decided it was hungry
To add an extra layer of farce to the scene, just as she managed to get the last of the geese out of the way, a large (8-10 feet) inflatable purple dinosaur drifted across the runway at around 300 feet.
Must be fun in traffic control sometimes...
birds are bloody fickle things
Oz Wedge Tailed Eagles do it already: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr-xBtVU4lg (They report the eagle was fine afterwards.)
Quote from wikipedia: "The wedge-tailed eagle is the only bird that has a reputation for attacking hang gliders and paragliders (presumably defending its territory). Cases are recorded of the birds damaging the fabric of these gliders with their talons." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge-tailed_eagle
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