The cricket world cup could get a Hitchcockian twist this summer.
A seagull swoops at a Sky TV drone covering the cricket on day five of the second international Test cricket match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on January 7, 2015. Photo: AFP
During the recent New Zealand vs Sri Lanka test at Wellington's Basin Reserve Sky TV's drone trial came under attack from some aggressive seagulls.
Each time the drone was sent aloft the gulls appeared, in scenes vaguely reminiscent of the film The Birds, to begin haranguing and dive bombing it - much to the mirth of the fans below.
Sky TV's Head of Production Tex Teixeria said yesterday that the drone was not damaged and the seagulls also escaped unharmed. It was the first time he had heard of a seagull attacking a drone.
However David Lawrie, president of Birds New Zealand, today said it was likely they would continue chasing the drones in the future.
"The seagulls will be nesting somewhere so they'll be trying to scare them away.
"They'll be trying to threaten them by dive bombing, basically. If you enter a gull colony they will fly at your head to try and deter you from entering," he said.
While the seagulls would fly at their nemesis, they very rarely made contact with their opposition. He said there was no real way of deterring the birds.
"If you made them [the drones] look like a bigger predator, it may encourage them even more to chase them."
The birds were not in any danger of being clipped by the drones as they attacked, Mr Lawrie said.
A seagull chases the TV drone on the second day of the second test beween NZ and Sri Lanka on 4 January. Photo: PHOTOSPORT