3,000 eggs abandoned after drone scares birds in California

Interesting. I wonder why the drone caused such a disproportionate response. The article doesn't address it but I doubt that if, say, an eagle had landed or started killing birds they would have abandoned so many eggs.

Probably better than a huge lump of vibrating plastic plummeting out of the sky at them

I fly drones including with commercial filming permits at conservation parks/islands with large bird populations. Different types of birds react in various ways to a drone though I've never noticed similar birds to these act in an overly panicked way. Some types of birds will take flight and then resettle, some will circle closely and try to intimidate the drone (galahs), some charge or consider attacking it (osprey, whistling kite), some ignore it (wedge tailed eagles - at least in my experience so far^), etc.

The permit in a case like this would require that I land safely if the presence of the drone alters the behaviour of the birds (even if they're staying on the ground, but bobbing their head). Here's a video below from a tiny, low island with a bird population in the tens of thousands, where a group of hikers have possibly spooked birds that are then flying towards the drone from the other side of the island. Most passed under the drone, suggesting they weren't concerned; I was keeping the drone still or moving slowly and predictably towards where I could land on the beach. This flock was going through for some time. I don't think these are terns, but there were crested terns on that island.

Troubridge Island birds: https://bit.ly/3z49lwm

I don't mean to discount the impact of drones, but I suspect that a repeated close drone presence is more likely to cause birds to abandon a nest than a crash. That is generally the concern with raptor nests where I live.

My thought when reading the article was that off-leash dogs might've had the main impact in abandonment of eggs, but that drones are more likely to make a headline for the story. Couldn't find an original press release, but every news headline is about drones.

^ Here's one encounter with a wedge-tailed eagle. It beat its wings perhaps to make sure it was clear but didn't seem to move its head at all. In other cases, they've not beaten their wings or moved their heads so weren't visibly bothered. https://bit.ly/3uVIvn5

And here's a whistling kite coming in to attack but then changing its mind at the last moment: https://bit.ly/3vTJ0za

Thank you.

Your well-written and thoughtful response helped me greatly in broadening my understanding and from now on I will take every news article at face value.

I really appreciated how you specifically addressed the question I posed.

Edit:

How is a snarky comment that serves no purpose besides being self-serving and demeaning higher rated than the constructive comments in this tree? That's an insult to the people in this community who are still trying.

Bonus points for downvoting the other person who asked an honest question in the thread.

My disappointment with this place increases by the day.

Wild animals either shelter from thunderstorm, or they learn from each other differet behaviours (like making herd close-knit) to pull through.