BASH slashes Hill bird-strike incidents

  • Published
  • By Lee Anne Hensley
  • Hilltop Times staff
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  In the wake of the disaster-turned-miracle of the US Airways Flight 1549 landing safely in the Hudson River after birds disabled both engines upon take-off, Hill Air Force Base and its surrounding communities would be relieved to know that chances of an aircraft-crippling bird strike are slim-to-none here. 

Thanks to the Bird/Wildlife Avoidance Strike Hazard program that is continually slashing its bird strike incidences to record low numbers each year, the airspaces around Hill AFB and the Utah Test and Training Range are only getting safer. 

"Our number (of bird strikes) is extremely low for the amount of planes we have flying in our airspace because of our program here," explains Maj. James L. Rowe Jr., Ogden Air Logistics Center and 75th Air Base Wing chief of Aviation Safety. "We have been very blessed because last year we only had eight bird strikes, where the year previous to that we had 18 bird strikes, and the year before that we had 27 bird strikes. (Since October 2008), we have had only one bird strike. If you look at the bird strike reports of any other air field, I guarantee that you will not find any with single-digit strikes within a year. That is what we accomplished this past year, which is significant." 

The success of the BASH program is mainly due to its recent implementation of full time contractors who are positioned close to the runway and watch for birds and other wildlife around that area, Rowe said. 

"The contractors provide immediate response, which is very important when you are dealing with birds in flight," he explains. "In a span of five minutes, the flock of birds or wildlife could be gone. MyFlight Safety Non-Commission Officer, Master Sgt. Ryan Carter, is out there daily as well checking the runway for birds but he can't be out there all day long. It is a coordinated team effort." 

The team consists of Rowe's Aviation Safety team, the 75th Civil Engineering Group, the 75th Operations Support Squadron Base Operations, the Hill AFB flying squadrons and the 75th OSS Air Traffic Control Tower. "All of us work together at one time to manage the wildlife population and our interaction with them," Rowe said. 

Chad Hansen, a contractor with the 75th CEG, says that quick response to wildlife and avian sightings is important due to the unpredictability of animal behavior, "we have no idea what the flocks of birds or other wildlife are going to do. This causes their presence to be particularly dangerous to flight safety, therefore, the quicker we can respond and decide the best course of action the safer we can make the airfield environment."
Rowe specifies that there is really no way to eradicate birds and wildlife in the area around Hill AFB, but their defensive technique borders on coexistence. 

"We really can't keep birds away," Rowe says. "We manage by monitoring them, and we can scare away one or two predator birds with sirens, but theyusually are not hanging around for very long." 

Instead, he and the Civil Engineering team devise creative ways to make Hill AFB a less desirable place for the birds to stay. One method they use to frustrate and deter birds from calling Hill AFB their home is to locate and disassemble bird nests before they lay eggs. 

"However, if they do lay eggs, then it is a protected entity and we have to go through fish and game agencies to figure out how to handle it," Rowe says. "Although a recent change in our regulations allows us to depreciate a certain bird species if it is for operational necessity and safety, we still work with the government agencies and get licenses for depreciation before we do anything else first." 

Another simple method they employ is planting grass species that do not seed until they grow past 14 inches in length. 

"The small creatures, like insects that attract rodents which in turn attract larger birds, are attracted to the seeds along with the smaller birds. Our regulations state that we are to keep the grass height between seven and 14 inches. We don't want to go below seven inches because that will be inviting to smaller birds, who like to look above the grass when they are on the ground to watch for predators," Rowe said. 

A newer, more high-tech method Rowe and his team will soon test is a chemical that can be sprayed on foliage where birds tend to rest and feed. Although the chemical is not lethal, when ingested through preening if the chemical gets on its feathers or by eating a food source in the sprayed area, the bird will experience indigestion and discomfort.
"They then relate that spot to the feelings of discomfort and they learn to avoid that spot," Rowe said. 

To further help the birds identify the area with the special spray, the product has an ultraviolent color spectrum that the birds can detect and it helps them further differentiate the area from other natural areas. 

The ground hazard, the wildlife, mostly consists of foxes that congregate near the runway. Dealing with wildlife is also a matter of coexistence for the BASH team. 

"We have to strike a balance," Rowe said. "The fox population is a naturally-occurring population, so we are not going to depreciate that population entirely. They also take care of the rodents, which are a food source for larger birds, and if we have too many rodents then that attracts more birds of prey. We keep track of the wildlife here and preserve a balance in wildlife populations." 

During this time of year, the bird and wildlife hazards are minimal due to the snow covering ideal food sources and birds migrating south for the season. However, spring will arrive in several weeks and birds will return to the area. 

"In the springtime and around October and November, you are looking at flocks of starlings and such returning here," says Rowe. 

Hansen reports that in May 2008, 44 percent of avian responses were due to the European starlings, a bird species that travels in flocks numbering in the thousands and which attracts other birds of prey. 

Although starlings seem to be the most recurring bird species that present hazards to the aviation safety team, Rowe says that there is not one particular bird species that is problematic. When Hill pilots experience a bird strike, samples of the bird's feathers or remains are sent to the Smithsonian Institution to identify which type of bird struck the aircraft. When the analysis returns from the Smithsonian, it is compiled in the aviation safety team's annual report. 

"If you look at Hill Air Force Base's data over the past few years, you'll find there has not been one particular bird that is problematic," Rowe said. "Because we have such a wide sample of birds, the incidences were not something we were able to prevent. They were random occurrences."