Great eagle owl and the ornithological service of the Kremlin. Ornithological Service of Moscow Airports Ornithological Service

If a bird collides with the fuselage or gets into an aircraft engine, it can not only die, but also disrupt the operation of important components of the aircraft. To prevent this, Domodedovo was the first in Russia in the early 1980s to create an airport ornithological service, whose tasks include monitoring birds on the territory of the airfield and within a radius of 15 km from it.

Domodedovo was the first among Moscow airports in 2002 to use unique falconry patrol birds to scare away those birds that could pose a threat to aircraft. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev | Reuters):

All birds that pose a danger to aircraft are divided into categories based on weight and size. The maximum danger is large birds weighing 0.5 kg or more, moving towards open areas of the airfield or gathering in flocks. These are geese, cranes, swans, herons, storks, eagles, buzzards, ducks, herring gulls. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev | Reuters):

Medium danger- pigeons, rooks, gulls, partridges, lapwings. All of them weigh from 150 to 500 grams. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev | Reuters):

Low danger- include starlings, thrushes, larks. They are dangerous because they are prone to forming numerous flocks. But crows are not dangerous, as they are very smart birds. They behave correctly at the airport and keep a respectful distance from aircraft. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev | Reuters):

One of the most “living” methods of fighting flying dinosaurs (the hypothesis about the origin of birds from dinosaurs was first put forward in 1868 by the English zoologist Thomas Huxley) is predators, also known as goshawks. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev | Reuters):

The ornithological service of Domodedovo Airport uses 5 goshawks. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev | Reuters):

In fact, this is not just pampering: the use of specially trained birds of prey is considered the most effective and natural method of combating the accumulation of birds in the take-off and landing zone and is widely used throughout the world. For example, such predators are “employed” at the largest airports in the USA, England, Spain, and Canada (in more than 20 countries in total). (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev | Reuters):

Unlike other technologies, such as guns that imitate the sound of a gunshot or speakers that broadcast the sounds of predators, this method induces strong avoidance responses in birds based on deep instincts developed during evolution. There is nothing scarier than a real, living and ruthless predator. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev | Reuters):

On average, a goshawk learns and adapts within a month. The feathered guards are trained using a special methodology, which is based on the principles of training used in falconry.

The main task of the specialist is to find contact with the bird, to get it to trust and become accustomed to the equipment and airport staff. and then everything will work out. Moscow, Domodedovo, September 2, 2016. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev | Reuters).

Flight safety is the main thing in aviation. Be it a large airport or a local airfield.
All of them are located in open areas, accessible to a certain type of “persons” who do not need a pass or documents to enter the airport. Not only do these characters constantly enter restricted areas, but they also pose a threat to flight safety.

Today we will talk about birds and one day in the life of the ornithological service at Domodedovo Airport.

By colliding with the fuselage or getting into the engine of an aircraft, a bird can disrupt the operation of aircraft components. To prevent such events, Moscow Domodedovo Airport was the first in Russia, back in the early 80s, to create an Ornithological Service, whose tasks include monitoring bird populations on the territory of the airfield and within a radius of 15 kilometers from it.

What does the ornithological service do?

The tasks of the unit include ensuring ornithological safety of flights and monitoring bird populations on the territory of the airfield and within a radius of 15 kilometers from it. In 2002, Domodedovo was the first among UIA (Moscow Aviation Hub) airports to use unique falconry patrol birds to scare away those birds that could pose a threat to aircraft.

According to the danger that birds can pose to aircraft, birds are divided by weight and size.
The greatest danger is posed by large birds weighing over half a kilogram, striving for open areas of the airfield or gathering in flocks. These are geese, cranes, swans, herons, storks, eagles, buzzards, ducks, herring gulls.

The average ones include pigeons, rooks, black-headed and glaucous gulls, partridges, lapwings, as well as several other species. All of them weigh from 150 to 500 g.
Small bird species dangerous to aircraft include starlings, thrushes, and larks. They are dangerous because they are prone to forming numerous flocks.

But crows are not dangerous, since they are very smart birds and behave correctly at the airport and keep a respectful distance from aircraft.

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Birds are afraid of sharp sounds, bangs, gunshots and predators that pose a potential threat to them.
Based on this, birds are repelled on the airfield using acoustic installations that broadcast the cries of dangerous birds.

Turn on the sound!

Birds are constantly moaning from this speaker.

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Birds are also repelled using propane guns that imitate the sound of a rifle shot, starting pistol or signal cartridges.
Several of these guns are installed next to the runway at Domodedovo - pictured on the right.

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Periodically, the cannon fires compressed gas, and even at a distance of hundreds of meters a blast wave is felt.

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One of the most “live” methods of combating a flying threat is birds of prey, also known as goshawks.
And yesterday, Ivan, an employee of the ornithological service, showed reporters how a hawk hunts.

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Today, to ensure ornithological safety of flights, five goshawks are used at Domodedovo Airport.
Meet Brunnhilde, a young six-month-old female hawk. For our own - Brunya.

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The use of specially trained birds of prey is the most effective and natural method of combating accumulations of birds in the take-off and landing zone and is widely used throughout the world: bird hunters work in the largest air harbors of the USA, England, Spain, Canada (in more than twenty countries in total).

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Unlike other technologies, in particular acoustic ones, this method causes stable avoidance reactions in birds based on deep instinctive processes developed during evolution, as a result of which the effectiveness of such influence increases markedly.

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On average, a goshawk learns and adapts within a month. The feathered guards are trained using a special methodology, which is based on the principles of training used in falconry.

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In the process of so-called “gestation,” ornithologists accustom the bird to itself, its environment, and the specific working conditions at the airfield. The main task of the specialist is to find contact with the bird, to gain its trust and habituation to the equipment and personnel.

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Before the hunt begins, a helmet-eyecup is put on the bird so as not to irritate it with a large number of lenses aimed at it - the hawk perceives camera lenses as someone’s eyes and worries for how it will look on the screen.
Brunya listens to every sound and periodically scratches herself, trying to get rid of the helmet.

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Before a patrol bird is released on a patrol flight, a small transmitter is attached to its tail or paw, allowing movements to be tracked within a radius of 25 kilometers. However, this is rather a formality - a well-trained bird stays close to its owner and only in the excitement of chasing prey can it fly long distances.

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When an intruder comes into view, the hawk breaks from its perch - Ivan has a special thick leather glove on his left hand for transporting the bird.
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This time the intruder turned out to be a dove - not the easiest prey for a hawk. They seem like clumsy hulks to us, but in fact pigeons are very nimble and maneuverable when they are in open areas.

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Literally ten seconds pass and the intruder is about to end up in Brünnhilde’s clutches.

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Everything happened quite far away, so we won’t go into details.
Let me just say that Brunya did her job perfectly, and the offender became a complete hawk’s dinner.
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As Ivan said, each bird in the squad has its own character and he could not pick out a favorite from all of them.

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Brunya is still a young and impulsive girl, she still has to work on herself and hone her hunting skills.

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This is such a beauty.

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Taken from photografersha in How Brünnhilde caught a trespasser in Domodedovo

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At the Airport Ornithological Service

Domodedovo was the first among Moscow airports in 2002 to use unique falconry patrol birds to scare away those birds that could pose a threat to aircraft. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev | Reuters):

Medium danger - pigeons, rooks, gulls, partridges, lapwings. All of them weigh from 150 to 500 grams. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev | Reuters):

Low danger - includes starlings, thrushes, larks. They are dangerous because they are prone to forming numerous flocks. But crows are not dangerous, as they are very smart birds. They behave correctly at the airport and keep a respectful distance from aircraft. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev | Reuters):

The ornithological service of Domodedovo Airport uses 5 goshawks. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev | Reuters):

On average, a goshawk learns and adapts within a month. The feathered guards are trained using a special methodology, which is based on the principles of training used in falconry.

The specialist’s main task is to find contact with the bird, get it to trust and become accustomed to the equipment and airport staff. and then everything will work out. Moscow, Domodedovo, September 2, 2016. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev | Reuters).

For more than 20 years, an aviation ornithology group has been operating at Pulkovo Airport. Service employees ensure that live birds do not interfere with the flights of their iron comrades. Read about how ornithologists scare away wild birds in the City+ report.

We are sitting in an office furnished with boxes at the head of the aviation ornithology department at Pulkovo Airport, Andrei Borisovich, with a telling surname - Sokolov. He moves to a new building, but there is still a bright poster with birds on one of the walls. These are unlikely to be found on the territory of Pulkovo, but even without them there are enough birds at the airport, and they are definitely not welcome guests here. Live birds interfere with the flight of iron birds.

Pulkovo began working to prevent birds from colliding with airplanes in the 80s, and in 1993 a structure appeared that deals only with this. The number of takeoffs and landings increased, types of aircraft changed, engine noise decreased, speeds increased, and the need for such work became increasingly clear. Andrei Borisovich came to Pulkovo in 2002, when there were five people working in the aviation ornithology group, their number changed over the years, and now the group has 11 people on staff.

Where do the birds in Pulkovo come from?

There were especially many birds in Pulkovo when the landfill on the Volkhonskoye Highway was in operation. Every day about 12,000 seagulls flew in one direction, and then they flew in the opposite direction. The airport actively advocated for the closure of Volkhonka. “We wrote letters, including to the federal authorities, but things moved slowly,” says Andrei Borisovich. And one day the landfill caught fire during a major international event. And it was closed. The number of seagulls has decreased tenfold.

Pulkovo is located in the bird migration zone; the southern branch of the White Sea-Baltic Flyway passes next to it. Therefore, spring and autumn are the busiest seasons for the aviation ornithology group. The greatest number of bird collisions with airplanes occurs in May and September, the least in November. However, this number is still low, and now rarely leads to serious consequences: iron birds have become much stronger.

By the way, working with birds goes beyond the visible boundaries of the airport. Specialists monitor the ornithological situation within a radius of 15 km from the airport control point. Ornithologists also monitor this area. The airport hired specialists from St. Petersburg State University, who carried out an examination there and gave the aviation ornithology group entire books where dangerous and safe zones were described, with photographs, tables and diagrams. Every year, ornithologists check the places where birds gather, and all changes are recorded on maps.

Sometimes rare birds fly into the territory of Pulkovo. The year before last, ornithologists discovered a peregrine falcon, and last year - a godwit and a curlew. Andrei Borisovich tells how he found a remez nest here. Pulkovo ornithologists share interesting data with colleagues from scientific institutes.

“The black redstart also visited us - an extremely rare bird. She generally nests in the Alps. The male is still singing here. But people will pass by and not even hear... it’s a shame,” sighs Andrei Borisovich.

About collisions

“For modern technology, a collision with a bird does not necessarily have any consequences. Often no one even notices this. In most cases, a stain is noticed and that's it. But any collision is a prerequisite for an aviation accident, so this should be alarming. In 2007, an AN-12 plane crashed at Domodedovo airport due to a bird collision,” explains Andrei Borisovich.

The ornithologist says that there is a so-called collision rate. It is calculated based on the number of takeoffs and landings. An airport is considered to be very successful if this coefficient is 0.5. Last year in Pulkovo it was 0.15. This means that isolated collisions were recorded in the airport’s area of responsibility, while hundreds of thousands of takeoffs and landings were made.

“This year we have already had three collisions. On May 8, a small private plane collided with a goose at an altitude of 600 meters and 15 km from the airport. There were no consequences, but the fact was recorded,” the ornithologist reads data from his reports. World practice knows about a plane collision with a bird at an altitude of 11 thousand meters.

There are bird species that are dangerous to aircraft: flocking and large ones. First of all, these are seagulls, especially herring gulls. Last year we managed to avoid a collision with them; this year there was an incident with a black-headed gull.

According to ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) statistics, most birds get caught in aircraft engines. At Pulkovo, birds hit: the locator fairing (nose), the engine, the windshield, and the right landing gear. “29% of bird strikes in the world occur during landing, last year we had 18%, during takeoff - 25%, here - 4%, below one hundred feet (30 meters) - 50%, here - 13% “Andrei Borisovich continues to read out the reports.

What means does Pulkovo use against birds?

While we were being driven through the airport to Andrei Borisovich's office, we noticed glass balls hanging low above the ground - like in a disco club. Here they perform a role that is not at all entertaining - they scare away birds. Birds are afraid of unexpected bright glare, lose orientation in space and fly away from an unpleasant light source.

They also influence birds using sounds. “We have an acoustic system along the runways, 12 installations, every 450 meters, video surveillance is installed. If a bird is visible on the camera, you can press a button and the system will make a scaring sound,” explains Andrey Borisovich. Most often, birds are scared by the cry of a crow. “The crow is a cosmopolitan, lives everywhere, a sociable bird, very intelligent. If she gives an alarm signal, then almost all the birds listen,” the ornithologist continues. But the cry of birds of prey has no intimidating effect on birds: they hunt silently, trying to go unnoticed for as long as possible.

There is also an ornithologist on duty at each runway of the airport 24 hours a day, who regularly tours the runway complex. The shift lasts 12 hours; in calm conditions, the strip is inspected at least once an hour. In winter, there is also no end to birds: seagulls, crows and owls fly to the strip. But the intervals between inspections of the strip are quite arbitrary: an ornithologist can enter the strip only with the permission of the “tower”. At the end of May, only one runway was operating in Pulkovo (the second was closed for annual maintenance), so planes took off and landed here every minute. In this mode, it is not always possible to quickly allocate time for the ornithologist to make a detour; you have to wait longer than usual for access to the strip

If, while examining the strip, an ornithologist notices a bird, most often he scares it with a signal flare. There may be other measures: warn the flight director, who will convey a message to the crew about the threat. Sometimes the aircraft commander decides to go around: then the ornithologist has time to scare away the bird.

Pulkovo Airport is the first civil airport in Russia to use birds of prey to scare away wild birds. In world practice, this began 5-10 years earlier, in our country - in 1986-87. At Barcelona Airport, for example, there are 10 falconers and 45 birds of prey. In Russia today, predators are used at Pulkovo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and airports in Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Makhachkala and Krasnodar. The first in Russia to use birds of prey to scare away birds was the Kubinka military airfield in Moscow. The problem here is that, as a rule, such a service is built around the falconer. If there is no falconer in the city, then there is no one to work.

Falconer Vlad Lyzhenkov works in Pulkovo, and with him four hawks and two falcons. As Vlad explains, wild birds sooner or later get used to everything else, but never to predators. “Our goal is not to catch and kill everyone. Wild birds must be aware of the danger. If we kill one crow, it won't do any good. It is necessary for one bird to convey to others that there is danger, and it is real,” Vlad explains the essence of his work.

Birds of prey have different approaches to hunting. Hawks work at short range, from the hand. “Often we are just driving a car and from an open window I release a bird not far from a concentration of birds. The hawk quickly catches up with the prey, tries to catch it and very quickly runs out of steam. If he doesn’t catch anyone, they lure him to the glove,” explains Vlad. The falcon has a different strategy: having risen, it can quickly develop speed and catch up with the prey for a long time. The service in Pulkovo employs unharmed falcons who do not know what wild prey is. The fact is that the falcon is a fast bird and can pursue its prey for a very long time and over long distances. . After this, he is unlikely to return to the airport, which means Pulkovo will lose a valuable employee. Instead of a live bird, the falcon hunts with a lure. This is a three-dimensional dummy made of leather and tied to a cord. The falconer waves it, and the bird tries to catch it: like a kitten, it plays with a toy. A wild bird sees that a living falcon is flying not far from it and hunting for something incomprehensible. For her, this is already a sufficient argument to urgently leave her favorite place.

“We train the birds early in the morning, when it’s not hot. Our birds are northern, it’s hard for them in the heat. I have Mexican birds at home, I’m thinking of starting to use them, they are more resistant to heat,” says Vlad. He explains that the bird must be selected for specific situations; there are no universal birds.

The Pulkovo predators that we see in cages have been serving at the airport for three years. Here lives the Semikura hawk, who in his youth was a hooligan and once stole seven chickens from a chicken coop. The largest predator is called Godzilla, and one of the birds, Natasha, is named after a former employee of the aviation ornithology group, Natalya, who worked with her.

How to scare away birds abroad

The main task for the airport is to create conditions that would not attract birds at all. In Pulkovo, for example, they cover technical reservoirs with a special mesh, mow the lawn in time so that it is about 30 centimeters high (if it is higher, seeds will appear, lower, birds will land on it).

In Europe, says Andrei Borisovich, there is no need to mow the lawn - most airfields are “rolled” into asphalt. Only small pieces of grass are found. At Fraport (the company that manages Frankfurt International Airport), only one person works with birds, because there are no ponds or vegetation on the airport territory, which means that birds are not interested in it.

Some airports in Germany use bird shooting. This measure, by the way, is also spelled out in Pulkovo documents. Andrei Borisovich considers it effective, but does not use it himself. “I’m a humanist,” explains the ornithologist. In Holland, on the contrary, all work with birds comes down to keeping statistics of downed birds. Other actions, the Dutch believe, can harm wild birds.