Bald eagle takes down government drone

‘Nature is a cruel and unforgiving mistress,’ says Michigan Department of Natural Resources spokesperson

A bald eagle took down a government drone at a Michigan lake last month, state officials confirmed on Thursday.

On 21 July, environmental quality analyst Hunter King was piloting a Phantom 4 Pro Advanced quadcopter drone over Lake Michigan to map the erosion of its shoreline.

When he noticed that his connection to it started to fade, Mr King commanded that the drone come back to him, but a few seconds later the device started to spiral down towards the lake below as a bird flew away close by.

Two bird watchers who were visiting the lake said they saw an eagle attack an object before flying away uninjured, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

After studying the footage filmed by the drone and the data it collected, the department concluded that the device fell from 162ft in the air into the lake after a bald eagle tore off its propeller.

The department added that the incident “could have been a territorial squabble with the electronic foe, or just a hungry eagle.”

A search was undertaken to find the drone, which fell into the water around 150ft from shore in about 4ft of water, according to NBC News.

Authur Ostaszewski, a state drone coordinator, initially attempted to search underwater at the exact place where the drone had landed, but after discovering poor visibility in the water he decided to look by foot across the shoreline.

Mr Ostaszewski looked for two hours before he gave up, and he told the department that searching for the drone was “like I was playing Battleship and wanted to cover the entire board.”

The department confirmed that the drone will be replaced with a newer model, as technology has advanced and the $950 (£725) device is now obsolete.

It is not unusual for eagles to attack drones as they often mistake them for other birds, and the department confirmed that it is exploring using coverings to make its devices look less like seagulls and other prey.

The department jokingly asked the Michigan Department of Natural Resources if they could issue a citation to the eagle, but a spokesperson replied: “Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do,” and added: “Nature is a cruel and unforgiving mistress.”