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vicrider

Owl eats kids drone...

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Well, probably didn't eat it but carried it away. My kid and his kid were flying the drone they got for Christmas and an Owl flew in a grabbed and flew away with. Landed in a tree and they followed it. Hit the props and figured he'd drop it but flew off with it again and landed on a power pole. Followed it and threw rocks at it and it flew away and this time it went way out in an open field and landed. They went out and walked all over but couldn't find it. He said it was definitely an owl but I thought hawk. Either way it's gone. It would really be great if they can find it and the video would be priceless. Youtube viral in a matter of minutes.

 

True story this is, just happened today.

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As far as I know, no Owl takes prey "from the air". Also, that makes sense as owls are nocturnal and birds are diurnal, they aren't "keyed in" on birds.

Doesn't mean it couldn't have been an owl ... just makes it less likely.

 

Since I don't like the idea of drones flying over my head, I can't sympathize with the loss of the drone. But I can empathize with the loss of the video. I, too, hope they find it and can get the video ... should be great footage.

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Funny, yet sad they lost a new drone Christmas present. Most likely a hawk I would bet because they are known for attacking air born prey/objects. My buddy use to fly RC gilders years ago and he use to tell me how hawks would attack the gliders to the point of them ripping the coating on the wings.

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I think most owls are actually crepuscular. Some owls eat birds as big as ducks and I have seen owls active in daylight. There are more cases documented of hawks and eagles killing drones but I wouldn't rule out an owl.

 

Have you never read or heard a story about an owl snatching a fishing plug from the air during a cast? There was such a story in a popular magazine years ago and in the '60s a neighbor told of having his bait snatched from mid cast by an owl.

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We're pouring rain last night and today or they'd be out in field trying to work in grids. Sure hope it turns up and gets the video. I kept asking "hawk?" but my kid has been outdoors with me since young and he insists it was an owl. The video would tell the tale. Funny the Steve would mention his friend and his RC planes. Gives more credence to the story they brought in about the lost drone. I did see the drone so I know they had it.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FOSpM5KGQg

 

random owl stuff from the net

https://www.owlpages.com/owls/articles.php?a=3
"Eagle Owl will prey upon hares, young foxes and birds up to the size of ducks and gamebirds"
" Insects and small birds may be snatched in mid air"

http://typeslist.com/types-of-diurnal-owls/
" three truly diurnal owls, the Northern Pygmy Owl, the Northern Hawk Owl, and the Snowy Owl."

https://www.livescience.com/56146-are-all-owls-nocturnal.html
"Owls don't quite as clearly fall into nocturnal and diurnal as some other animals, because a lot of them are active during the daytime and nighttime," said Julie Ponder, a veterinarian and the executive director of The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota.

 

The two kinds of owls I have seen hunting in day light are barred and horned owls;

 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/lifehistory

"Though they do most of their hunting right after sunset and during the night, sometimes they feed during the day. Barred Owls may temporarily store their prey in a nest, in the crook of a branch, or at the top of a snag."

 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/lifehistory

"When food supplies are low they may begin hunting in the evening and continue into the early morning; in winter they may hunt during daylight hours."

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Drone was found but nothing for pics. Must have hit from above. Only film is just distorted aerial shots. From the field last seen he must have flown back into town and dropped it below a tree after he was sure it wasn't food. Lots of scratches on plastic but drone is still usable. Just makes for a good story and not as unusual as it would seem.

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