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Bold Eagles: Angry Birds Are Ripping $80,000 Drones Out of the Sky (cetusnews.com)

schwit1 found this story in the Wall Street Journal: Daniel Parfitt thought he'd found the perfect drone for a two-day mapping job in a remote patch of the Australian Outback. The roughly $80,000 machine had a wingspan of 7 feet and resembled a stealth bomber. There was just one problem. His machine raised the hackles of one prominent local resident: a wedge-tailed eagle. Swooping down from above, the eagle used its talons to punch a hole in the carbon fiber and Kevlar fuselage of Mr. Parfitt's drone, which lost control and plummeted to the ground... "It ended up being a pile of splinters"...

These highly territorial raptors, which eat kangaroos, have no interest in yielding their apex-predator status to the increasing number of drones flying around the bush. They've even been known to harass the occasional human in a hang glider... Camouflage techniques, like putting fake eyes on the drones, don't appear to be fully effective, and some pilots have even considered arming drones with pepper spray or noise devices to ward off eagles.

One mining survey superintendent said he's now lost 12 different drones to eagle attacks, costing his employer $210,000. Another drone was actually attacked by nine different eagles, and its pilot estimates eagles are now attacking 20% of all drone flights in rural Australia.

279 comments

  1. Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Nature has decided. No, you can't fucking pepper spray an eagle. Give it up.

    1. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You say that, but now I'm looking forward to people spraying eagles out of the sky.

      Arrogant dinosaurs, next time we're sending helicopter drones. Test your bullshit on that...

    2. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      After the angre birds (tm) went after drones, then their stock plummeted

    3. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by mapkinase · · Score: 1

      Not with that attitude

      --
      I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
    4. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A back-of-the-envelope solution would be to equip the drone with a noise weapon that makes it too loud to get near, kinda like standing near a loud speaker, the air pressure alone tiggers off the danger sense.

      But it may be simpler to just put a bunch of 4" spikes on it like they do to keep pigeons off things. The birds get poked with the spikes before they get close enough.

  2. Nature bats last by jodido · · Score: 3, Funny

    See subject line

  3. Uh huh... by Desler · · Score: 1

    and some pilots have even considered arming drones with pepper spray or noise devices to ward off eagles.

    Or, you know, they could just leave the eagles alone and fly somewhere else...

    1. Re:Uh huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not so feasible when they're mapping out a specific region for a specific reason.

      That's a fine idea if all you're doing is flying a drone for the fun of it, but when we're talking about $AU80k+ (about $US60k) machines, that's not a hobby - that's a profession, and there's invariably a reason why it's flying in a given area.

    2. Re:Uh huh... by Desler · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Then map the area in a way that doesn’t fuck with the wildlife. Otherwise, boo-fucking-hoo that the pissed off eagles are downing your drones. These people deserve nothing but crocodile tears.

    3. Re:Uh huh... by arth1 · · Score: 1

      The question is then what they did before they had drones, which cost even more than a cool $80,000?

    4. Re: Uh huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well then, when they're done mapping they'll know where not to go.
      Problem solves itself.

    5. Re:Uh huh... by gravewax · · Score: 1

      it is flying in a specific area generally because they thought it was a cheaper way of doing what is traditionally done by a full sized aircraft, turns out they were wrong!

    6. Re:Uh huh... by zuki · · Score: 0

      Agreed! ^

      Sorry, I have no mod points to give you...

    7. Re:Uh huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These people deserve nothing but crocodile tears.

      That would be cool - when the eagles knocked their drones out of the sky, and they go to find them and they get eaten by crocodiles.

    8. Re:Uh huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The question is then what they did before they had drones, which cost even more than a cool $80,000?

      Imaging satellites and people surveying on foot, both of which didn't intrude on the eagles.

      In short they need to do something different so the eagles aren't pointlessly killed. (I'm assuming colliding with a mini helicopter is not healthy for the bird.) If noise or pepper spray works without harming the bird then that is fine.

      If nothing else they appear to have a ceiling of about 10k feet. There might be some FAA issues, but perhaps something can be worked out to stay above the eagles normal altitude. Of course that might mean a different and possibly more expensive drone.

    9. Re: Uh huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      no, it's now an EXPENSIVE hobby.

      There are other platforns to use to get the same data. Less intrusive. Oh, but maybe more expensive.

      boo hoo.

    10. Re:Uh huh... by ZorinLynx · · Score: 1

      Why are these so expensive anyway? I mean holy crap, at $80K you're approaching the cost of actual human-carrying aircraft. Isn't the whole point of drones to do this stuff on the cheap?

    11. Re:Uh huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly! We, at Special Education for the Santa Clara County Office of Education, couldn't agree more with you!

      For the valuable /. users that might already have read the following, please note that there is an important update.

      IMPORTANT UPDATE:
      Special Education for the Santa Clara County Office of Education has invested money to buy Chris a new chair:
      http://www.keynamics.com/image...

      Information about Christopher Dale Reimer and autistic people:

      Autistic people have obsessions about things normal people don't care. For example, one of our autistic patient went haywire when he realized that there was a penny missing in his pocket change.

      To calm him down, one of our educator pretended to have found it on the floor and gave a penny to him.

      The autistic patient condition went even worse because he realized it wasn't the same penny!

      Chris has an obsession with budgeting every penny. He doesn't understand that most people do not budget to the penny and have a flexible amount they allow for miscellaneous items.

      I am Nancy Guerrero and I am Director of Special Education for the Santa Clara County Office of Education. We use Chris' (a.k.a. creimer,cdreimer) picture in our document because he is the hardest case we have ever had to handle:
      http://www.sccoe.org/depts/stu...

      Our artists were inspired by the low carb diet that Christopher follows scrupulously for the small lunch box and by the picture linked below for the rest. I am sure that you will notice the similarities such as the bump on the side of his chest and more:
      https://ibb.co/gVad65

      Please be easy on Christopher although, I am aware that some of our staff handling Chris post joke comments here and obvoiusly, the Santa Clara County Office of Education disapprove that behavior vehemently:
      https://school.discoveryeducat...

      But it isn't Chris' fault if he is the way he is. We do the best we can do with him and he is partially integrated into society. We try to cure his abnormal need for attention but he is kind of stubborn and won't listen to anybody.

      Thank You dear users,
      -Nancy Guerrero

    12. Re:Uh huh... by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      Well to be fair and adhere to the law, should it continue, than legislation would be forced to ensure the safety of drones ie their blades would need to be shrouded to protect the birds when they choose to attack. As to putting on stuff to attack the birds, well, get caught and face a high risk of a short custodial sentences, something in the months. Replace plastic blades with steel ones and likely that sentence would blow out to years. As long as the birds attack drones and not people, basically, suck it up and fly elsewhere.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    13. Re:Uh huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They aren't fucking with (i.e. purposely provoking) the eagles.

      The alternative is a light aircraft, which the eagles also attack but with the outcome often being a dead eagle.

      All things considered, a radio controlled aircraft is a very low impact option. No pun intended.

    14. Re:Uh huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The areas are often super remote. You won't be able to fly their and back from any large domestic or regional airport. This increases the cost of using a traditional aircraft considerably. In these instances, driving to the location and using a remote controlled aircraft is cheaper.

    15. Re:Uh huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You fuckers need to get a fucking life.

    16. Re:Uh huh... by Calydor · · Score: 1

      Eagles are friggin' powerhouses. I have seen several videos shot from a drone getting 'killed' by one, and the eagles don't look like they get injured at all at least in those. Mind, I doubt people would post videos where the eagle got a foot chopped off.

      But let me ask you, even if pepper spray worked on birds (let's imagine a product that has the same effect), how safe do you think it would be for an eagle in flight to suddenly have severe pain in its eyes and an inability to see? That eagle would crash to the ground and die that way like the drone was 'supposed' to.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    17. Re:Uh huh... by Harlequin80 · · Score: 1

      Light aircraft flying back and forth.

      Noisy, polluting and expensive.

    18. Re:Uh huh... by dwywit · · Score: 1

      Or helicopters. Also noisy, polluting, and expensive.

      --
      They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
    19. Re:Uh huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But, but, but... I thought that you were enjoying your merry band of wanker trolls and that they were helping you with your revenue streams. At least, that's what you wrote on /.

      Make up your mind, Creimy Dumpty Reimer!

    20. Re: Uh huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cool, while we're at it, let's just stop making maps altogether. We've mapped enough of thenllanet already. I think it's time to stop.

      Fucking retard...

    21. Re:Uh huh... by arth1 · · Score: 2

      Light aircraft flying back and forth.

      Noisy, polluting and expensive.

      I'm not so sure about the "expensive" part. The wet rate for a small airplane is in the $100-$170 per hour range. Compared to what the drones cost, and how short they seem to last, I don't think cost saving could be the reason here.
      Being able to hover and descend below safe flight levels to get better pictures might be a factor.

    22. Re: Uh huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So flying a manned helicopter (which the eagles still attack, just not as successfully) is less intrusive?

    23. Re:Uh huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then map the area in a way that doesn’t fuck with the wildlife.

      Why? You think the wildlife isn't going to be disturbed by the subsequent mining operation?

    24. Re:Uh huh... by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      The wet rate for a small airplane is in the $100-$170 per hour range. Compared to what the drones cost,

      If you're going to compare purchase cost, then do so. That would be a quarter of a million dollars for a small manned aircraft with a reasonable set of avionics that would allow it to be operated in most weather. $100k otherwise. Plus pilot training. And insurance. And when a small plain goes down, there are a couple of lives at stake. But those are human and not bird so they apparently don't count.

      If you want to compare operating costs, do that. $170 for the plane per hour, salary for the pilot and other occupant who is doing the mapping, versus a lot less for the drone.

      The drone wins in both purchase and operating expenses.

      Being able to hover and descend below safe flight levels to get better pictures might be a factor.

      Oh, helicopters are $250/hr minimum, and insurance costs are much higher. Yes, they can hover and descend, but there's a price for that.

    25. Re:Uh huh... by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      Isn't the whole point of drones to do this stuff on the cheap?

      Not the whole point. Maneuverability and liability are big issues. Not putting two or three humans' lives in danger is another.

    26. Re:Uh huh... by Harlequin80 · · Score: 1

      I don't know where that 100 - 170 / hr rate comes from. But I know that the mapping costs for mining and oil and gas companies is orders of magnitudes more than that when it is done by a plane in Australia.

      The drone prices are inflated in this story as they are counting the costs of all the specialist sensors. Most of those would be recovered.

      I'd estimate that the actual cost of repair and replace after an eagle hit is barely into the 4 figures.

    27. Re:Uh huh... by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      For a fair comparison, you need to include the fact that a small airplane can fly faster, higher, and with more duration than most drones. Thus, covering much more space in the same amount of time. So, maybe a cost to cover a square mile might be better.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    28. Re:Uh huh... by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      Google the cost of a used Cessna 152...they're much cheaper than you'd think. It's really the cost of maintenance and insurance that drives the TOC.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    29. Re:Uh huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you might have heard of them...satelites

  4. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, right. Drone “pilots” are people with some of the biggest sense entitlement.

  5. Hmm. . . Angry Birds. . . by Salgak1 · · Score: 1

    . . ..seems like there could be a video game in that. . . .. . .Oh. Nevermind. . . (grin)

  6. Tim Cocksucker by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My angry drone is ripping assholes at Cupertino.

  7. Eagles are top of the food chain predators by gurps_npc · · Score: 4, Insightful

    and they know it. They are defending their position as the master of the sky, deadliest flying living creature.

    They are smart and cunning and strong. They use their ability to fly high to develop a ton of momentum and tear apart their prey.

    Pretty hard to defend against them, they won't back down.

    --
    excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
    1. Re:Eagles are top of the food chain predators by MrKaos · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I like to watch them hunt and fight. They're magnificent when they hunt, circling up really high, you can see the feathers off the tip of their wings like fingers feeling the air and when they see their moment they pull their wings in close and fall from the sky like they are pulling every bit of speed they can out of their momentum. I can't really express what it looks like in words adequately and video doesn't really convey the amount of height they strike from or how quickly they descend. You can see how and why jet fighters are designed they way they are.

      They also have a sense of humour. I saw a tree full of parrots all squawking and carrying on, they generally leave the tree all at once in one direction as a group. Well, this eagle wasn't having any of that and flew up to this tree and you could almost hear the parrots squawking HOLY SHIT ITS AN EAGLE and scatter, to which the eagle just kind of tilted and kept going, just reminding them.

      They get harassed by magpies, crows and other birds, to which they barely respond, just a beat or two of their wings that the other birds cannot match in power.

      Once, I saw two of them fighting, way up in the sky. They locked talons and fell, tumbling and rolling over each other closer and closer to the ground. I think the loser is the one breaking from the other first.

      Anyway, they are the wedge tailed eagle moments that stick out in my mind that I could share. I saw one up close on the ground once and was a little surprised at just how big it was, the talons, the beak, standing just over a metre high and as I looked into those calm, unconcerned avian eyes I realised it wasn't threatened by me at all, so I'm not surprised they smash drones.

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    2. Re: Eagles are top of the food chain predators by rahvin112 · · Score: 2

      Apparantly you don't know how eagles mate, that wasn't fighting, that was dating.

    3. Re:Eagles are top of the food chain predators by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let me see both hands, sir.

      Make the drones 40x the weight of an eagle, and they'll stop screwing with it. No need to try to injure them, it works equally well to go for deterrence.

    4. Re:Eagles are top of the food chain predators by Calydor · · Score: 4, Informative

      What you're describing is cartwheeling. It's a show of trust between them, and is an integral part of courtship.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    5. Re:Eagles are top of the food chain predators by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      Your dick is making that funny sound again.

    6. Re: Eagles are top of the food chain predators by mapkinase · · Score: 1

      No, WE are The Apex Predators.

      --
      I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
    7. Re: Eagles are top of the food chain predators by MrKaos · · Score: 1

      Apparantly you don't know how eagles mate, that wasn't fighting, that was dating.

      I'm not sure whether to feel embarrassed or privileged for watching two eagles getting nasty, thanks for letting me know.

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    8. Re: Eagles are top of the food chain predators by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tell that to the viruses

    9. Re: Eagles are top of the food chain predators by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      We don't generally eat eagles... the food chain can be considered to have multiple apexes, of which you're right in that we're probably at the top of the biggest one.

    10. Re:Eagles are top of the food chain predators by RazorSharp · · Score: 1

      That's almost poetic. You came close to iambic pentameter.

      --
      "From the depths of my skeptical and rationalist soul, I ask the Lord to protect me from California touchie-feeliedom."
    11. Re: Eagles are top of the food chain predators by rahvin112 · · Score: 2

      Don't worry about it, it's a quite fascinating thing they do. They weren't fucking, they were just doing the courting thing that all birds do (dancing, calling etc), eagles grab each other by the talons and plumet and let go at the last second, climb back up and do it again and again. When the female is satisfied then they get busy and do the whole parenting thing. It's actually the coolest courting in the animal kingdom IMO.

    12. Re: Eagles are top of the food chain predators by HiThere · · Score: 2

      No. The biggest one probably has ants, cockroaches, or termites at the top. I *think* the bacteria are too fragmented to have a competitor. And I'm judging the size of the food chain by the mass of it's components.

      --

      I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
    13. Re:Eagles are top of the food chain predators by PJ6 · · Score: 1

      and they know it. They are defending their position as the master of the sky, deadliest flying living creature.

      They are smart and cunning and strong. They use their ability to fly high to develop a ton of momentum and tear apart their prey.

      Pretty hard to defend against them, they won't back down.

      Why not copy nature? Even eagles aren't immune to mobbing.

      The main drone could control an escort of small, cheap drones with swarming, aggressive AI. The swarm could even spray something unpleasant, though that would probably be frowned upon by regulators.

      Wouldn't be difficult or expensive, and they'd learn pretty quick to leave the drones alone.

    14. Re:Eagles are top of the food chain predators by Optic7 · · Score: 1

      I thought you were exaggerating on the size, but they do reach a maximum of over one meter (three feet) long! And up to over three meters (nine feet) wingspan! Holy mackerel, I didn't realize that any eagles got that large.

      Found an answer through a quick search: http://dinoanimals.com/animals...

      That last picture of the white-tailed eagle. Imagine something that large flying toward you in anger like that. Amazing scary.

    15. Re:Eagles are top of the food chain predators by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And the operator would learn just as quickly what the words PROTECTED SPECIES means, wouldn't be difficult, but very expensive, and they'd learn pretty quick to leave the eagles alone.

    16. Re:Eagles are top of the food chain predators by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and they know it. They are defending their position as the master of the sky, deadliest flying living creature.

      They wouldn't need to be a protected species if their defense were successful. For every drone one of them takes down, dozens of them are killed, directly or indirectly, by mining companies and other human endeavors.

    17. Re:Eagles are top of the food chain predators by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Once, I saw two of them fighting, way up in the sky. They locked talons and fell, tumbling and rolling over each other closer and closer to the ground. I think the loser is the one breaking from the other first.

      Just a FYI for you:
      What you thought was "fighting" is what the eagles' themselves call "mating".

    18. Re:Eagles are top of the food chain predators by PJ6 · · Score: 1

      And the operator would learn just as quickly what the words PROTECTED SPECIES means, wouldn't be difficult, but very expensive, and they'd learn pretty quick to leave the eagles alone.

      Are you deliberately being thick?

      The idea is to annoy, not harm. A drone swarm isn't going to harm an eagle any more than the crows can.

  8. deadly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Do we need further reminders that everything in Australia wants to kill you?

    1. Re:deadly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do we need further reminders that everything in Australia wants to kill you?

      We should send Trump down there for a visit. With luck he ain't coming back.

    2. Re: deadly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What, even koalas?

    3. Re: deadly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Absolutely, they look cute and cuddly but google dangerous + koala!

      They're a pretty aggressive animal.

    4. Re: deadly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They are quite nasty tempered and they smell like pisss.

    5. Re:deadly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At least once a year some Asian bloke sticks a blue ring octo right on their fukken head for a photo

    6. Re: deadly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean the dropbears...

      Have you seen the claws on those things? Now imagine one dropping out of a tree and getting those things into your skull and eye sockets.

    7. Re: deadly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Koalas have large, very sharp claws.

    8. Re:deadly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kill you?

      Sure.

      Eat you once you're dead?

      Only sometimes, usually our animals (and some plants) are just removing a perceived threat.

      Also, dead things make good fertiliser, blood and bone, if you are a plant.

      Don't eat the fruit until you've washed it running water. For about 3 days. or so. Ish...

      Amusing fact:

      our govt TV broadcaster has banned a Peppa Pig episode because it shows that spiders (Mr Sknnylegs!) are harmless and friendly. Ummm. no, no they are not. Many are, but ... a significant percentage of the ones around a typical home here (like the Black House Spider) are not at all harmless..

      https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/sep/05/peppa-pig-spiders-cant-hurt-you-episode-pulled-off-air-in-australia-again

      Lethal? Not likely if you are above 20kg in weight, but if not, maybe... You'll certainly notice getting bitten, though!

      And if you're a cat, dog or toddler, possibly lethal, sure.

      Typical Aussie conversation:

      Davo: "Hey Johnno, Davo got bitten by a redback!"
      Johnno: "Oh really? Suck shit Davo! Is he ok?"

  9. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by HornWumpus · · Score: 0

    Nothing a 10 gauge goose gun can't fix.

    The problem is $80k drones. Put the sensors in a separate package and fly them under a $100 slow stick, attach parachute to sensor package and done. Who cares if the eagles destroy some styrofoam, it's cheap.

    If you need more weight, upgreyedd the airframe.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  10. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Informative

    I hope the eagles knock each and every one of these machines out of the sky. I hope it ends up costing these companies millions, and there's not a fucking thing they're going to be able to do about it. Drone operators/owners are some of the most selfish, self-entitled assholes around, and every time one of them loses one of their drones, I cheer. Good riddance.

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  11. Maybe don't fly there? by theurge14 · · Score: 1

    Seems like you probably shouldn't fly expensive droves in those areas.

  12. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I feel the same way about all the creimer/cdreimer/cashews accounts. Good riddance to that pest!

  13. I don't get this by Presence+Eternal · · Score: 2

    Aren't birds immune to pepper spray? Wouldn't simply being a drone add a lot of defense? I'd think rotors would break bird bones like twigs or at least hurt really bad.

    1. Re:I don't get this by gravewax · · Score: 4, Informative

      wedge-tailed eagles strike at speed with incredible power as they rely on this to stun/kill, they are also very large birds which can weigh up to around 6kg and while the rotors may do some damage the drone will still be destroyed by the impact. They are also a protected species

    2. Re:I don't get this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ISIS claimed responsibility for angry birds. ae911truth dot org

    3. Re:I don't get this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wasn't there was some Euro police group training falcons/hawks specifically to attack drones? Their rationale was that the bird was cheaper and more effective than building countermeasures. It's like an AI fighter jet attacking a dumb blimp.

    4. Re:I don't get this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These are fixed-wing airplanes, not copters.

      dom

    5. Re:I don't get this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The solution is simple, use micro jet engines on drones. No way a bird could counter that, or keep up.

    6. Re:I don't get this by DeSigna · · Score: 1

      If a drone operator accidentally injured or killed a wedgie, there is potential jail time involved. They're heavily protected, with only about 200 pairs left.

      "They attacked my $80k flying camera" wouldn't be a good excuse, they're a known threat to drone operators and it would be negligent to allow the drone to injure them. Shooting/zapping at, reinforcing the drone to the point where it poses a danger to the eagle or switching from a fixed-wing to a multirotor drone without adequate protection - for the eagle - wouldn't go down too well in a courtroom.

    7. Re:I don't get this by DeSigna · · Score: 1

      Sorry - quick update - Wedgetails are protected, but it's a particular subspecies in Tassie which only has ~200 pairs left. Misread the wikipedia article.

    8. Re:I don't get this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Think you will find these drones have a very specific purpose that requires slow stable flight for surveying, micro jet engines that have them going fast enough to avoid a diving eagle would introduce too much instability unless they are going to spend a fortune making them bigger, heavier and more robust, but then they may as well go back to using full size aircraft for the task at hand.

    9. Re:I don't get this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Moron - you can't even read Wikipedia.

      There are 12 sub species of Wedgetail eagles, - they are almost as common as flies.
      In a drive around the north west I saw over 50 in 10 days...

      Wikipedia clearly states that the TASMANIA subspecies only has 200 pairs left.
      The rest of Australia has lots and lots and lots of them....

    10. Re:I don't get this by Solandri · · Score: 4, Informative

      OP is correct that birds are immune to capsaicin (the chemical in hot peppers which makes them "hot"). Speculation is that pepper plants use the chemical as a way to discourage land mammals from eating their fruits, thus guaranteeing their seeds would be dispersed more widely by birds. Pepper spray isn't going to do squat.

    11. Re:I don't get this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All fauna native to Australia are protected species.

    12. Re:I don't get this by gravewax · · Score: 0

      hmmm interesting, I guess my kangaroo steak I just had for dinner must be illegal! wonder why they sell it in the supermarket.

    13. Re:I don't get this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because it's very lean, organic and easily & cheaply available.
      There are, apparently, more roos now than ever before, thanks to livestock waterholes fed by bores outback and closer to the coast.
      Best cooked hot and fast, or it gets damned tough.
      Most are sold marinated as it's also quite gamey, and an acquired taste if you are not into game meats.

      Kanga bangas (kangaroo meat sausages) are available in most supermarkets, as well as steaks (thin like minute steaks) and patties.

      Australia is one of the few countries on earth where you can eat the nation emblems, emu and roo meat is a fixture on many Aussie themed restaurants.

    14. Re:I don't get this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, but if it's anything like the US, they'll protect all of them to because the one endangered one looks similar to the others. The Golden Eagle in the US is protected because it looks like a young bald eagle, and in the name of protecting the balds, they made it illegal to hunt goldens.

    15. Re:I don't get this by samwichse · · Score: 1

      Are their eyes also immune?

      I would doubt it.

    16. Re:I don't get this by WrongMonkey · · Score: 1

      Capsaicin doesn't actually burn or damage cells. It interacts with the TRPV1 receptor, the protein that responds to heat, so that the neurons are tricked at a molecular level. Bird immunity to capsaicin is because their TRPV1 just doesn't respond to it. Spraying capsaicin in their eyes probably wouldn't be any worse than spraying a saline solution.

    17. Re:I don't get this by gravewax · · Score: 1

      woosh, I was answering the idiotic that claimed all our fauna was protected. It isn't and that is a good thing as things like Kangaroos are in plague proportions in many parts of the country.

    18. Re:I don't get this by samwichse · · Score: 1

      Interesting to know, thanks!

  14. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    Anybody got a good recipe for eagle?

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  15. That was a case of bad mission planning by Picodon · · Score: 4, Funny

    The machine ... resembled a stealth bomber.

    Tragically, though flying in broad daylight, it was not escorted by a protective formation of fighter drones, making it an easy pick for the latest Talon strike fighters of the austral Aquiline air force.

  16. Admirable by leretard · · Score: 0

    We should try to colonize those birds in North America

    There is precious little resistance to the automation of our economy.

    1. Re:Admirable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unfortunately I don't think they'd tolerate the presence of your native eagles either, and they're a lot bigger and fly higher.

    2. Re:Admirable by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      You mean as some kind of payback? Let others feel what it's like if we fuck up their ecosystem by bringing in animals it's not prepared to handle?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  17. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They don't get to keep and cook the eagle carcass in their jail cell.

  18. Countermeasures won't be allowed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You can bet that countermeasures of almost any effective type will be discouraged if not banned. Most countermeasure systems would aid in avoidance of military or police takedowns of drones.

  19. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by HornWumpus · · Score: 0

    Your right, 'shoot, shovel and shutup' is the way to go. Birds of prey are pretty inedible anyhow.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  20. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Rei · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Would pepper spray even work on an eagle? Birds can't taste capsaicin; if anything, it's numbing to them.

    It's interesting to see how territorial these birds are. You can find lots of videos on Youtube of them doing things like attacking ultralights and such. I think they're simply going to have to "eagleproof" their drones. Which unfortunately will make them need to be bigger (and more expensive) for a given-sized payload, since a greater chunk of the mass fraction will need to go into structure.

    --
    All we want to do is eat your brains.
  21. Re: Edit or Dave by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The preceding thread was brought to you by racism, classism, and the Russia apparatnik.

  22. It's not nice by jenningsthecat · · Score: 4, Funny

    to fool Mother Nature.

    Hands up if you're old enough to remember that TV commercial!

    --
    'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
    1. Re:It's not nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have very fond memories of....margarine

    2. Re:It's not nice by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      Hands up if you're old enough to remember that TV commercial!

      Sorry, I was holding my hand up but the bursitis made me bring it back down before you saw it.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    3. Re:It's not nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      to fool Mother Nature.

      Hands up if you're old enough to remember that TV commercial!

      Retort from eagles: "That'sa one-a spicya meatballla".

    4. Re:It's not nice by Stormbringer · · Score: 1

      Mother (Nature), please, I'd rather do it myself.

  23. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Presence+Eternal · · Score: 1

    I'm dismayed you'd think it necessary to use projectile weapons. When instead you could use nitinol rotors with retractable guards. Yes, it blends!

  24. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by HornWumpus · · Score: 2

    This is apparently _not_ a quad copter, it's a bunch of fixed wing drones.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  25. noise device? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because a drone isn't loud enough by itself?

  26. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Presence+Eternal · · Score: 2

    I'm most dreadfully embarrassed.

  27. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why not just camera flash and blast a loud buzzer at them when they get close?

  28. who'd have thunk by TimMD909 · · Score: 1

    Never thought that birds could be more effective than shotguns... Your move, NRA card-holding privacy conscious anti-environmentalists. Your move...

    1. Re:who'd have thunk by iggymanz · · Score: 1, Redundant

      plenty of NRA people are pro-environment.

      By the way, which is more harmful to the environment, the person getting their meat from supermarket or the card holding NRA guy who gets his meat hunting?

    2. Re:who'd have thunk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Poor little prissy anti gun hater. Somebody shoot a cap gun and make you wet your diaper?

    3. Re:who'd have thunk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      depends entirely where, how and what he is hunting.

    4. Re:who'd have thunk by DeSigna · · Score: 1

      My self-defense raptor is sitting on my copy of Padlocks Monthly.

    5. Re:who'd have thunk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... self-defense raptor

      I assume you mean the 'Kimber America' Colt .45 pistol: There's also 'Cutting edge bullets' Handgun Raptor cartridges. Australia has banned extended magazines and .40 calibre and larger firearms. Plus, like Britain, they've banned all weapons for self-defense. While I don't like the idea of firearms being owned purely for self-defense, there should certainly be the right to return fire in a case like this:

      https://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/farmer-fears-for-family-as-trespassers-shoot-up-la/3129973/

    6. Re:who'd have thunk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Considering lead leaching into the environment from gun hunting, it's essentially a tossup in what's more damaging per pound of meat. I figure it's fairer to the critter, but unless you're bow hunting you're not doing the land or the water table any favors.

      Bow hunting is probably the most ethical source of meat we'll have until scientists figure out how to grow it in vats without nerve endings or eyelashes. Since I have zilch for hand-eye coordination, I try to buy my meat from local farms when I can. They do their butchering on site. You can go and look at the cows living their best bovine lives, even give them a scritch behind the ears like you would a dog, and then grill up their cousins. Tastier than what comes from the grocery store.

    7. Re:who'd have thunk by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      nonsense, jacketed ammo doesn't leech and copper shot has to be used now

    8. Re:who'd have thunk by dcw3 · · Score: 2

      Never thought that birds could be more effective than shotguns...

      Your move, NRA card-holding privacy conscious anti-environmentalists.

      Your move...

      As a NRA card-holding privacy conscious environmentalists, I'm rooting for the eagles.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
  29. Eagles sometimes attack Gliders by aberglas · · Score: 1

    Full size gliders. Normally the eagles are friendly enough, and can mark thermals. But sometimes they attack, ignoring the size difference. The go for the leading edge of the wing which would kill another bird. But it is the strongest part of the glider and the Eagles come off second best.

    The eagles generally let you know when they are not happy, first making aggressive movements. Maybe the drones need some wide angle cameras to see them.

    I personally have not been attacked by an eagle, but have been by a (much smaller) magpie. I was a bit low over its nest on a ridge and it flapped its way all the way up to me and dived at the cockpit (would be the eyes of another bird). I dived after it but of course it was hopeless, and the bird effortlessly got behind me for another go.

  30. How about another strategy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fly the drone above the ceiling of the eagles. Attach it to a weather balloon, or use a blimp drone. If these flights are government sponsored, then they can change the rules to have your drones fly at any altitude.

    1. Re:How about another strategy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They fly at about half the height of commercial jets. Cruising altitude is about 6kms, vs 11kms for a passenger jet.

      It's a little difficult to do detailed geological surveys that high up.

  31. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think they're simply going to have to "eagleproof" their drones. Which unfortunately will make them need to be bigger (and more expensive) for a given-sized payload, since a greater chunk of the mass fraction will need to go into structure.

    Or they could just make drones that don't look like pigs - then the angry birds would stop attacking.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  32. Apex-predator status? by PPH · · Score: 1

    Not when you have crows in the neighborhood. They frequently mob bald eagles and chase them off. The solution might be to develop a self-organizing swarm of smaller drones that surround and defend the parent (the one carrying the camera).

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
    1. Re:Apex-predator status? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You could probably train the crows to guard the drone for less than that.

    2. Re:Apex-predator status? by bakes · · Score: 5, Insightful

      We're talking about Australian Wedge-Tailed Eagles, not the American bald eagle (which is basically a glorified seagull).

      --
      Ho! Haha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!
    3. Re:Apex-predator status? by samwichse · · Score: 1

      Um, you mean a glorified sea eagle?

      Gulls aren't even in the same order, let alone family.

    4. Re:Apex-predator status? by djinn6 · · Score: 1

      Why not just wrap some razor wire around the drone? If you don't care about hurting the eagles, that would be much cheaper.

  33. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My right, your right, it is difficult to keep track when the quadcopter is flying towards you.

  34. Get Out by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well then, we should get out of the raptor's airspace. It's their territory.

  35. GO EAGLES! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The feel good story of the day.

  36. Well done by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

    Mr Eagle!

    --
    Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
  37. Eagles around the world fight for our freedom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Eagles around the world are fighting for our freedom to keep the sky safe from Russian drones and ISIS drones. These drones are trying to hack our elections, scramble our GPS signals, and listen in on our cell phones. The founding fathers knew of the great drone prophecy to come and selected the Eagle as the symbol of freedom, knowing this bird would one day fight in the "Drone Wars." George Lucas new about the "Drone War" prophecy but for the sake of his personal safety and that of his family and co-workers, he renamed the movie to "Clone Wars."

    Meanwhile.... in a secret lab, Elon Musk and Space X are working on a secret "Drone Killer" project that is powered by a mysterious and not-fully understood power source that was found in a crashed UFO. Soon these drones will take to the sky and fight along side the Eagles in the coming drone wars.

    See this banned video before it is too late and I crazy trick to lower your cholesterol.

  38. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by MangoCats · · Score: 3, Interesting

    After the double bird strike put Sully in the east river, a shocking number of birds were killed in response.

  39. Re: Edit or Dave by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You and your tired, failed propaganda are boring.

  40. Typical Australia by viperidaenz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    All the wildlife there is out to kill you.

    1. Re:Typical Australia by irving47 · · Score: 1

      I keep having to remind myself maybe there's a reason it was used to send prisoners to...

      --
      I had a sucky sig.
    2. Re:Typical Australia by Baron_Yam · · Score: 1

      Because the English thought sending you to a Canada was too cruel, probably because our winters scared the shit out of them.

    3. Re:Typical Australia by DeSigna · · Score: 1

      You haven't heard the Brits' opinion of our summers.

    4. Re:Typical Australia by Whiney+Mac+Fanboy · · Score: 2

      Because the American colonies had rebelled & were no longer accepting England's detritus?

      --
      There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
    5. Re:Typical Australia by blind+biker · · Score: 1

      Explain koalas.

      --
      "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
    6. Re:Typical Australia by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 2

      Spend more time around adult Koalas. They aren't the cute things they're portrayed to be.

    7. Re:Typical Australia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean dropbears?

    8. Re:Typical Australia by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      All the wildlife there is out to kill you.

      I especially like the bit where they tried painting eyes on the drone. Reminds me of this radio talks show host:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      For those unable to see the link allow me to quote:
      "Ahhhhhhh the eyes don't work the eyes don't work, ahhhhhh, get it off, the eyes don't work. Get mum get mum get mum ahhhhhhh."

    9. Re:Typical Australia by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      Aside from drop bears, they carry chlamydia.

  41. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by hey! · · Score: 4, Informative

    Best of all, these eagles are listed as endangered and are protected by Australian law. In fact IIRC, the sections of the law that pertain to endangered species impose a "strict liability" standard on actions that injure a member of that species. That means you don't even have to intend to inure one of these eagles. Just being careless can get you serious prison time.

    So pretty much those drone operators have to suck it up.

    --
    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  42. Wedge tailed eagles are big by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Biggest eagles in the world.

    They'd eat a bald eagle for lunch.

    1. Re:Wedge tailed eagles are big by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Steller's Sea Eagle is bigger - others are longer or have a wider wingspan but the Steller is the heaviest.

  43. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by GrumpySteen · · Score: 3, Informative

    Nothing a 10 gauge goose gun can't fix.

    It's a protected species. Hope you like spending time in jail.

  44. Some basic rules: by Qbertino · · Score: 1

    Fly faster than eagles.
    Or at night.
    Don't piss off sky predators.

    --
    We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
  45. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by avandesande · · Score: 4, Insightful

    When you are talking about large tracts of land there are plenty of legitimate non-dildastic uses for drones. I doubt someone flying an 80k machine is a drone enthusiast.

    --
    love is just extroverted narcissism
  46. Down under problems by MichaelJamesBattagli · · Score: 1

    It's their version of first world problems!

  47. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Could be: Some people make their hobbies a job.

  48. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    protected where?

  49. Waaa! Waaa! It's time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's time to call a waaahmbulance!

    Is there a way I can encourage nesting eagles in my area??

  50. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I too shall also cheer for the eagles. I kneel to honor their victory in one of the many nature vs. human games that will no doubt be interesting.

    Kinda reminds of Avitar.

  51. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, stuff it right up an obese republican faggot's ass.

  52. so just fit the fricken things with by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    sharks with lasers!

  53. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The problem is $80k drones. Put the sensors in a separate package and fly them under a $100 slow stick, attach parachute to sensor package and done. Who cares if the eagles destroy some styrofoam, it's cheap.

    It's a classic case of "no one every got in trouble for buying CAT/Fluke/IBM etc. etc."

    Lose two dozen $80,000 top-of-the-line drones? No one cares, you bought the best gear around so clearly it couldn't have been anything other than one freak accident after the other, just fire the contractor hired to pilot it and be done. Attach a $20,000 sensor package to a cheap, consumer-grade airframe? The moment that sensor package ends up damaged in any way, shape or form, even if it's flown over 5,000 successful missions with your set-up and potentially saved hundreds of thousands in the long run, you'll be chewed out for "being an idiot and attaching such expensive equipment to such unreliable trash!"

  54. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    These aren't people trying to peek into your window, flying their drones on private property without permission or even harassing busy locales with dangerous flights.

    They are quite literally a business using drones effectively for a legitimate purpose with purpose built aircraft: mining surveys, outback mapping etc. Are you really Glad these people are suffering setbacks because of some unforeseen consequences?

    Show me on the doll where the drone touched you because that reaction isn't normal for a situation like this.

  55. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    To be fair, these are fixed-wing rural survey drones with professional operators being taken down by wedgies.

    They're not little sub-thousand-dollar consumer drones flying over/into people's backyards and straying into air traffic corridors, piloted by entitled arrogant mouthbreathers.

  56. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Agreed. Orwell would have freaked if he saw those. Just scratch out "helicopter" in the first chapter of 1984 and replace it with "drone." The iPhone X doesn't even turn off completely like the "telescreens." Big Brother is Terasa May and Snowden is Emmanuel Goldstein. Writing a journal isn't illegal, but when is the last time anyone has written down anything that wasn't on a sticky note? Better yet, are you using the smart phone equivalent that stores copies on a cloud server? Tablets are encourage because it's a lot harder to remotely hack a paper journal and the Facebook-farmed "pansexual" generation are easy to manipulate and piggy back off of when needed. Need to pass a bill? "Two [weeks] of hate" is all that's needed to get dumbasses to look the other way. You know how easy it would be to rally a neo-nazi campaign? Abortion? LGTB rights? Idealistic hipsters waking up to that bullshit and taking it to heart... Funny how these drones are being utilized in UK-related countries. Your 70K CCTV cameras not enough?

  57. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Trogre · · Score: 1

    You sound like a car enthusiast describing cyclists.

    Did a drone pilot kill your favourite pet, or do you feel the same way about all operators of remote-controlled equipment?

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  58. You're going to need a bigger drone. by Subm · · Score: 3, Funny

    You're going to need a bigger drone.

  59. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    no, it tastes just like spotted owl. not really good.

  60. Effective Countermeasure by voxelman · · Score: 2

    One countermeasure to bird attacks is to demonstrate superior flight capability. Of course this requires pre-emptive training of the raptors. A drone can out climb any bird and demonstrating this ability will often serve to prevent aggressive behavior. This is certainly not a cure all but one element of an effective strategy that includes maintaining appropriate situational awareness of one's flight environment of which these birds are a part.

  61. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    more power to Mother Nature.

    drone ops...tossers and wankers.

  62. Problem solved. by Travco · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The Problem: Drone flies in a manner the that the Eagles think is either prey or competitor. Solution: Find a flying creature they don't attack - Most likely a vulture(everybody thinks vultures are icky, even other birds) - and imitate it's flight

    1. Re:Problem solved. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are no vultures in Australia - so... most likely a Wedgie killed any that tried to move there.

    2. Re:Problem solved. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Problem: Drone flies in a manner the that the Eagles think is either prey or competitor.
      Solution: Find a flying creature they don't attack - Most likely a vulture(everybody thinks vultures are icky, even other birds) - and imitate it's flight

      "New World vultures are found in North and South America; Old World vultures are found in Europe, Africa, and Asia, meaning that between the two groups, vultures are found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulture

    3. Re:Problem solved. by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      Solution: Find a flying creature they don't attack - Most likely a vulture

      But how are we going to simulate a lawyer flying?

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
  63. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    put the gear on a facking Cessna, Piper or JetRanger instead. how hard can it be? plus one gets much

  64. you are dumb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    These are professional operators building maps, not amateurs peeking in your window to record you getting off to donkey porn.

    Did you even bother to read the summary, much less the article?

    No. You didn't. Because you're a dumbass.

    1. Re: you are dumb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      They're not professionals, they can't even out fly an eagle.

    2. Re: you are dumb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny, and way smarter than mightymartian, the dumbass. Thanks for your contribution.

  65. Raptor recruiting by spinitch · · Score: 1

    Since no flying dogs, Security services are evaluating training birds to attack drones. https://www.google.co.jp/amp/s... Back to the drawing board Wiley Coyote. Stealth drones, disposable decoys etc... escort pigeons , sky is the limit on alternative approaches. Drones have lots of potential but more to learn on optimizing use.

  66. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ,,, You do realise just how high and fast eagles fly right? Good fucking luck hitting one with your pop gun.

    Let alone Wedge tailed eagles are a protected species

  67. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well aren't you a miserable coward.

  68. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You really should read the history with more attention. it's not about idiot amateurs, they're professional mapmakers doing photometry, and I have to say that their work is a big deal even if you have not touched it yet. And they do not use aircraft for this because for this job it's much cheaper to fly an drone than a manned aircraft

  69. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Australia. You know, the location of the article.

  70. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Lunix+Nutcase · · Score: 1

    Are you really Glad these people are suffering setbacks because of some unforeseen consequences?

    Yes I am. Stop fucking with the eagles since they clearly don’t like drones in their territory.

  71. Eagles may soar... by emil · · Score: 1

    ...but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

    1. Re:Eagles may soar... by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      Mostly it's geese and other rather dumb birds that get sucked into jet engines.

  72. Ominous music & Ominous message by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mother Nature has had enough. "Enough! i tells yas!

    Ominous message brought to you by an Onimus Koard

  73. Australian hang glider pilot here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Many years ago a friend I was flying with was attacked by a wedge-tailed eagle ("wedgie"). Came from above and behind, first he knew of it was when its talon ripped the top of his wing. Scared shit out of him, fortunately the rip stop nylon lived up to its name and he landed safely. Three neat parallel rips in the sail about 20cm long. Another time we were setting our gliders up on a hilltop, a couple of wedgies lazily thermalling 750 to 1000 feet above us. Suddenly one of them folded its wings up completely and basically dive bombed us head first. At what seemed an impossibly low altitude it opened its wings and executed an incredibly tight (and extremely loud) vertical u-turn, then slowly spiralled back up to its mate. I took this as a pretty unambiguous piece of inter-species communication: "Get the fuck out of my territory you pathetic amateurs, this is what a real pilot can do". Generally they left us alone though, unless they were nesting, apart from one or two individuals known to be cranky/territorial. I suspect that smaller, noisier, more maneuverable drones are seen by them as more of a threat.

  74. Eagles & Drones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Is this the answer to the security services' prayers: trained eagles to down weaponised drones?
    I am reminded of the (UK) Great Exhibition of 1851: it was set up in Crystal Palace - a huge glass & iron building. Sparrows got in, nested out of reach high in the structure, & dumped on visitors. What to do? With the building made of glass, guns were a non-starter. Queen Victoria asked the Duke of Wellington (victor of Waterloo) for an idea. His answer: "sparrowhawks, Ma'am."

    1. Re:Eagles & Drones by Dantoo · · Score: 2

      I remember in the late 70s or early 80s there was a Cessna taken out by an Eagle. The pilot was able to land the plane and said that he saw nothing at all, just bang, blood and feathers. The windscreen exploded and the passenger was knocked unconscious IIRC. The pilot was quite badly injured but managed to land with some difficulty. There was an investigation as to why his mayday calls went unanswered. Amazingly enough the conclusion was that the microphone was made u/s by the massive amount of blood that had poured into it.

      There will be pics and more detail around somewhere. The formal investigation was published.

  75. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    These are mining companies with billions in the bank. These drones are almost nothing in their budget.

    "Drone operators/owners are some of the most selfish, self-entitled assholes around"

    Oh really, lol. Stereotype much?

    Your highly subjective opinion has very little worth.

  76. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I believe only the Tasmanian wedge tailed eagle is listed as endangered.

  77. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by avandesande · · Score: 2

    when you do it for money you are a professional

    --
    love is just extroverted narcissism
  78. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They aren't fucking with (i.e. purposely provoking) the eagles.

    The drones won't stop so you better get used to them.

  79. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by sg_oneill · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Nothing a 10 gauge goose gun can't fix.

    Go shooting protected birds in Australia, and you'll be lucky if the cops get you before the locals do. Most australians consider poaching somewhere between pedophilia and keeping dead hookers in the basement. When I worked at the department of parks, we'd have to think very hard over what info we'd release on animal abuse prosecutions, becuase people would react so angily that vigilantism was a real possibility.

    --
    Excuse the Unicode crap in my posts. That's an apostrophe, and slashdot is busted.
  80. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by sg_oneill · · Score: 2

    I believe only the Tasmanian wedge tailed eagle is listed as endangered.

    The key word is "protected". Injuring or killing protected specieis is what gets you in for a bad time with an angry judge, regardless of whether its endangered, or not. Although its largely an academic distinction. Most non endangered protected species are only a bad summer away from endangered anyway.

    --
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  81. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by sg_oneill · · Score: 1

    The drones won't stop so you better get used to them.

    Wedge tails beg to differ.

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  82. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by sg_oneill · · Score: 2

    These are mining companies with billions in the bank. These drones are almost nothing in their budget.

    Yep. I remember once installing a video conferencing system worth all up close to a quarter of a million dollars in the early 2000s. I asked the CEO "How do you guys financially justify spending all this money?" to which he replied "kid we got more money than we know what to do with, this is nothing", and he was right, the mining company in particular had ridiculous amounts of capital just lying around in bank accounts or investments a few million to stick crazy expensive video conferencing machines into all their regional HQs was barely pocket change for these people

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  83. Because they're not annoying enough.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ..no lets fit drones with car horns and pepper spray so the people they were hovering over and endangering can be even more upset about it.

  84. Idiots Fly Drones Too Close To Wild Animals by Plus1Entropy · · Score: 2

    ... should be the headline.

    It's kinda like when a bull kills a matador, all I can think is "Fuck Yeah!"

    --
    Only crack the nuts that crack. You don't put the ones that don't crack in the sack.
  85. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

    You can just burn the drone after you've shot it down, can't you? It's a big hassle digging a hole.

  86. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Nothing a 10 gauge goose gun can't fix.

    Go shooting protected birds in Australia, and you'll be lucky if the cops get you before the locals do.

    What about "mining company" did you not understand? If there was something like "protected birds" for them, they would not be in business. They own the cops, and the locals have bones that can break under unfortunate circumstances.

  87. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your right, 'shoot, shovel and shutup' is the way to go.

    Shutting up is the important part here, if anyone finds out they are likely to do the same to you.

  88. The human response by Opportunist · · Score: 2

    There's a species that meddles with what we want to do? Why is it allowed to continue existing? Remove it from the ecosystem.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  89. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by dwywit · · Score: 1

    Except that Wedge-tailed eagles are protected.

    --
    They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
  90. Ever consider why they're mapping? by go-nix.ca · · Score: 3, Informative

    Worried about the eagles? Mining companies generally do surveys not to enhance a species' habitat but to destroy it. Oh, we're not allowed to harm eagles? NP, we'll just mine the shit out of their territory, and they can sustain themselves by preying on the leftover boulders. Yummy!

  91. Li-Po batteries and sharp talons don't mix. by w0mprat · · Score: 2

    When an Eagle's talon strikes a Lithium Polymer battery it may not end well for the attacking Eagle. Although the impact of the bird alone is not healthy for such batteries, drones are designed with impacts in mind. Puncture wounds not much.

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  92. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

    Nature has decided. No, you can't fucking pepper spray an eagle. Give it up.

    Nah but you could probably rig up a sweet net launcher.

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  93. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by stealth_finger · · Score: 0

    I hope the eagles knock each and every one of these machines out of the sky. I hope it ends up costing these companies millions, and there's not a fucking thing they're going to be able to do about it. Drone operators/owners are some of the most selfish, self-entitled assholes around, and every time one of them loses one of their drones, I cheer. Good riddance.

    I feel the same way about eagles, fucking cocky little shits.

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  94. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by stealth_finger · · Score: 0

    What's so great about an eagle? Do you feel the same protectionism towards pigeons? A few razor sharp fins might solve the problem. Adapt or die.

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  95. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

    I'm thinking more spikes.

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  96. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Found a selfish, entitled asshole.

  97. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I hope this is true and not just a Mick Dundee reference.

  98. Eagles and flying machines by samdutton · · Score: 2

    Reminded me of a story my dad wrote back in the 60s: The Wedge-Tailed Eagle.

  99. Re:Good. Stop protecting species. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stop fucking protect species, problem solved.

  100. Take spotters with you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Friend's wife does drone mapping work here in Australia and always has two spotters with her; they ground the drones immediately if they see any threatening birds nearby. Seems you can get around it if you're alert enough.

  101. Think of it as evolution in action by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

    This applies not just to people, but to their machines and to any given person-machine combination.

  102. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm thinking more spikes.

    I'm thinking stealth_finger lost a finger to an eagle - and is looking for some payback.

  103. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes, I do feel the same about pigeons. I don't like them, but when they were roosting in some cubby holes in my house, I waited for the young to fledge and then boarded it up so they couldn't do it next year. It was annoying, but don't go killing something for no reason.

    And being somebody who works with birds, some razor sharp fins are going to do you more damage than the bird. Turns out that some of the prey they go after have teeth and claws and fight back, as such the feet on birds have evolved to deal with such things.

  104. Re:Good. Stop protecting species. by edtice1559 · · Score: 2

    Stop flying drones around the Australian outback!

  105. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nothing a 10 gauge goose gun can't fix.

    The problem is $80k drones. Put the sensors in a separate package and fly them under a $100 slow stick, attach parachute to sensor package and done. Who cares if the eagles destroy some styrofoam, it's cheap.

    If you need more weight, upgreyedd the airframe.

    Fuck you buddy. National bird of Australia, exactly the same as suggesting someone shoot a bald eagle.

  106. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 0

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  107. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by bev_tech_rob · · Score: 1

    Nature has decided. No, you can't fucking pepper spray an eagle. Give it up.

    You could use this......a machine gun armed quad-rotor drone. Problem solved... https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    --
    You're messin' with my Zen Thing, man.....
  108. Gandalf was right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The eagles will save us!

  109. SO WHAT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Too fucking bad.. its their sky. If you choose to fly your drone in an area iinhabited by Eagles.. know they will tear it to shreads and you have no one to blame but yourselves. Thats like hiking in an area filled with starving mountain lions and complaining you got attacked. Thats on YOU!

  110. Introduce another species by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'd suggest some kind of flying cane toad would solve this issue...

  111. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hard to believe, but Slashdot used to be a hotbed of drone enthusiasts. Amazing what 10 years of social manipulation can do.OK, hotbed is not a good word, but all the nerdy things people were doing with them was popular. It'd be like in 2030 slashdot (yeah, right)...If I ever see a driverless car, I'm throwing a tackstrip in front of it

  112. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by MitchDev · · Score: 1

    If we could only teach them to recognize spy drones and target them primarily and frequently....

  113. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by amiga3D · · Score: 1

    My chickens eat habanero peppers like my grand kids eat chocolate candy. If you hit them in the eye it might bother them, otherwise I think nothing.

  114. Re:Good. Stop protecting species. by amiga3D · · Score: 1

    The birds are more important to most people than your drone is. To the majority of people, there is no problem.

  115. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by amiga3D · · Score: 1

    Bald eagles have gotten so numerous and are so aggressive that they are considering taking it off the protected list in the USA. Homer, Alaska is over run with them.

    http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story...

  116. Finally! by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    An Angry Birds article worth reading.

  117. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by deadwill69 · · Score: 1

    Oh god! Too bad you can only get five points!!! Had I been drinking something...

  118. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    being an idiot and attaching such expensive equipment to such unreliable trash!

    Actually, that's exactly what I'd be saying about these cheap drones that can't survive a bird-strike.

    MQ-1's don't get taken down by eagles.

    And now that the military is retiring them (they've been in service since 1995), you can probably score one for civilian use.

  119. Article title gave me cancer by Tifer · · Score: 1

    I think robots and eagles should be allowed to fight each other to their hearts' content, but seriously: "Bold Eagles: Angry Birds..." is the worst title I've ever read. I don't know why, it just infuriates me.

  120. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but the ones pictured you can buy from china/hobbyking for a few hundred

  121. Angry Birds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Perhaps we can distract the eagles with the pigs?

  122. Can we get some of those eagles here?! by martinfb · · Score: 1

    Keep your drone away from my airspace, or I'll unleash my imported wedge-tailed eagles on it!

    --


    Self-importance and self-indulgence is the root of ALL evil.
  123. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We're talking about professionals, not hobbyists. In this instance, they're using them for a surveying. If it wasn't drones, it'd be airplanes. Drones are just cheaper.

  124. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cyclists are tards, and honestly I wish the eagles would just kill the drone pilots, kill two miserable self-importants with one stone.

  125. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Scarletdown · · Score: 1

    Still, as an aside; that is one gorgeous bird.

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  126. Re:Good. Stop protecting species. by amicusNYCL · · Score: 1

    Yeah, it's a good thing that Australia isn't full of livestock ranches that are thousands of square kilometers.

    Oh wait, it is. And I bet those people will stop caring about eagles if the price of their beef goes up.

    People like ranchers and miners use drones to survey large areas of land. They can map their property in a couple days and locate every herd. I guess one solution is to get rid of the big open ranches and just cram all the animals into warehouses, that would be better right? That way everyone always knows where their animals are. Or maybe there's a solution that allows the managers to use drones for photography without a bunch of idiots shouting at them for doing so. There's nothing wrong with flying a drone to survey your land. Maybe just a parachute/GPS pinger that would deploy and activate if a gyroscope detects it's in a spin or something like that. I'm sure that the vast majority of the damage comes from impact with the ground.

    --
    "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
  127. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by amicusNYCL · · Score: 1

    Actually, that's exactly what I'd be saying about these cheap drones that can't survive a bird-strike.

    MQ-1's don't get taken down by eagles.

    Haha, I don't think they would, right. But now you've gone from an $80,000 drone to a $4 million drone. You can buy 50 of the cheaper ones for that price. And I imagine that the piloting hardware and operating costs for a Predator are just a bit higher than for the professional photography drones. Not to mention anything about the grand facilities, you can't exactly get in your pickup truck, drive out to wherever you're needed, and launch a Predator.

    --
    "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
  128. Outfly the birds then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    1. Try to make a drone that goes faster than the local birds of prey. Can't catch it, if they can't catch up.

    2. Add a detector, something like a bird radar. When there is an attack, postpone the 'mission' and go into evasive action mode. If outflying the bird is hard because it is too fast - out-corner it instead.

  129. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by butchersong · · Score: 2

    I don't think at that height that a shotgun will do you much good. What we really need to do is release an animal that can prey on these problematic eagles. We have DNA for the Haast's eagle they had a 10' wing span and could make short work of these. A grant for a few hundred thousand from the mining company could get things started.

  130. so by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    plenty here are supporting the right of eagles to defend their territory
    would you support the right of whites to defend theirs?
    we are likewise apex predators... the ultimate ones

  131. Re:Good. Stop protecting species. by amiga3D · · Score: 1

    I doubt anyone cares about them flying drones over their own land. Except for the eagles anyway. Yes, some kind of recovery system makes sense but really, they managed to raise cattle and mine before anyone invented drones.

  132. Re:Good. Stop protecting species. by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

    they managed to raise cattle and mine before anyone invented drones.

    And people managed to travel before they invented the horseless carriage, and travel across country in the US before the interstate highway system was developed. They managed to talk to other people before cell phones were invented, and they even managed to write and publish books prior to the computer text editor or Gutenberg. People survived bleeding as a cure for bacterial infections, many times, and TV really did pre-date cable and satellite.

    What was your point again, Mr. Ludd?

  133. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Normal rules don't apply in the outback where nothing is policed and you can pretty much shoot any critter you feel like.

  134. Bald eagles. by antdude · · Score: 1

    I want some bald eagles in my area! :P

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  135. Re:Good. Stop protecting species. by Gussington · · Score: 1

    People like ranchers and miners use drones to survey large areas of land. They can map their property in a couple days and locate every herd. I guess one solution is to get rid of the big open ranches and just cram all the animals into warehouses, that would be better right?

    Or:
    Not use a drone as farmers (we call them farms, not ranches) have done for millenia, or:
    Come up with a way to use the drone that prevents the Eagles attacking them (most likely)
    I find it odd that the first option you jumped to was remove all the 'ranches' and put all the cows in a warehouse. That is a very peculiar thought process...

  136. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Gussington · · Score: 1

    Drone operators/owners are some of the most selfish, self-entitled assholes around,

    All of them. Like all the Jews, or all the Blacks or all the Muslims. I got you brother, it's us vs them, whoever 'them' happens to be today...

  137. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That means you don't even have to intend to inure one of these eagles. Just being careless can get you serious prison time.

    If you put someone in jail for an accident, you're going to have a bad time when he gets out.
    (I've seen that movie. It doesn't end well for the guys who put him behind bars.)

  138. Re:Good. Stop protecting species. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's yours? Do you claim that we actually need any of the things you mentioned?

  139. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by dcw3 · · Score: 1

    The cost of the sat link alone would bankrupt most people.

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  140. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by dcw3 · · Score: 1

    There's plenty of historical evidence pointing to unintended consequences of importing predators to deal with pests. Be careful what you wish for.

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    Just another day in Paradise
  141. Re: Good. Stop flying drones. by dcw3 · · Score: 1

    If an eagle is destroying your drones, protections do not apply. Any law that claims otherwise is unjust and corrupt.

    If your drone is invading or disturbing a protected species, then your drone and you both deserve corrective action. It's completely just and to say otherwise is idiotic.

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  142. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by dcw3 · · Score: 1

    Any company that has money just "lying around" is run by morons who will eventually be replaced by people who actually know how to run a business. Money is applied to projects or investments in order to provide a ROI. Possibly, these companies are privately owned, or have some kind of government protection against competition, otherwise they're simply being inefficient.

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  143. Re:Good. Stop flying drones. by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

    Had I been drinking something...

    If you weren't drinking something, then I timed it wrong.

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  144. Re:Good. Stop protecting species. by amicusNYCL · · Score: 1

    I find it odd that the first option you jumped to was remove all the 'ranches' and put all the cows in a warehouse. That is a very peculiar thought process...

    You didn't notice the sarcastic tone? Obviously large open land ranches are better for raising big livestock than the kind of factory farming that goes on in the US, that's the point. The point is that we can use technology to help manage those things rather than just cramming all the animals into a building like people decide to do in the US.

    I doubt you can prevent the eagles from attacking, changing the behavior that the eagles have learned over millions of years probably isn't going to work. Hopefully the attacks could either be made ineffective, or at least non-fatal to the drone.

    --
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  145. just a thought by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    maybe they should just fly higher oh yeah then they will be actual aircraft forced to follow local and federal aviation regs!