Lack of permit delays drone test for bird survey

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Plans to launch a drone aircraft to take photos of salmon-munching seabirds nesting along the Oregon Coast have been scrubbed for lack of a permit.

The Federal Aviation Administration told the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife that it needs a permit to fly even a tiny unmanned aircraft over the offshore rocks near Pacific City that are home to nesting cormorants.