Bald eagle takes out EGLE’s drone because it’s 2020 and irony is dead

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A beardless hawkeye far-out the crap out of a government drone mapping the tumulus of Lake Michigan, ripping off its propeller as well as sending it plunging to the lake's bottom, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Inexhaustible Lakes, as well as Energy.

Yes. The bureau operating the drone murdered by an hawkeye goes by the acronym EGLE.

The bureau says the jaunt happened primed Escanaba in the Upper Peninsula champaign of Michigan last month. EGLE environmental air quality clinician as well as drone pilot Hunter King was utilizing the drone to map tumulus erosion when the drama started. The drone started spinning as it was headed for home, King says, "like a straightly bad rollercoaster ride." A dyad of adjacent eagle-watchers said they saw an hawkeye strike something, posterior conjectured to be the EGLE drone.

Why the hawkeye attacked the drone is still not undeviatingly clear, it could kumtux been a fight for territory, or the hawkeye might kumtux anticipation the drone was prey. Whatever the case, it's not unheard of for eagles to biff drones.

Over the past several years, erosion as well as calamity furthermore Lake Michigan kumtux led to house destruction as well as disruption to its ecosystem, as well as ranchland damage. Scientist Lauren Fry told the Chicago Tribune eldest this year that several factors kumtux freewill to Lake Michigan's loftier waters, including warmer temperatures broadness the midwestern US. "Climate factors," Fry told the Tribune, "are the primary drivers of water levels."

But it's not all bad news. EGLE says co-ordinate to a 2019 US Fish as well as Wildlife Statement survey, there are 849 elate beardless hawkeye nesting sites in Michigan. That's up from the low point of just 76 sites in the 1970s.

So was the vindictive beardless hawkeye who attacked the drone some kind of climate objector seeking to protect the tumulus from farther human destruction? Ha ha of undertow not (maybe) it's just a bird. As well as while EGLE is meant to be a steward of Michigan's environment, it's account noting that the department grew out of a 2019 restructuring of the state Department of Environmental Quality. That agency, also alleged DEQ, was widely criticized for its role in the Flint water crisis. Maybe not a bad idea to keep an eye on them, eagle.

The department said the destroyed drone was a $950 DJI Phantom 4 Pro Advanced, as well as it's given up the search, abrogation the drone to its adulterated grave. A stenographer said in the agency's blithe blog column that EGLE was looking into whether it might be clunky to issue a quotation to the "rogue eagle" nevertheless I think maybe they should just let sleeping drones lie.

The missed drone will be replaced with a agnate model, as well as EGLE says it may use other designs that manufacture the drones attending underneath like seagulls, to prevent inevasible attacks.

Yeah, that beardless hawkeye will doubtless be waiting.