Some airports send border collies on wild-goose chases; others fight birds differently.

The world held its collective breath several weeks ago when US Airways Flight 1549 made a splash-landing on the Hudson River in New York, after a flock of geese got caught in the plane's engines soon after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport. Miraculously, all 154 passengers escaped disaster thanks to heroic pilot Chesley Sullenberger.

The incident has thrust seemingly innocuous birds into the forefront as one of aviation's biggest threats. "Bird strikes are going on constantly," said Dr. Nicholas Carter, director and principal ecologist at Birdstrike Control Inc., a company based in Willis, TX, that manages bird populations around airports using herding dogs. "There are bird strikes every day in the U.S. The FAA says last year alone, there were 7,000 reported incidents, and that's only a quarter of the actual strikes that are happening around the country."

Carter explained that normally, bird strikes are like bugs hitting your car windshield: They happen, and you go about your business. But he added that while what happened in New York was rare, it was inevitable. "There will be another one, and the next one may not be so lucky," said Carter.

"In Rome, not more than a couple of months ago, a plane lost two engines to starlings," Carter recalled. "And last year in Oklahoma, a smaller plane went down [after] hitting geese."

While the bird threat can never be eliminated entirely, Carter claims it could be reduced by 95 percent through the use of border collies, natural herding dogs that are effective in controlling populations of both small and large birds. Their growing popularity as bird controllers has resulted in them being a perpetual presence on airport grounds. Although no dog ever kills a bird (the killer instinct has been bred out of them, said Carter), their presence moves the birds out to a safer five-mile perimeter from runways.

Carter's firm, which gets its dogs from a border collie rescue program, is currently under contract to U.S. Air Force bases around the country and also to large commercial airports like Vancouver International.

JFK and LaGuardia are likely candidates for a new anti-bird radar system (currently in use at Dallas-Fort Worth International) that gives pilots enough advance warning of large flocks to navigate away. Currently, however, the two airports are employing a massive, "multilayered" anti-bird program that includes pyrotechnics, falcons, and other measures.

Blasting loud noises around sites where birds congregate is a major ploy. But Carter explained that birds' fear of guns and explosions is a learned process. As soon as the birds realize that the blast doesn't precede an attack, they return.

However, with the constant presence of a natural predator—one that has evolved with the birds—the fear is never unlearned. "The birds naturally fear the dogs. It's part of their evolution," said Carter.

Pasquale DiFulco, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, which administers LaGuardia, JFK, Newark Liberty, Stewart International, and Teterboro airports), told MeetingNews that there are no plans to include border collies in their anti-bird programs, "as they are not an effective means of wildlife management at our airports." He added the PA works closely with local, state, and federal officials on a federally approved program to control birds and other wildlife at all of its airports.

"Our plans, which are reviewed and approved annually by federal officials, contain several components," stated DiFulco. "In addition to shooting and trapping birds when they pose an immediate hazard, the agency and its contractors also employ methods such as egg oiling, pyrotechnics, removing nests, and habitat management. We will continue to work with our federal partners to strengthen this program."

Originally published Feb. 16, 2009 This page is protected by Copyright laws. Do Not Copy