YOLO: A FUSION APPROACH TO GEOLOCATING NATURAL RESOURCES 

With the rise of UAS in wildlife research, there have been concurrent efforts to ensure that this equipment is used responsibly and does not cause undue stress or injury to the wildlife or ecosystems. Experts in the field have outlined protocols and procedures aimed at reducing the risk of drone-wildlife encounters to ensure the safe operation of this technology and proper reporting of the data collection process     .

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Previous studies and literature reviews have found little evidence of aggressive or defensive behavior exhibited by raptors in the presence of drones     . While some species such as Osprey have shown a variety of responses to drone, including some defensive behaviors, many other species including Bald Eagles, Chaco Eagles, Golden Eagles, Ferruginous Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, and Peregrine Falcons had minimal reaction to the presence of the drone near their nesting sites  . Many of these studies highlighted the increased accuracy and reduced time of surveys conducted via drones as evidence of a reduction in overall disturbance compared to traditional methods     . Despite the evidence that raptor species do not typically exhibit aggressive responses to drone and the extremely limited examples of direct interactions between them, there are still many precautions and steps that should be taken to continue to reduce risks  .

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Proper reporting of pre-flight planning, overviews of field operations, post-flight data processing allow for effective communication and assessment of methods used in all research involving UAS  . This includes:

• Operational details of the drone itself, as well as takeoff and retrieval procedures, flight planning and operations, and compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.

• Information regarding the payload and sensors equipped to the drone and they type of data collected provides crucial details that allow for reproducibility of studies.

• An overview of field operations which can include the number, timing, and duration of flights, as well as weather conditions such as temperature and wind speeds.

• Details of the methods performed to get the raw data prepared for analysis, including the software and templates used to process photos or videos.​

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Additionally, there are recommendations specific to drone surveys that involve raptors that aim to reduce disturbance, especially near the nest  . These include:

• Avoiding, when possible, fixed-wing drones which may be perceived as raptor-like to other raptor species, and therefore a threat. Instead, research advise using multi-rotor drones, which are more maneuverable and less expensive to maintain than fixed-wing drones.

• All surveys should have at least one spotter, who is not involved in drone operation, to monitor the reaction of the target species to the presence of the drone.

• There should also be well-defined criteria that would cause a flight to be aborted and a plan in place for the drone to be withdrawn and landed should these criteria be met.

• While in flight, efforts should be taken to remain as far from the nest as possible while still being able to collect the necessary data. To reduce disturbances due to the noise and motion of the drone, it is recommended that the nest is approached horizontally when possible.

• All efforts should be taken to keep flight times to a minimum, which can be reduced via efficient route planning and site assessment, operator experience, and efficient data collection.

• Nest status, development stage, environmental conditions, and habitat characteristics should all be considered prior to flights, as these can impact data collection procedures.

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More research is needed to identify the flight distances and flight tracks characteristics (hoovering vs. constant motion, direct approach vs. a lateral transect) that minimize disturbance to raptors. While the risks associated with operating drones around wildlife and raptors specifically can never be completely eliminated, there protocols in place to reduce this risk and much as possible and ensure that the details of flight and data collection protocols are well-documented. Adherence to these best practices, as our research does, can go a long way to ensuring the safe operation of drones around Golden Eagles and their nests.