A Largs snapper has captured an extraordinary shot of when oystercatchers attacked his drone when it was in mid-flight above Largs Yacht Haven.

The photo shows a flock of oystercatchers clearly showing intrigue in the flying camera device on a beautiful April day above the Clyde coast.

The photographer Ian Dalgleish, who has provided a number of spectacular drone photos above Largs, told the Largs and Millport News Camera Club that his drone came under attack. 

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald:

He explained: "My drone was attacked by these oystercatchers while filming near Largs Marina on April 23. No birds were harmed and my drone survived!

"Birds frequently attack my drone believing that it's a threat to their chicks or the birds themselves.

"I saw the flock of oystercatchers swarming round the drone but it was not until I downloaded the pics into the computer that I saw how close they had come.

"The best way to dodge the birds is to quickly fly upwards - they usually do not follow.

"There's nothing in the drone code. As usual common sense is the best source of action."

In October 2020, a seagull attacked a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) carrying out a rooftop survey in Stranraer.

The gull attack caused the drone, weighing 13 lbs, to crash down onto the roof of the Stranraer Academy, resulting in substantial damage to the secondary school in Dumfries and Galloway.

In the summer of 2019, a herring gull brought down a £30,000 surveillance drone at the Sellafield nuclear power plant.

Neither incident resulted in injury to those on the ground, but drone strikes by birds are described as being 'surprisingly common' by drone experts.