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IMPORTANTLY! We now have a complete range of airside bird
dispersal products, from hand held PATROL to ULTIMA; the ultimate
tablet based system to meet the Compliance needs of today – and
tomorrow. Read on! CONTENTS INCLUDE Meet David Windebank
David Windebank joined SCARECROW at the beginning of April as Head of Airside Applications. He will be available to visit airports to discuss our products and their application with bird controllers and airport managers. David joined the UK Royal Air Force in 1976 and in 1988 was at RAF Cranwell in charge of their Bird Control Unit and associated duties in Air Traffic Control. More recently he was Regional/Central Manager for seven RAF airfields and one regional civil airport under a Ministry of Defence Contract – until he heard of the SCARECROW vacancy! Tom Diamond, our Group Commercial Manager was well received when he gave an address to delegates at this conference and exhibition, one of the best A.C.I Forums: Operational Initiatives: the benefits of utilizing dynamic computer record keeping for airfield bird control. This year’s Airport Exchange will be held in Berlin, Germany, from 27-29 October 2008. More information? Just ask! Farnborough International Air Show We shall be exhibiting at this world-renowned air s from 14-20 July 2008. We will be on the Farnborough Aerospace Consortium stand – HALL 4 – where ULTIMA will be on continuous demonstration. Tickets? We may be able to help! If you prefer leasing equipment, rather than outright purchase, we are always happy to talk to your leasing company, or we may be able to help you directly. Want to know more? Please ask! Richard Smith, senior software engineer, is available for technical support on +44 (0) 7805 424023 – remember our TIME ZONE!! Ultima – the Reputation Grows! ULTIMA, recognised to be a user-friendly tablet based bird dispersal system to meet the compliance needs of today – and tomorrow – has a growing world interest and demand. Since their release at the start of 2008, the Ultima modules have created great interest. In case you have missed the developments, Ultima now affords: a) GPS calibrated airport image mapping This adds the benefit of viewing the physical locations of any bird control activity. This data features the same in-depth filtering of the Ultima Report Generator!
b) Wildlife logging Hyderabad Airport is now implementing 2 Ultima systems complete with the Wildlife Logging module, adding the ability to log any non-bird wildlife activity on the airfield. c) Firearm detail logging and stock control With the inclusion of this module it is possible to record every single shot on your airfield. Be it shotgun, air rifle, pyrotechnic or a blank, even lethal, non-lethal or misfire. Every stock item is accounted for, Ultima will even let you know when to order more stock! d) Video logging of bird dispersal on demand For the most comprehensive demonstration of ‘due diligence’! ULTIMA is capable of replacing some or all of the existing airside monitoring software that is sometimes present; no mythical science is involved, nor expensive management fees, everything can be analysed at the airport and information exchanged with others operating ULTIMA including, from late 2008, waste and landfill sites, to assist with Annexe 14 monitoring. More information? Just ask! At the next conference and exhibition, held by the Chartered Institute of Waste Management in Paignton, Devon, UK from June 9-13 we will be exhibiting a new version of – ULTIMA – which both satisfies airport regulatory standards and their co-ordinated relationship with waste/landfill sites where located within the regulatory 13km radius of the airport. Cost conscious landfill and waste site operators, are required to keep gulls, rooks and crows from their sites in compliance with current landfill licensing and integrated pollution prevention and control issues. They increasingly recognise the financial savings and dispersal efficiencies of Scarecrow’s bio-acoustic systems and we believe ULTIMA will be welcomed for information exchanges on like-for-like terms with airports. Also being exhibited are hand-held PATROL TWO and GOOSE PATROL, established products that provide 24/7 bird control at considerably cheaper operating costs than hawks and other birds of prey; these are often on a waste/landfill site for only a few days each month thereby encouraging the common bird population to wait until they have left! More information? Just ask! We continue to provide our 2 day training course in Bird Management and, in addition, a 2 day training course for ULTIMA users. More information? Just ask! Why Doesn’t Everyone Use Falcons? Nigel Horton of NH Bird Management reviews history
There will always be an interest in the use of falcons for bird control, whether it is on an airfield or a landfill site. They are natural predators that evoke an escape response in other birds. To quell some of the “black magic” and “folklore” surrounding this topic for 50 years, IBSC tasked Tim West and myself to produce a review paper around 10years ago. I reprise some of it here. Falconry is a sport and there is no room for “sport” in effective bird management where the hazard risk is high. However, the use of falcons by trained handlers has proved to be a very efficient, if highly specialised, technique for bird control. Early trials of the efficiency of falcons for flight safety were, in effect, trials of bird control per se and tended to concentrate on this single technique. In some instances, the results were regarded as disappointing because the expectation of the trial sponsors was for total bird dispersal by scaring alone. Some of this expectation was introduced by the falcon handlers, who themselves made exaggerated claims about the effectiveness of this technique. At this time many of the sometimes nonsensical myths started to emerge such as “falcons cannot be flown when it is raining or generally in bad weather”. The weather does affect the use of falcons but only in extreme conditions and in poor visibility, as to ensure control, both the falcon and handler have to be visible to each other. Bird management has since evolved and it is now recognised that active bird dispersal using any technique is only successful when the technique is a part of an integrated approach to the problem. Limitations on the use of bird dispersal “tools” are not confined to falcons, even the stalwarts; distress calls, bird scaring cartridges and shooting cannot be used in all instances where active control is required and lasers need low light conditions. Falcons, of all the tools available for airfield bird control, have perhaps the greatest potential to clear the largest area of the airfield in a short time. Once airborne, they can also have an immediate effect on any birds in the surrounding area. However, once released, the falcon and its effect cannot be turned off as quickly as switching off other equipment should the dispersal attempt need to be aborted. A major part of a successful integrated bird management scheme is the use of trained personnel to both manage and undertake the bird control duty. Where falcons are also used on airfields, the handlers are usually experienced bird controllers who, because of their specialism, are motivated to provide a good service. Using falcons is efficient when undertaken correctly and the target birds should not habituate because if they ignore the threat, death may follow. The falcon is, however, just another tool in the bird control armoury along with distress calls, pyrotechnics, shooting, lasers and general man-presence. When the latter are used in combination by trained and motivated staff as part of an integrated scheme, the airfield or landfill bird population has reduced. I am often asked whether I recommend the use of falcons for airfield bird control and I am unable to give a short answer. The review concluded that there was no biological justification to recommend against the use of trained falcons for aerodrome bird control. The evidence of many tests around the world left no doubt about their efficiency. As with any effective system, claims of excessive cost should not be used as an excuse for their non-adoption. However, there was also ample evidence worldwide to show that bird control can be efficient without falcons. Probably the greatest problem with falcons is integrating their use into airfield operations, especially where aircraft movement rates are high. The reported limitation of handler to falcon visual contact in poor light is a particular concern around dawn when the problem species are leaving their overnight roosts and moving onto or across the airfield. The ever-present possibility that the falcon can fly off necessitates a staffing contingency so that aerodrome bird control activities will not reduce while the handler retrieves the bird. Being effective over a large area is not always beneficial. On a large busy airport, the routine patrolling usually ensures that relatively small flocks are dispersed at a time. Falcons may not only move the target flock but also cause birds a few hundred metres away in the approach to rise, perhaps with hazardous consequences. Thus, the major disadvantage to this efficient technique is its safe integration and management in the big civil airport environment. The delivery address for any product being returned to us for refurbishment, repair or bird distress call change: Scarecrow Bio-Acoustic
Systems Ltd, Service Department |
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Scarecrow Bio-Acoustic Systems Ltd |
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