A photographer with a massive lens was quick to capture an eagle attacking a DJI Mavic Air. Six spectacular photos show the ordeal as it took place in the air. The images were shared on Facebook and apparently, the eagle attacked the DJI Mavic Air three times before it finally got it.
DJI Mavic Air attacked by eagle three times
The DJI Mavic Air was attacked three times by an eagle over the Sai Kung waterfront in Hong Kong, according to Mike Leung who posted the spectacular images on Facebook.
Mike’s friend KY Kwong reportedly took the photos with his Canon 7DII and EF 600mm f/4 lens and 1.4x teleconverter. This is a very pricey package as the lens itself retails for $11,499 at BandH!
It is not clear who was flying the DJI Mavic Air. In the description, Mike says that he does not own the drone or the camera for that matter. Some people have called the photos fake, although they don’t look fake to my eye. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
The eagle that attacked the DJI Mavic Air, caught it on the third attempt, according to Mike:
“According to my friend who took these photos, it caught the drone at the third time and then released it.”
The photos made the local newspaper and Mike commented on Facebook:
“Real photos. This eagle is a rare species and there are less than 20 pairs in Hong Kong. This was posted on newspaper and thereafter that area became No Fly Zone to protect the eagles.”
The eagle was reportedly ok:
“It is a rare species but luckily its legs weren’t hurt. That zone became no-fly zone since then, in order to protect the rare species.”
Of course, sounds advice would be to keep your drone away from any wildlife, whether that be bears or eagles. However, sometimes these bird of prey can attack suddenly and quickly before a drone pilot has a chance to react. We have seen this happen in Australia where some very expensive drones were taken down by birds.
Most commenters who have experienced situations like this, advice to put the DJI Mavic Air (or any other drone) in sport mode, send it straight up as the birds can’t gain altitude that fast and then quickly find a place to land the drone safely. Please stay away from wildlife with your drone as it may spook them or worse hurt the animals. There is also a good chance of you losing your drone.
In the Netherlands, they tried to use eagles for counter-drone measures but abandoned those plans after they found out that it was too impractical to work with the birds on an ongoing basis.
What do you think when you see these photos of DJI Mavic Air being attacked by an eagle? Real or fake? Have you experienced anything similar?
STAY IN TOUCH!
If you’d like to stay up to date with all the latest drone news, scoops, rumors and reviews, then follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or sign up for our email newsletter DroneRise, that goes out every weekday morning at 6 am.
Buy your next drone through directly from manufacturers, such as DJI, Parrot, Yuneec or retailers like Amazon, B&H, BestBuy or eBay. By using our links, we will make a small commission, but it will not cost you anything extra. Thank you for helping DroneDJ grow!
Photo: KY Kwong
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments