duncan fraser
Well-known member
I noticed recently that drones are now being used by conservationists to try and protect endangered species, whilst hunters are using them to track down their prey (wild pigs using thermal-imaging cameras). PETA are planning to buy drones ($5000 a piece) to track down illegal hunters, trappers etc in the US, and apparently the League Against Cruel Sports has already done this in the UK.
No doubt there will be numerous legal attempts to limit or extend their usage and where they can be used - according to whether they benefit or hamper your activities.
How long before birders start using them to find certain species such as sea duck or divers, reed-bed dwellers, mountain species - those in areas difficult to access? Boats etc. then chartered to actually see the species.
How long before we turn up at a twitch, the bird can't be found, so a drone is flown across the marshes or wherever to see if it can be located? Another expensive piece of kit.
I suspect this will happen within my lifetime. They cost as little as $350, though I'm not sure how noisy these things are and how much disturbance they would cause.
I assume the White's Thrush caught on a camera trap in Scotland will get accepted by BBRC, so how long before drone-located rarities are also making it onto county or national lists?
No doubt there will be numerous legal attempts to limit or extend their usage and where they can be used - according to whether they benefit or hamper your activities.
How long before birders start using them to find certain species such as sea duck or divers, reed-bed dwellers, mountain species - those in areas difficult to access? Boats etc. then chartered to actually see the species.
How long before we turn up at a twitch, the bird can't be found, so a drone is flown across the marshes or wherever to see if it can be located? Another expensive piece of kit.
I suspect this will happen within my lifetime. They cost as little as $350, though I'm not sure how noisy these things are and how much disturbance they would cause.
I assume the White's Thrush caught on a camera trap in Scotland will get accepted by BBRC, so how long before drone-located rarities are also making it onto county or national lists?
