Date: 11/18/25 7:38 am From: Chris Hogue via groups.io <chogue...> Subject: [slocobirding] RC plane at Laguna Lake
Hey SLO birders,
Last week, I was out at Laguna Lake in SLO heading out from the paved loop to the trail along the lake, when I noticed a man flying a remote-controlled airplane along the main trail. Before I could get close enough to explain to him the danger he was posing to the Harrier that was hunting in the same area, karma stepped in. His plane flew vertically skyward, then abruptly took a nose dive and crashed to the ground, splitting one of its wings in two.
I asked him if his plane was broken, and he answered sadly, “Yeah...it’s my first time out here.” I said, “Oh, good. You’re not allowed to fly out here. It’s dangerous to the wildlife.” When he realized I wasn’t being sympathetic, he gave me some choice words and tromped off with his toy.
There were at least 12 white-tailed kites out there a couple of days earlier. That day, I only saw one. I wonder if he scared them off like the guy with the drone did at Meadow Park last year.
