BirdXPeller Predator Drone, bird scaring sUAS

An interesting story for those like me that occasionally took a lonely drive around an airfield with a tape player sounding out distress calls, shotgun and very pistol.

The bird control unit (BCU) carry out an important role at airfields across the world. They use a variety of methods and equipment to scare birds away from the airfield and in particular those critical areas where birds may endanger a departing or arriving aircraft. This variety is essential to ensure that the flocking birds do not become complacent and accustomed to the scaring methods.

A new weapon has appeared in BCU toolkit.

Nashville Airport – Bird-X Drone from Bird X, Inc. on Vimeo.

From the Bird X Press release

Bird-X, Inc., a leader in producing humane pest and bird repellent products since 1964, introduces the BirdXPeller Predator Drone.  This NEW PATENTED technology keeps pest bird intruders away from golf courses, agricultural property and vineyards—even challenging environments such as airports. The BirdXPeller ‘predator drone’ system is a remote-controlled model aircraft that swoops down to scare and chase away pest birds, emitting natural sounds of

hawk cries and bird distress calls as it buzzes the target pests in threatening maneuvers.

The BirdXPeller Predator Drone has been proven highly effective in scaring birds off—leaving  them very reluctant to return to areas where they have been subjected to such terrifying attacks. Studies have shown that the best way to control birds humanely is to leverage their instinctive fears and threat-avoidance for behavior modification.

The Predator Drone uses the expertise of Dan Metz, model aircraft flyer, as well as Dr. Phil ‘Dr.Goose’ Whitford, a biologist with a lifelong interest in Canada geese—to create an aerial attack that combines the recorded alarm and alert calls from wild Canada geese and other specific species such as seagulls, blackbirds and starlings.

Recently, Dan Metz used the drone to rid the La Quinta Civic Center in California of unwanted ducks. The campus park was becoming infested with ducks, and the creatures were leaving messy droppings on walkways and feathers on the grass—they were even digging up the turf with their beaks. The BirdXPeller Predator Drone provided a safe, natural way to quickly reduce the number of ducks on the property.

More video here, jump to around 5:00