Page 2 | 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 · 29/12/2023 09:43

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.

'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.'

Don't think OP should be bending over backwards and I would be hopping mad if some idiot had a drone right in front of my window, knew it was there, and didn't say a word about it.

I have come across a few land owners as OP describes. The sense of entitlement is nausea inducing.

Or I just got unlucky. Shrug.

KievLoverTwo · 29/12/2023 09:49

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.

They did what now? Do they own your garden land?;

Now, I would be climbing that bloody tree and lobbing it with great force over their wall without first ringing... So it's probably just as well you are not me.

mum11970 · 29/12/2023 09:52

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.

I’m with you Kingsley and would just want to get it back to its rightful owner.

PuffyShirt · 29/12/2023 09:55

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.

This.

A lot of paranoid people on this thread.

My kids got a drone for Christmas a few years ago and promptly lost it on its virgin flight. A kind neighbour spotted it high in a tree in her garden and guessed it might be theirs, so came round to tell us to go and retrieve it.

Missingmyusername · 29/12/2023 09:58

Just leave it there and pretend it doesn’t exist.

dudsville · 29/12/2023 10:03

Hm, given what you've said about them i wouldn't contact them. I'd fabricate a long pole to get it down and the "dispose" of it. But in reality I'd keep it in a bin liner in the garage for a little while just to see if they come for it. Then I'd say, somewhat PA, "is that yours? Why on earth was it on my property and why are you looking in my windows? (i wouldn't wait for an answer, I'd just mutter "creepy", and then...) I know we put it ready to go out with the bins, let's check if we still have it".

Original poster

getoutofmytree · 29/12/2023 10:06

@KievLoverTwo No they don't own any of my garden land (although they have moved their boundary and claimed some of it) and they don't own the land they were flying it from but unfortunately they have a right of way over it so can't really tell them to get off it.

We've seen them creeping along our back wall listening in to conversations and they have tried intimidating people on the land they only have access rights over as well as claiming they own land that they definitely don't.

We appear to have moved to Royston Vasey and the sooner we can move away the better 😄

OP posts:

KievLoverTwo · 29/12/2023 10:10

getoutofmytree · 29/12/2023 10:06

@KievLoverTwo No they don't own any of my garden land (although they have moved their boundary and claimed some of it) and they don't own the land they were flying it from but unfortunately they have a right of way over it so can't really tell them to get off it.

We've seen them creeping along our back wall listening in to conversations and they have tried intimidating people on the land they only have access rights over as well as claiming they own land that they definitely don't.

We appear to have moved to Royston Vasey and the sooner we can move away the better 😄

Good lord. Sending you strength, OP.

Ever thought about applying for a gun licence? We have a gun cabinet downstairs (rental) and now is the only time I can think of that it would be useful because I don't like shooting animals, but it would be heckin' good fun to startle someone like them :D

2jacqi · 29/12/2023 10:37

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.

@getoutofmytree For goodness sake it is obviously a christmas present. someone, most likely an older child, is learning how to fly. I have a drone and it is difficult to master. they will not be trying to spy on you! you need to get a life!! fish it out the tree and take it round.

Original poster

getoutofmytree · 29/12/2023 13:00

@KievLoverTwo There actually was a gun cabinet in the house when we moved in. Maybe the neighbours were the reason ... 😄

OP posts:

Original poster

getoutofmytree · 29/12/2023 13:05

@2jacqi Have you missed the part where I said I can't reach it? And the part where I mentioned the mentality of the neighbours (they're intimidating, entitled arseholes) and I don't want to walk through thick mud to take them back their drone when they can't be arsed to come and get it themselves?

OP posts:

Jonismorf · 29/12/2023 13:23

I've had a few drones and the batteries don't last very long. On all of them, the lights flash when the battery's about to run out - it's supposed to be a visual warning to return it to base. Personally, I'd just leave it where it is and let the wind eventually bring it down, then lob it back over the fence.

Santaisscouringindeedfornewjob · 29/12/2023 13:26

Just leave it there op. Why put yourself out trying to get it? Or ask the non emergency police for advice as they shouldn't be close to your property anyway...

BlueMongoose · 29/12/2023 13:34

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.

I think you should read all the OP's posts. They drone owners are not nice neighbours, and have already tried to get it without permission to cross into the OP's property, so they know fine well where it is. It's 100% up to them to put a note through the OP's letterbox saying 'So sorry but our drone is stuck in your tree, could we come and get it please?' Otherwise I'd let it stay where it is.

There is also the issue of whether the drone's owner was breaking the law in the way they were using it to start with.

Original poster

getoutofmytree · 29/12/2023 13:41

Thanks @Jonismorf maybe it was running out of battery last night when I saw it then.

The main reason I don't want it to be recording is if they saw us knock it out of the tree and expected us to pay for a replacement. We absolutely could not afford that and I'm guessing it wouldn't be a cheap one based on what I know about them and their lifestyle.

Hopefully it'll fall out of the tree onto the bank of the stream tonight and will no longer be my problem.

OP posts:

ScaredSceptic · 29/12/2023 14:08

getoutofmytree · 29/12/2023 13:41

Thanks @Jonismorf maybe it was running out of battery last night when I saw it then.

The main reason I don't want it to be recording is if they saw us knock it out of the tree and expected us to pay for a replacement. We absolutely could not afford that and I'm guessing it wouldn't be a cheap one based on what I know about them and their lifestyle.

Hopefully it'll fall out of the tree onto the bank of the stream tonight and will no longer be my problem.

But it's already not your problem and you don't need to knock it out of the tree. Just leave it where it is.