Earlier quoted context omitted.
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,…
Off leash dogs and bikes could not have reached the nesting site. It is an island with a fence between the trail and the waterways surrounding the island. I dunno maybe the barking could have caused a disturbance.
I was picturing an island well off shore. It's right next to a highway! Not sure exactly which island in the complex held the eggs, but one is about 100m from a campground/RV park.