2007 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada, 9th Annual Meeting, Kingston, Ontario

Managing Bird Populations at an Incompatible Land Use near an Airport: Dike 10B Confined Disposal Facility

Craig R. Hicks et al. — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:28:21 PST

Many airports throughout the world have been built on or adjacent to bodies of water. Due to their location, they are often negatively impacted by wildlife attracted to surrounding areas such as harbors, arenas, beaches, and parks. These same lakes and rivers often serve as shipping channels that support the city to which the airport services. Such is the case at Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL) in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1998, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) constructed Dike 10B, a 64-acre confined disposal facility (CDF) adjacent to BKL to manage contaminated dredge materials removed from the shipping channels of the Cuyahoga River. The facility has become a protected body of water with nutrient-rich sediment and sometimes lush vegetation. Numerous waterfowl and shorebirds are drawn to the facility to loaf and feed. In April 2006, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services entered into a one year Interagency Agreement with the USACE to manage the wildlife in Dike 10B. Through interagency communication, altered project methodology, and an integrated wildlife damage management approach, bird populations using the CDF were reduced, thus promoting safer airspace for aviation operations at BKL.

Bald Eagles: A Threatened Species becomes a Threat to Aviation

Sandra E. Wright — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:25:42 PST

The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) population in the United States has made a tremendous recovery from fewer than 500 nesting pairs in 1970, to over 10,000 pairs in 2007. It is likely that the population will continue to grow. Every state, except Hawaii, now has nesting bald eagles. Because of the widespread recovery, the U. S. Department of the Interior removed the bald eagle from the Endangered Species List in August 2007. Bald eagles are still protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act as well as by state laws. At airports across the United States of America biologists are finding it difficult to manage bald eagles that threaten aviation safety. This difficulty arises because of the restrictive laws which protect this species, and the intense public interest and concern for eagles. As the eagle population continues to grow, so do the number of eagle strikes with aircraft. Overall, there were 84 reported civil aircraft strikes with bald eagles in 18 U.S. states and one in Canada to a U.S. carrier from 1990-2006. The mean number of strikes/year has increased 7-fold in the lower 48 states since 1990.

Dead bird effigies: A nightmare for gulls?

Thomas W. Seamans et al. — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:24:43 PST

Bird control at and around airfields is critical to safe airfield operation. Numerous bird-control products and strategies are available, all of which have limitations because of rapid habituation, ineffectiveness, expense or other factors. There is a need for new methods to manage birds at airports and other locations. In recent years, realistic effigies of dead turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) have proven effective as a species-specific means to disperse roosting vultures. To determine if this concept can be expanded to deter other birds that are a problem at airfields, we conducted trials using prepared ring-billed (Larus delawarensis) and herring (L. argentatus) gulls as effigies at landfills, a nesting colony, and a containment disposal facility (CDF) next to an airport. Results at landfills varied with distance to the active dumping area (active face) and time of year. In winter, gulls loafing away from the active face would stay clear of effigies for up to 4 weeks. When set on or adjacent to the active face, gulls would initially disperse but then return within hours to weeks. Effigies were not effective in nesting colonies. Gull reaction to effigies at a CDF showed initial good response, especially when reinforced with pyrotechnics and lethal control but habituation occurred after 2 months of exposure. We conclude that gull effigies can reduce gull presence in specified areas when used as part of an integrated bird control program. However, effigies alone will not keep gulls away from extensive areas.

Further Discussion of Bird Strike Design Issues for Engines with Obscured Fans

Julian M. Reed — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:22:17 PST

A previous conference presentation (Baltimore, 2004) introduced the subject of obscured turbo-fans and discussed it in the context of bird strikes. In such a case, the bird will have significant interaction with the internal structure of the aircraft intake during its passage from intake lip to fan and damage to the bird may well occur causing it to pose a significantly different threat to the integrity of the engine. This paper explores the possible interactions that take place in such an installation prior to the bird reaching the fan face and makes use of engine and bird structural test data to describe the effect of such interactions on the bird structure. The implications of these interactions on the behavior of the fan during the bird ingestion are then explored; again using test and analytical evidence.

An Overview of Avian Radar Developments – Past, Present and Future

Tim J. Nohara et al. — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:21:18 PST

The objective of this paper is to stand back and take an organized look at these developments in avian radar technology, with a view towards improving our understanding of this complex tool set. By reviewing the past, a context will be provided within which one can better appreciate what has been accomplished in the present, and where technology and products still need to go in the future. It is hoped that a better understanding will assist stakeholders in making the best use of these tools, today and tomorrow.

BIRD STRIKE RISK ASSESSMENT AT A PROPOSED U.S. NAVY OUTLYING LANDING FIELD IN NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA

Greg Netti et al. — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:21:14 PST

In September 2003, U.S. Department of the Navy (the Navy) decided to homebase its carrier-based squadrons of Super Hornet aircraft at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, in Virginia, and Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, in North Carolina. Prior to that decision, the Navy had determined that these squadrons would need an additional practice landing field, known as an outlying landing field (OLF), to support the number of Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) operations that are part of the pre-deployment training cycle. The FLCP operations are low-level, “touch-and-go” flight patterns to train pilots for landing on aircraft carriers.

The Navy had to consider both operational and environmental criteria to determine where to build an OLF. Suitable locations should minimize transit time between the homebase and the OLF, yet avoid highly populated areas, development, existing military and civilian air traffic, and designated federal and state protected lands. The Navy identified five potential sites in rural areas of northeastern North Carolina that were suitably located between NAS Oceana and MCAS Cherry Point. The Navy’s preferred site, OLF Site C in Washington County, has a low population density, is 95% agricultural land, and is located 6 miles west of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).

Although this area of northeastern North Carolina is ideally located for the construction and operation of an OLF, this region also supports seasonably abundant populations of snow geese (Chen caerulescens) and tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus), which forage in the agricultural lands surrounding several NWRs. Although the waterfowl roost in open water within the refuge during the winter months, they leave their roosts during the day to forage on waste grain in harvested fields of corn and soybeans and on shoots of winter wheat in and around OLF Site C.

As part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, the Navy had to evaluate (1) whether the Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) risk at OLF Site C (and the other potential site alternatives) was manageable given the migratory waterfowl populations that overwinter at Pocosin Lakes NWR and (2) what potential environmental impacts would be associated with implementation of a BASH management plan that could manage that risk.

Bald Eagle Nest Removal: Making a Case and Building Consensus among Various Agencies and Organizations for Amicable Removal

Johnny C. Metcalf — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:12:56 PST

The bald eagle is an iconic symbol representing strength and freedom throughout the Americas and evokes strong public emotion and sentiment. Despite tremendous population recovery in the United States resulting in its removal from the U.S. Department of Interiors Endangered Species list, state and federal agencies are hesitant to approve activity that could be interpreted as detrimental to eagles. Florida accounts for more than 85% of the entire southern bald eagle population and has between 1000 to 1200 mated pairs. Habitat loss and expanding populations are forcing eagles to adopt alternative nesting sites including the airport environment. Eagle / aviation conflict will most likely continue as air traffic and eagle populations increase. Cooperation from regulatory fish and wildlife agencies and conservation organizations is probable when airport operators provide a demonstrable history of wildlife abatement.

An Advanced Avian Radar Display for Automated Bird Strike Risk Determination for Airports and Airfields

T. Adam Kelly et al. — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:11:45 PST

Over the past ten years, development of bird detection radars for use as real time aircraft birdstrike avoidance systems has moved beyond research and development into active deployment of the technology as an operational tool in a BASH program (Kelly 2006). A key challenge in use of avian radars at both military and commercial airfields however has been integration of the greatly expanded level of risk information provided by avian radar technology into the current procedures and methods for setting bird strike risk conditions at airports and airfields. Over the past two years, much of the effort at DeTect, Inc. has been directed at operational deployment of modern avian radar technology and extensive lessons learned have resulted from deploying over 30 MERLIN Avian Radar Systems throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.

This paper provides an overview of the MERLIN Air Traffic Control (MERLIN ATC) display, a new interface to DeTect’s MERLIN Aircraft Birdstrike Avoidance Radar system that provides significantly improved situational awareness to controllers and airfield operators and presents bird activity information in an operationally usable, strike risk-based format. The MERLIN ATC includes automated determination and display of the current strike risk in real time for the approach and departure corridors, and was designed specifically to facilitate delivery of automated risk information in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower environment.

Using Zena™ Prototypes as Perching Deterrents on Airfield Signage

Noel K. Jinings — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:07:09 PST

Airfields often provide very attractive habitat for many avian species, including a variety of raptor species. Avian wildlife at the Portland International Airport (PDX) poses the greatest wildlife strike risk to aircraft. More specifically, raptors at PDX are designated as “very high” for both the probability of a strike occurrence and the potential for extreme damage [Ref. 2004 PDX WHMP risk assessment based on model by Dr. J R Allan of the United Kingdom]. As such, raptors are the focus of much of the management efforts on this airfield. One of the biggest concerns for wildlife managers on the PDX airfield is the perching of large raptors, specifically red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), on airfield signage within the runway safety areas (RSA). Airfield signage creates perfect hunting perches throughout the grass infields of many airfields around the world due to the structure and the perching platforms they create. Many types of antiperching materials available commercially have been tried on airfield signs in the past with little or no negative impacts to the birds. However, data collected during a field trial of a product from the Zena Design Group shows promise in deterring perching by red-tailed hawks at PDX.

Airport Bird Hazard Risk Assessment Process

Richard Sowden et al. — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:04:59 PST

This paper presents an overview of Transport Canada’s airport bird hazard risk assessment process (ABRAP), which will be published in 2007.1 ABRAP examines and categorizes the relationship between airport-area land uses and bird species to predict risks to aircraft in various phases of flight. The result is the creation of customized bird hazard zones that accommodate the unique features and challenges at each airport, and that differ dramatically from the circular zoning patterns traditionally drawn from an airport’s geographic centre.

The paper briefly describes ABRAP, lists the diverse ways in which it can be applied, and illustrates how the process can be integrated with an airport’s risk-based wildlife management program and broader safety management system (SMS).

THE BIRDSTRIKE IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM AT THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION AND NEW RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DNA SAMPLING

Carla J. Dove et al. — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:00:49 PST

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have been supporting a free-of-charge birdstrike identification program at the Smithsonian Institution for many years. Approximately 50% of the birdstrike cases received are identified to species level using whole feathers, or feather fragments in comparison with museum specimens. The remaining cases are identified using microscopic analysis and/or DNA “barcoding”. DNA barcoding is the newest tool in the birdstrike identification toolbox and involves extracting mtDNA (cytochrome c oxides subunit 1, COI, cox1, “barcode gene”) from birdstrike samples that consist of blood and tissue and then matching the unknown sequence to a DNA library available on the Barcode of Life Database (BoLD). We analyzed birdstrike remains during Fall migration 2006 (1 September – 31 December) to evaluate current collecting methods for minute birdstrike evidence, and to analyze the condition of the samples submitted for DNA testing. Although the age of the sample (time from birdstrike event to time of identification) was not a factor in DNA extraction success, the condition of the sample received in the lab was critical. More than 77% of the cases that contained moldy paper towel samples did not yield viable DNA. The poor condition of these samples leads us to recommend modifications to current field collecting techniques for all birdstrike evidence consisting of blood and/or tissue. New field collecting recommendations include: 1) using alcohol (ethanol or isopropyl) or alcohol-based toweletts, instead of water and paper towels, to wipe the aircraft of bird evidence, or 2) use a DNA ‘fixing’ card such as the Whatman FTA® card to prevent DNA degradation as soon as possible. These methods will help preserve the DNA, prevent mold growth, and increase the ability to extract viable DNA from blood and tissue samples.

Airport Wildlife Strike Summary and Risk Analysis Report: a new addition to the FAA’s Wildlife Hazard Mitigation Website

Richard A. Dolbeer et al. — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:56:57 PST

Aircraft collisions with birds and other wildlife are an increasing concern for the aviation industry. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), through agreements with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, developed a National Wildlife Strike Database to better define the wildlife strike problem. Annual reports that summarize the data (about 72,500 strike records for civil aircraft in USA, 1990-2006) provide a foundation for FAA national policies and guidance regarding research and management efforts to reduce wildlife strikes. However, these national analyses do not provide specific information regarding strikes at individual airports or for other specific user groups. Our objective was to expand the utility of the database by providing an automatically generated Airport Wildlife Strike Summary and Risk Analysis Report for airports. Each report, updated annually and accessible on-line with a password, provides an airport with total and damaging strike numbers and strike rates per 100,000 aircraft movements for the past year and with mean numbers for the past 5 years. The report then compares these rates with regional and national averages for airports in the same size class. The report also documents the wildlife species that, based on past damaging strike records, need to be emphasized in risk management activities. This information provides airports with an objective baseline to aid in the evaluation of their wildlife risk mitigation programs. Such evaluations are required annually in the USA under 14CFR.139.337. This report presently is available for each of the 434 Part 139- certificated USA airports that have strike records included in the database for the last five years.

A successful case study: The bird control program of Waste Management Outer Loop Recycling and Disposal Facility, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Russell P. DeFusco — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:54:49 PST

Landfills and airports have a long history of incompatibility. Birds are attracted to landfills for various reasons including food sources, habitat, and orographic lift. Since landfills can be avian attractants, they are required to be sited at least 10,000 feet away from commercial airports in the United States. Waste Management of Kentucky (WMK) operates a municipal landfill and recycling facility -- the Outer Loop Recycling and Disposal Facility (OLRDF) located less than 1.5 miles south of the Louisville Standiford airport which, as the hub airport for United Parcel Service, is the fourth largest cargo airport in the U.S. As part of an expansion permit, the FAA required that WMK implement a comprehensive bird control program. As a result, WMK has developed and maintains an extensive program that includes an advanced avian radar monitoring system, two full-time wildlife biologists, and a multi-faceted harassment program. The bird control program was developed and is overseen by BASH, Inc. and is operated day-to-day by DeTect, Inc. A MERLIN Avian Radar System is used to monitor bird activity on and off the landfill. The data to date has demonstrated that this landfill operates at or below background levels of avian activity through WMK s extraordinary efforts and commitment to managing local bird populations. This paper/presentation summarizes how the program was developed, how it is implemented, and results of the radar monitoring program.

WWW Integration of FAA and SWA Birdstrike Reporting Systems

Stanley D. Clark — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:53:42 PST

The Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) Birdstrike Reporting System has historically been a manual, “pen and paper” system since its inception. Because it has been so labor-intensive, birdstrike reporting by Southwest Airline Pilots could best be described as “sporadic” as long as the FAA system operated outside the internal airline system. By using web-based reporting systems, with imbedded checks and balances, Southwest Airlines has achieved a dramatic increase in birdstrikes reported to the FAA.

Integration and Validation of Networked Avian Radar (IVAR)

Marissa Brand — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:51:37 PST

A team of scientists and engineers from the federal government, industry, and academia is evaluating the ability of digital radar systems to identify and track biological targets and then validating these systems under realistic operational conditions. The Integration and Validation of Avian Radars (IVAR) project is funded by the Department of Defense Environmental Security Technology Certification Program. The eBirdRad radar unit utilizes off the shelf X-band marine radar coupled with advanced digital signal processing and tracking algorithms to process target information. The overall objectives of the IVAR project include: 1) the use of independent visual, thermal and other observations to validate automatic detection, tracking, and display of targets in real-time; 2) demonstrate the statistical validity of sampling protocols for bird activity; 3) validate protocols and algorithms for streaming real-time bird track data from multiple sites for immediate display and subsequent analyses; 4) demonstrate algorithms for fusing data from multiple radars; 5) capture baseline data on bird activity at the demonstration sites; 6) develop objective criteria for functional, performance, and interoperability requirements of these radars, and to guide research to extend avian radar technology. The dissemination of information through the peer review process is essential before the natural resources management community can effectively use radar to assist in the decision making process.

Laser dispersal of gulls from reservoirs near airports

Andy Baxter — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:50:31 PST

Gull numbers roosting at two waterbodies close to a military airfield in central England were monitored at dusk and dawn for four weeks during November 2006. Approximately 25,000 and 8,000 gulls were present at each site respectively. Two LEM 50 laser torches mounted on tripods were then deployed to disperse the roost at one of the sites. No effect was observed before dusk or after dawn. Beams were scanned approximately 0.5 to 1metre above the surface of the water across an arc of approximately 200o during a three minute period. The process was repeated continuously for one hour from dusk. Gulls were successfully dispersed and left the site. Large numbers were still present, however, by dawn on all following mornings. Deployment rates were increased, firstly to include three equally spaced deterrence sessions per night, then subsequently to scans every half hour throughout the night. Gull numbers were reduced to zero overnight with none present at dawn. Numbers increased at the alternative waterbody. Birds continued to arrive before dusk to roost and dusk dispersal was always required. The technique cleared all gulls whenever it was deployed but could not eliminate the arrival of birds that would attempt to roost each afternoon.

FACING BIRD ATTRACTING FACTORS OUTSIDE AIRPORTS: THE ITALIAN APPROACH (*)

Valter Battistoni — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:47:59 PST

When in 1994 an important CAA executive and former boss of mine, just appointed Chairperson of Bird Strike Committee Italy, telephoned me and in a “friendly” manner “ordered” me to prepare a paper and a presentation for a bird strike meeting which was going to be held soon in Palermo, three things immediately appeared clear to me: 1) Palermo was a beautiful town that I hadn’t visited since I was a teenager, therefore a Government paid week-end was not so bad. 2) I had no idea what to say at the meeting as my ignorance about bird strikes was almost absolute. 3) My ignorance on such a issue probably was not an isolated phenomenon, since the Chairperson was searching speakers to fill the agenda, rather than the contrary.