ID this bird

Do you have any idea on the size of the bird? There is nothing really there to judge its size so if the bird is close to the background trees it looks fairly large, but if it is closer to the camera it looks songbird size. To me, it looks like a mockingbird. Mockingbirds don't usually have the white spot on the tail, but that could be the angle of the light on the feathers making a grey tail appear white in the photo. It is hard to say from that distance with a trail cam photo.
 
Do you have any idea on the size of the bird? There is nothing really there to judge its size so if the bird is close to the background trees it looks fairly large, but if it is closer to the camera it looks songbird size. To me, it looks like a mockingbird. Mockingbirds don't usually have the white spot on the tail, but that could be the angle of the light on the feathers making a grey tail appear white in the photo. It is hard to say from that distance with a trail cam photo.
No, I don't have any more information. It appears to me to be a large bird (like an eagle) at a far distance, but that could be an optical illusion. Some people have guessed it as a young Golden Eagle. I really don't know. I'm not familiar enough with eagles to have an opinion.
 
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Second pic is a bird or bird shaped drone. No one can tell me what the first pic is. Whatever it is, it has wings and a light. What do you think?
Wow, that's pretty extreme, in PA that's against the law (kindof). If you fly over someone's property all they have to do is say you scared them and you broke the law. Do you have any neighbors who have a tendency to be snooping around your back fields or stalking your hunting activities? I'd think the local culprits would be id'd pretty quickly.
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Wow, that's pretty extreme, in PA that's against the law (kindof). If you fly over someone's property all they have to do is say you scared them and you broke the law. Do you have any neighbors who have a tendency to be snooping around your back fields or stalking your hunting activities? I'd think the local culprits would be id'd pretty quickly.
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Most mid to high end thermal drones can be controlled from 2.5 miles away or even more. It doesn’t have to be a next door neighbor operating nearby. They can also check to see if you are there without you knowing it and easily operate at night.
 
Most mid to high end thermal drones can be controlled from 2.5 miles away or even more. It doesn’t have to be a next door neighbor operating nearby. They can also check to see if you are there without you knowing it and easily operate at night.
Right, but my experience is that the closer people have the greater snooping incentive, because they are the ones who hunt the property lines (and closer). The ones 2.5 miles away have no potential for hunting our specific deer and aren't the ones who we've observed snooping around. If they are flying drones over from a distance it's probably a onetime flying adventure and that's it.
 
Right, but my experience is that the closer people have the greater snooping incentive, because they are the ones who hunt the property lines (and closer). The ones 2.5 miles away have no potential for hunting our specific deer and aren't the ones who we've observed snooping around. If they are flying drones over from a distance it's probably a onetime flying adventure and that's it.
But, the “closer person” may feel less likely to get caught if he moves 2.5 miles away to do the dirty deed rather than standing next to the property line. That’s how I would do it if I were an evil next door neighbor.
 
Aren't hobby licensed folks limited to line of sight? I guess the ground distance would depend on topography and vegetation, but here, you wouldn't be 2 miles away, even if the drone is capable. Presuming, of course, they are operating legally.
 
My information comes from a local guy who I had a long conversation with after he approached me about flying a drone from my land to find a deer. He ended up flying from a neighbor rather than my land and crossed multiple properties. He described to me properties I am familiar with, and I guarantee it was not line of sight.

He is the one who said 2.5 miles is generally not a problem. He told stories about watching hunters who never knew he was anywhere around, and he perfectly described a one horned buck that I have seen many times. In fact, even at night he can count the points on any buck.

The sad thing if that there is no law to keep him from doing it. Even if there was a law, it would be an accident if you were able to catch him. There is a law about harassing wildlife, but good luck ever proving anything. Even Columbo would have to hang his head in defeat.
 
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Since this thread has taken a turn from eagles to drones, I thought this story linked below would add to the discussion about the distance they can travel.

Per this story, the operater of the drone that recently flew into the airplane in California admitted that he was 1.5 miles away when it happened. It put a super scooper plane out of commission by busting a hole in the wing.

In another story I read that they were only able to track him down because part of the drone with a serial number was stuck in the plane wing. Otherwise they would have had no idea who it was.

 
Yes, things in this area have been come so ubiquitous so fast that regulations are not keeping up with balancing interests.
 
Talking about the drone regulations, what's hilarious to me is that whenever this topic gets into the news, law enforcement is usually on record as saying something like, well they're "not supposed to" fly low over your private property, but if they do, there's nothing realistic that anyone can do about it; but as soon as a landowner mentions bringing one down with a 12 gauge they instantly go ballistic, no no no, that's absolutely illegal in every way, shape, or form.
 
Talking about the drone regulations, what's hilarious to me is that whenever this topic gets into the news, law enforcement is usually on record as saying something like, well they're "not supposed to" fly low over your private property, but if they do, there's nothing realistic that anyone can do about it; but as soon as a landowner mentions bringing one down with a 12 gauge they instantly go ballistic, no no no, that's absolutely illegal in every way, shape, or form.
This quote from the Fish and wildlife service should really make your blood boil.

"Because of the uncertainty around the safety of drones, the Department of the Interior currently only uses drones for emergency situations. Additionally, due to concerns around harassment of wildlife, drone use is prohibited on national wildlife refuges."

The above statement is from the web site shown below. I hope everyone can see the hypocrisy of this. They are too unsafe and may harass wildlife over a national wildlife refuge, but it's perfectly fine to do it to your neighbor. This reminds me of the gun control Nazis in Washington. You shouldn't be able to own a gun for your protection, but it's perfectly fine for their bodyguards to own guns to protect them.

 
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