Drone stuck in my tree

getoutofmytree · 2023-12-28T21:12:51+00:00

Tonight we've come home and I can see the outline of a drone in my tree. The drone is flashing and is well out of reach. Can anyone tell me if the battery could still be functioning after 3 days in a tree (we can see on our CCTV when it happened) and if there's any obvious way I can tell if it might be filming. We're pretty sure it belongs to a distant neighbour who aren't the most approachable and have only made one effort to retrieve it and we weren't home at the time. There was motor noise coming from it tonight which I assume means it does still have battery left and if it does have a camera they'll see us if we try to remove it from our property. I know nothing about drones as you can probably tell but the wind is high tonight and it doesn't look like the drone is coming down anytime soon. We're in quite a secluded area and there's no reason anyone should be up here with a drone.

KievLoverTwo · 28/12/2023 22:14

Sounds as though they may have through the wind could have dislodged it and tried to get it to fly again.

If they are not very approachable and you fear upsetting them by taking it down, could you post on your local group Facebook page about it? Put a big sign in your window, 'drone in tree, please retrieve'?

It's an odd one o_o

Original poster

getoutofmytree · 29/12/2023 00:18

@KievLoverTwo I'm not on Facebook so can't contact them that way and we don't have any windows that can be seen without coming right onto the property.

They have big security gates with an intercom and to be honest I can't be bothered to trudge through the mud in crap weather just for them to ignore me pressing the bell.

Just seems odd to me that they haven't tried more than once to knock on the door in 3 days. I honestly don't know how they're going to reach it anyway. It's pretty high up so I guess all we can do is try to poke it out with something really long if it's there much longer.

What I really want to ask them is why the frig they're flying drones around my property (it's stuck lower than the roof of my house) but I'd better hold my tongue and carry on ignoring their existence. I'm aware of an issue they had with another neighbour in which they were thoroughly unpleasant, so I don't want to start something with them.

OP posts:

KievLoverTwo · 29/12/2023 00:21

getoutofmytree · 29/12/2023 00:18

@KievLoverTwo I'm not on Facebook so can't contact them that way and we don't have any windows that can be seen without coming right onto the property.

They have big security gates with an intercom and to be honest I can't be bothered to trudge through the mud in crap weather just for them to ignore me pressing the bell.

Just seems odd to me that they haven't tried more than once to knock on the door in 3 days. I honestly don't know how they're going to reach it anyway. It's pretty high up so I guess all we can do is try to poke it out with something really long if it's there much longer.

What I really want to ask them is why the frig they're flying drones around my property (it's stuck lower than the roof of my house) but I'd better hold my tongue and carry on ignoring their existence. I'm aware of an issue they had with another neighbour in which they were thoroughly unpleasant, so I don't want to start something with them.

Username gave me a bellyLOL.

Maybe they were testing out an Xmas present and the wind caught it.

Or... Odd and nosy.

What makes you think it is theirs?

Original poster

getoutofmytree · 29/12/2023 00:45

@KievLoverTwo I think it's both of those options, the Xmas present plus being nosy.

We've seen them on cctv walking round the garden but it's not clear enough to be 100% certain it's them.

It's not the sort of place you'd be passing through so got to be someone pretty local and there's not many options for that.

OP posts:

user1492757084 · 29/12/2023 00:51

Can you throw a soccer ball until you hit it down then lock the drone in your laundry until the owners come to fetch it?

Original poster

getoutofmytree · 29/12/2023 01:00

@user1492757084 Good idea - we don't have a football as my kids are really young, but we must have something we can throw at it. I'm worried about damaging it though (especially if it does have a camera on it) or knocking it into the nearby stream.

We were thinking of standing on a ladder with the washing line prop to poke it loose.

OP posts:

Aquamarine1029 · 29/12/2023 01:04

I'm worried about damaging it though

Why on earth would you be worried? They shouldn't have landed the drone on your property. They have no right to trespass in order to retrieve it, nor should you allow them to.

tescocreditcard · 29/12/2023 01:10

I'm pretty certain is has a camera thats the whole point of a drone but a quick look at google tells me t hat drone batteries last about 2 hours. I'd leave it up there for good.

Original poster

getoutofmytree · 29/12/2023 01:33

@tescocreditcard I thought that but it's flashing which is making me suspicious the battery isn't dead and could be filming when it's being blown around by the wind.

From what I gather, if it is recording then it needs to be registered and they shouldn't have been flying round my property recording without permission.

@Aquamarine1029 there's only a few houses here and most people seem to dislike each other so we'd prefer to stay out of any conflicts if it does belong to a neighbour (fingers crossed it blows into the stream).

OP posts:

KievLoverTwo · 29/12/2023 03:01

tescocreditcard · 29/12/2023 01:10

I'm pretty certain is has a camera thats the whole point of a drone but a quick look at google tells me t hat drone batteries last about 2 hours. I'd leave it up there for good.

Edited

That will probably be when it is in flight. Different story when up a tree, I imagine.

OP, just let it drain down, then introduce yourself to it and give it a name. It's your drone now.

I am sorry you live in the Twilight Zone.

Squeaky2023 · 29/12/2023 06:06

Dislodge it and put it in the bin. Given the owners are knobs and they were flying it intrusively low above your land, you don't owe them anything.

KievLoverTwo · 29/12/2023 06:11

OP, I got a 200cm long wooden pole to use as dipstick from my local wood/builders merchants for £1.50 last year. Please don't balance on ladders over streams to remove someone awful's intrusive creepy toy. Especially in current winds.

Did they actually enter your garden when you were out?

Josette77 · 29/12/2023 06:32

Just dislodge it and leave it for them.

Why are you worried they are filming you?

AlisonDonut · 29/12/2023 06:38

Are you more worried about upsetting them than about being filmed getting it out of the tree? You don't even know who owns it.

BalloonSlayer · 29/12/2023 06:55

Why can't you just write a friendly helpful note and posi it?

Dear neighbour
I am not able to walk round to knock and don't know your phone number so I thought I had better drop you a note.

There is a drone stuck in our tree, someone said you had one so we wondered if it was yours. We are a bit worried about damaging it so have left it there. If it is yours, would you like to come over and we can try to get it out together? My phone number is xx. No need to reply if it's not yours - if I don't hear anything back from you by xx I'll assume it isn't yours and knock it out with a big stick.
Best wishes, xx at xx house

NigelHarmansNewWife · 29/12/2023 07:01

*Why can't you just write a friendly helpful note and posi it?

Dear neighbour
I am not able to walk round to knock and don't know your phone number so I thought I had better drop you a note.*

Is posi a typo for post? In which case the second paragraph doesn't make much sense as you've had to walk round to post it?!

I'd put a note through. Cheeky feckers are probably waiting until you're out to go and get it.

BalloonSlayer · 29/12/2023 07:07

I often say 'drop you a note' in the context of posting a letter, maybe i should not. And it would be obvious it was posted from the stamp.

IncompleteSenten · 29/12/2023 07:11

getoutofmytree · 29/12/2023 00:18

@KievLoverTwo I'm not on Facebook so can't contact them that way and we don't have any windows that can be seen without coming right onto the property.

They have big security gates with an intercom and to be honest I can't be bothered to trudge through the mud in crap weather just for them to ignore me pressing the bell.

Just seems odd to me that they haven't tried more than once to knock on the door in 3 days. I honestly don't know how they're going to reach it anyway. It's pretty high up so I guess all we can do is try to poke it out with something really long if it's there much longer.

What I really want to ask them is why the frig they're flying drones around my property (it's stuck lower than the roof of my house) but I'd better hold my tongue and carry on ignoring their existence. I'm aware of an issue they had with another neighbour in which they were thoroughly unpleasant, so I don't want to start something with them.

You could always join FB and post then delete your account when it's sorted.

wideawakeinthemiddleofthenightagain · 29/12/2023 07:21

What is going on in your garden in December that makes you worried about being filmed?
Also, how do you know it's the neighbours? Drones can have a long range so, unless you're surrounded by acres of private land owned by them, it could easily belong to someone else.
Join FB and just say that you think there's a drone in your tree and see if anyone claims it

GreatGlamourGallopedOff · 29/12/2023 07:36

We had someone’s drone at our bedroom window, another over us in the garden. And yet another lost somewhere in our garden or trees apparently. They knocked to say . Shame the dog didn’t find it. I assume they did at some point. As they didn’t call over again.
Nosey damn people, We have nothing but mess, but I intensely dislike, being spied upon.

KingsleyBorder · 29/12/2023 07:46

You sound like the kind of neighbour who would puncture a ball if it came over your fence. Controversially for this place, my reaction to a drone stuck in my tree would be to feel sorry for the person whose expensive Xmas present had got stuck and want to get it out safely and back to them. But then I’m not paranoid about someone getting some blurry footage of the outside of my house.

Original poster

getoutofmytree · 29/12/2023 09:32

wideawakeinthemiddleofthenightagain · 29/12/2023 07:21

What is going on in your garden in December that makes you worried about being filmed?
Also, how do you know it's the neighbours? Drones can have a long range so, unless you're surrounded by acres of private land owned by them, it could easily belong to someone else.
Join FB and just say that you think there's a drone in your tree and see if anyone claims it

The tree happens to be right next to my window. So no I don't want them filming - either near my windows or my kids in the garden. They also need to be registered to record.

And yes they do own lots of land around my property so the likelihood is that it is theirs.

I don't want to waste my time setting up Facebook accounts just because they can't be arsed to come and ask for it back.

OP posts:

ANightmareBeforeChristmas · 29/12/2023 09:36

I'd just leave it there. If it's filming, the owner should be able to see where it's gone. If they want it back, they can come and get it.

Original poster

getoutofmytree · 29/12/2023 09:43

@KievLoverTwo Yeah they climbed over my (knackered) boundary because they can't open a gate like normal people. Could see them on the cctv searching the garden and looking at the tree. They haven't been back since.

The good news is the drone has fallen out of the tree. The bad news is it is now in another tree that I still can't reach 🤦🏻‍♀️.
DP won't be home from work until after 8pm all weekend so the first chance he's got to retrieve it will be will be Monday. The wind is horrendous so hopefully it will just blow it down.

OP posts:

Pablova · 29/12/2023 09:43

Just ignore it, if the owner wants it back it will come and retrieve.

Its not recording you, its just sitting
in a tree.