In the summer of 2020, a $995 government drone met an unexpected and dramatic end over Lake Michigan’s Upper Peninsula-courtesy of a bald eagle. Hunter King, an environmental quality analyst and drone pilot for Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), was conducting a routine mission to map shoreline erosion near Escanaba. The drone, a sleek Phantom 4 Pro Advanced, had been in the air for about seven minutes when King noticed reception issues and pressed the “return home” button.
What happened next was nothing short of aerial combat. As the drone cruised back at 22 miles per hour, a bald eagle swooped in and struck the device mid-flight, ripping off one of its propellers. The drone spiraled uncontrollably, sending 27 frantic warning signals in just 3.5 seconds before plunging 162 feet into the shallow waters of Lake Michigan. Witnesses bird-watching nearby saw the eagle strike something in the air and fly away unscathed, leaving the drone to rest at the lake’s bottom, unrecoverable despite a kayak search.
EGLE officials speculated playfully that the attack might have been a territorial dispute, a case of hunger, or even a grudge over the agency’s acronym-EGLE, pronounced “eagle.” The incident sparked widespread amusement on social media but also raised practical concerns about drone safety near large birds of prey. The agency considered using “skins” or camouflage to make drones less bird-like and less likely to provoke such attacks.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. Around the world, birds of prey have shown a surprising knack for taking down drones. In the Netherlands, police trained eagles to intercept rogue drones, turning the birds into airborne law enforcers. Videos of these aerial battles captivated viewers, highlighting the mismatch between nature’s hunters and human technology. However, the Dutch eagle program ended after a year, as the birds proved difficult to control.
Scientists and drone operators have pondered why birds attack drones. Some theories suggest that the noise or ultrasonic signals from obstacle-avoidance systems irritate raptors, while others point to territorial instincts or confusion over the drone’s appearance. Regardless, these encounters underscore the complex interactions between wildlife and emerging technology.
The Michigan eagle’s victory also reflects a conservation success story. Bald eagle populations, once endangered, have rebounded dramatically-from just 76 nesting sites in the 1970s to 849 active nests statewide by 2019. While this is a triumph for wildlife, it means that drone pilots must now navigate skies increasingly ruled by these majestic but fiercely protective birds.
As drones become more common tools for environmental monitoring, filmmaking, and recreation, stories like this remind us that nature still holds the upper talon. For Hunter King and the EGLE team, the lesson was clear: when flying near eagles, it’s wise to keep your drone grounded-or at least camouflaged.
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[1] https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/08/ap-bald-eagle-drone-lake-michigan/
[2] https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2020/august/17/eagle-downs-drone
[3] https://x.com/seanfeucht/status/1743768373744357432
[4] https://www.wfdd.org/story/aerial-combat-over-lake-michigan-eagles-1-drones-0
[5] https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/bald-eagle-attacks-state-drone-sending-it-to-the-bottom-of-lake-michigan/
[6] https://nypost.com/2020/08/14/bald-eagle-attacks-government-drone-drops-it-162-feet-over-lake-michigan/