Amazon’s Prime Air drone delivery hub started flying over Nampa, Idaho, on Oct. 30, and residents have quickly begun reporting constant drone noise and possible effects on local wildlife, a concern that could affect quality of life for homeowners.
According to KIVI-TV, neighbors near the flight path hear a drone roughly every minute. One resident, Anna Luke, said her chickens ran to hide during the first days of operation and her dog continues to bark at the aircraft. She also noted that nighttime owls have stopped appearing in the area.
David Hille, an assistant professor of biology at Northwest Nazarene University, told KIVI-TV that the high frequency of flights may cause birds to flush from feeding sites, expend extra energy, and potentially abandon the area permanently. He highlighted that the deliveries began during waterfowl migration season, when ducks, swans and soon snow geese are moving through the Treasure Valley.
City officials have responded by requesting Amazon’s flight data and documenting resident complaints. Communications director Amy Bowman told BoiseDev that Nampa has received about 20 to 25 emails and phone calls since deliveries began, and staff visited the delivery zone last week to observe the drones. The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional‑use permit for the hub on May 26 by a 6‑1 vote, and the permit can be revoked if noise exceeds the limits set by the city.
Amazon said each Prime Air operation undergoes the FAA’s National Environmental Policy Act review and that the company adjusts routes when it identifies specific wildlife concerns, such as a known bald eagle nest. In a May hearing, senior manager Sam Bailey cited a backyard test in Arizona that recorded 68 decibels at the drone’s hover point and 61 decibels at the front of the house.
DroneXL’s analysis of FAA filings shows the MK30 model used in Nampa produces 92.1 dBA SEL at 25 feet while hovering and 63.7 dBA SEL at 200 feet during cruise. The organization noted that these figures differ from Amazon’s “quieter than a truck” claim and that the city could use actual flight data to set a measurable noise standard.
What’s next: Nampa staff plan to return to the delivery area this week to collect additional flight data and assess whether the noise levels exceed the city’s conditional‑use permit thresholds. If the data show higher-than‑promised noise, the city could move to revoke the permit and require Amazon to modify its operations.
Sources: kivitv.com, dronexl.co
