Drone named Dave found in Highlands to be reunited with owners in New Zealand

A drone, affectionately called Dave, is to be reunited with a family in New Zealand after it was found in the Scottish Highlands.

Crofter Anna McTaggart was tending to her sheep on moorland near Clashnessie Bay.

She thought a drone could be used to track her flock; little did Anna know that her prayers would be answered. The young crofter found Dave the drone in a very remote area nearby.

Anna told STV News: “I was not expecting to find a drone out here, this is the last thing I was expecting to find. You have to walk for an hour to get to the spot where it was found.

“Unless you know the ground in the area, it can be really confusing. Not long after I found the drone, I found some kitchen tongs.”

After posting the find online, local Steve Langford got in touch to see if he could help locate the owner.

They downloaded images from the drone onto Steve’s laptop and conducted a reverse image search, which led to Justine Shera and her family, who live 12,000 miles away in New Zealand.

She had travelled with her family in June to complete the NC500. As they flew Dave the drone in the area, it got swept away in high winds.

Steve contacted Bill, Justine’s husband, to confirm they had found the missing drone. Dave is now set to be reunited with his family over the festive period.

Steve told STV News: “We were ecstatic that we could get Dave home.

Dave has been posted and is set to be reunited with his family. Supplied

“It’s hard to believe, but it also brought home how small the world is. They did attempt to find things, but it is very hard to find anything if you don’t know the area.”

After Justine was told about the find, she sent a thank you message to Steve, his wife and Anna.

The New Zealander said: “This is so unbelievable that Anna has actually found Dave.

“Then you guys actually managed to find me with face recognition, what a time we live in. This is the best early Christmas present to get this news.

“He may not work anymore, but I’m so glad you got in touch with me. Hopefully, I can get Dave working again.”