Airport Technology Tools: Scarecrow Group's Bio-Acoustic Bird Control Devices

Given the danger bird strikes at airports can pose to both planes and human life, a comprehensive risk mitigation toolkit is paramount. Scarecrow Group provides a range of bio-acoustic bird control and data logging solutions to help aerodromes meet their regulatory obligations and keep the danger to a minimum.

Scarecrow’s bird dispersal solutions for aerodromes are designed to be mounted on operations vehicles.

What is Bio-Acoustic Bird Control?

Bio-acoustic bird control exploits natural avian behaviour to humanely remove birds from an area. It works by playing species-specific distress calls at high fidelity. This communicates to the birds that there is danger in the area by creating the natural illusion that a member of their species is being killed, perhaps by a predator. Fearing they may be next, birds are prompted to take action and leave the area.

The black kite, a predatory bird whose call can disperse prey birds.

However, operator knowledge is also key if this technology is to be deployed effectively. Different species behave in different ways upon hearing distress calls. For example, some initially fly towards the call to try and spot the source of the danger and potentially help the bird, only fleeing once the call is cut off after an appropriate amount of time to create the illusion that the bird is now dead. Understanding these behaviours so they can be utilised correctly allows bio-acoustic methods to be used effectively regardless of species.

Bio-acoustic solutions using simpler audio technologies were effective before Scarecrow Group introduced more advanced digital technology in the 1980s, enhancing playback quality and reliability. This method is both effective and humane, with a proven track record at numerous airports over the past few decades.

A Complete Hazard Management Strategy

No single method will provide a complete solution for bird dispersal at an airport. To achieve the level of effectiveness that an airport needs, operations teams must have a variety of tools available. Bio-acoustic methods, when used properly, are highly effective and can be a core component of a strategy, supplemented with other methods such as visual deterrents or startling noises.

The modern airport cannot focus merely on getting rid of birds as and when the need arises.

International best practices and regulations require a certain standard of record-keeping. Airports must record their dispersal activity, bird activity within the site, and other events such as carcass recovery and confirmed or unconfirmed bird strikes. In many cases, aerodrome operators are also required to observe and report activity happening off-site as well. Sites located nearby that can act as wildlife attractants, such as water bodies, can also lead to an increase in bird activity on the airport by bringing flocks into the wider area. While airports may not have the power to take action outside their own boundaries, they are in many cases required to observe and log the activity of birds at sites within a certain radius, often 13 kilometres, in order to stay abreast of the situation.

All this record-keeping serves a couple of different purposes. Firstly, it provides an auditable trail of both dispersal and observation activity. Since the risk can never be reduced to zero, in the event of a strike it allows the airport to both establish and demonstrate that they were following best practice, and to identify any gaps in the strategy that could be filled. Secondly, it provides a comprehensive record of past bird activity. This data on which birds have been seen where and when on the aerodrome can be analysed in order to predict bird activity, inform future strategies, and focus efforts where they will be most useful.

Scarecrow Bird Dispersal Solutions for Airports

Scarecrow’s bird dispersal solutions for aerodromes are designed to be mounted on operations vehicles. The identified species’ call is selected from within the vehicle and played through speakers mounted on the roof. This mobile approach allows operators to carry out dispersal on regular patrols, as well as responding quickly to ad-hoc dispersal needs throughout the site.

Scarecrow's B.I.R.D Tab.

Scarecrow offers two main products for airport bird dispersal. The company’s flagship B.I.R.D Tab is a complete solution offering both dispersal and ICAO-led reporting functionality. It is controlled by proprietary software installed on a tablet mounted in the vehicle, from which operators select the appropriate call for playback, then log the details of the dispersals and other events for their records.

Premier 2020, on the other hand, is a pure dispersal solution, offering the same bio-acoustic functions as B.I.R.D Tab but without the reporting elements. Rather than a tablet, a dedicated control unit within the vehicle allows for calls to be selected.

Scarecrow Data Logging Solutions

Scarecrow Group’s range of wildlife hazard management systems for airports also covers mandatory record-keeping. As mentioned above, the flagship B.I.R.D Tab product covers both dispersal and data logging. It is also available in a reporting only variant, which does not include an active dispersal tool but includes all the logging and analysis functionality.

A second data-focused Scarecrow Group product is their O.A.R Software. O.A.R stands for Off-Aerodrome Reporting, and this software is specifically designed for airports that are required to monitor bird activity at other attractant sites within a certain radius of the airport itself. This is usually a task that must be handled by costly outside consultants, so O.A.R has been designed to make it practical to bring this task in-house to be performed by operations teams. It provides similar functionality to the reporting aspect of B.I.R.D Tab but tailored for offsite monitoring.

Both of these software packages are designed around the recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The species and number of birds sighted can be recorded along with a precise location using a custom map of the site and, if they have been dispersed, the dispersal methods used and the direction in which they fled. This data then transfers to a desktop software package, which can be used to carry out advanced analysis, generating customisable reports which make it easy to understand bird activity patterns and continuously improve the site’s hazard management plan.

With the right dispersal products, trained operators, and insights drawn from past bird activity on-site, airports are empowered to both easily meet their regulatory requirements and keep the risk of a strike as low as possible.