Can Falcons Fight Airplane Bird Strikes?
Sacramento International Airport Researches Program
POSTED: Tuesday, May 19, 2009
UPDATED: 4:23 am CDT May 19,
2009
MARYSVILLE, Calif. -- More bird strikes are reported each year at Sacramento International Airport than any other airport in California. Now the airport is looking into getting trained falcons to chase off migrating birds.Jim Tigan of Marysville is a pilot and falconer. Roz, his feathered partner, is a Saker falcon."She would actually pursue the ducks, and the curlews and migratory birds out of the area," said Tigan. "In essence, what we do is we just raise environmental stress to make the birds move around us."Travis Air Force Base has tried similar methods and has been successful at scaring off many birds there. The base has had a 95 percent reduction in bird strikes since the introduction of the falconry program, Tigan said.Sacramento International Airport is still researching the program, which could cost $250,000 -- which is about half of the airport's current bird abatement program budget. Currently, the airport is using propane cannons, distress calls, pyrotechnics and loud noises to scare the birds away.Experts said there are more than 100 bird strikes reported every year in Sacramento.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The views expressed are not those of Click2Houston.com, KPRC or its affiliated companies. This is a community moderated forum. (Please note the 'Like' and 'Report' tabs.) By posting your comments you agree to accept our Terms of Use.
blog comments powered by Disqus
A man is wanted after he kicked a front door off its hinges and shot a woman, KPRC Local 2 reports.
A 19-year-old is accused of using a stolen gun to shoot a Houston police officer who was trying to stop a burglary, KPRC Local 2 reports.
A man dies nearly two weeks after a masked gunman shot him in the head, KPRC Local 2 reports.
A driver admits to drinking and taking drugs before getting behind the wheel and crashing, police tell KPRC Local 2.
Three men pose as police officers to get a businessman into the car to rob him, police tell KPRC Local 2.
Feb. 9, 2010: A man is accused of using a stolen gun to shoot a Houston police officer who was trying to stop a burglary. Mariza Reyes reports.
Anthony Yanez
February 8, 2010: Charles Barkley joined Randy McIlvoy via satellite to talk about the 2010 NBA All-Star game and the Rockets.
Feb. 9, 2010: Local 2 investigates florists. Are you getting what you paid for? Amy Davis reports.
Feb. 8, 2010: A METRO bus hits a light-rail train in downtown Houston, injuring nine people and knocking the train off the tracks, KPRC Local 2 reports.
Check out our slideshow forecast to find out how long the chilly temperatures will stick around.
A police officer is shot in northwest Houston, KPRC Local 2 reports.
A METRO bus and a light-rail train collide in downtown Houston.
It has been 25 years since the debut of the hit comedy "The Breakfast Club" in theaters. What are the stars of the film up to today?
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
