Eagle One, Splash The Drone! Splash The Drone!!!

[Diggin It]

ESCANABA, Mich. (CN) Announcing a setback of humankind's efforts to rule the skies, Michigan officials announced Thursday that a bald eagle has sunk a state drone to the bottom of Lake Michigan.


The attack occurred on July 21 as a state environmental quality analyst was using a Phantom 4 Pro Advanced drone to map shoreline erosion around the lake, part of an effort to document and help communities cope with high water levels.


Hunter King, the analyst, was working to ground the drone after its fourth unmanned flight of the day near Escanaba in Michigan's Upper Peninsula when the video screen showed it 'twirling furiously' at a height of 162 feet.


When he looked up, the eagle was flying from the site of its kill, apparently uninjured.


In the 3.5 seconds that it took to spiral to the water, the drone sent 27 warning notifications, one of which noted that the eagle had relieved it of its propeller.


Thursday's release quotes a couple from the scene as saying they witnessed the eagle going in for a kill and were surprised to learn that its prey was mechanical.


It's unclear what drove the eagle to attack the drone, but EGLE suggested some possibilities in its release: "the attack could have been a territorial squabble with the electronic foe, or just a hungry eagle. Or maybe it did not like its name being misspelled."


Whatever its reasons, the national bird cost Michigan about $950 in equipment.

Michigan Drone Plunged to Watery Death in Eagle Attack

 

[5030]

To a shallow watery death of 5 feet....lol Birds (especially predator birds) and drones don't get along well sand never have. No biggie, the drone was paid for with tax dollars anyway so the only people out is me and any other citizen and not much. Drone value was $904.00. My EVO cost appreciably more than that. Probably a DJI mid cost unit.

 

[oosik]

Does it take an agent of Mother Nature to show us how completely obtrusive a man made object can be........??

Two:thumbsup::thumbsup: for the Bald Eagle.

 

[Alien]

I'm surprised that they used such a cheap drone. Hardly newsworthy at that price. LOL

 

[5030]

I'm surprised that they used such a cheap drone. Hardly newsworthy at that price. LOL

Actually, I was expecting a high end DJI or a Parrot, neither of which are a paltry 900 bucks. Maybe the MDNR is on budget constraints.

 

[grsthegreat]

Maybe the eagle was a Chinese made drone killer.... out to destroy.

 

[Motorboatin]

Actually, I was expecting a high end DJI or a Parrot, neither of which are a paltry 900 bucks. Maybe the MDNR is on budget constraints.

The DJI phantom setup with mapping gear is $6500........... Phantom 4 RTK - Next Gen Mapping Solution - DJI

I doubt they were using the consumer version

 

[5030]

The DJI phantom setup with mapping gear is $6500........... Phantom 4 RTK - Next Gen Mapping Solution - DJI

I doubt they were using the consumer version

According to what I read on the DNR website (remember I live in Michigan), he wasn't 'mapping anything, just 'observing' the coastline. Having said that, My EVO will grid map and it wasn't 6500 either. I would NEVER own a DJI product. Too many others out there without geofencing.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Just the Eagle peacefully protesting.

 

[ArlyA]

The drone was mapping shoreline damage caused by high water. Something like that anyway.