Record number of birds chased from YVR
24-hour patrols keep aircraft operations safe from potential deadly encounter
Vancouver International Airport wildlife program workers chased away a record 1.5 million birds from runways last year in an effort to reduce the chances of a potential deadly impact with aircraft.
That number — up 47 per cent from about one million birds chased last year — is in addition to 414 birds culled and 174 raptors relocated in 2017. In 2011, 577,000 birds were scared off the airport grounds and the western foreshore of Sea Island in Richmond.
David Bradbeer, YVR’s wildlife program specialist, said that a focus on increased numbers of waterfowl, including snow geese and dabbling ducks, as well as gulls contributed to the spike in birds chased. The lower Fraser River delta has the greatest density of birds in Canada in winter.
“We have patrols 365 days a year, day and night,” he said. “The number one priority is safety, making sure we keep aircraft operations safe, while trying to balance the need to share the airspace with wildlife.”
Aircraft struck birds 217 times at Vancouver airport last year, a slight improvement over 225 in 2016.
No incidents resulted in crashes last year, although the 2009 crash of a passenger jet in New York highlights the potential dangers of bird strikes. The US Airways A320 Airbus flew into a flock of geese shortly before losing both engines and splashing down onto the Hudson River. All 155 passengers and crew survived.
A Transport Canada list of birdstrikes at YVR last year include:
Dec. 10: An Air Canada Airbus 319-100 jet was taking off from Vancouver destined for Edmonton with eight crew and 88 passengers when it reported hitting a bird. The cabin crew noticed a strong electrical burning smell, and the plane returned to Vancouver with emergency fire crews standing by. A maintenance check revealed a failure of the vacuum generator rotor.
Nov 17: An Air Canada Airbus A320-211 on a flight from Los Angeles was arriving at Vancouver when it reported a bird strike. An inspection found the remains of half a great blue heron.
Nov. 2: An American Airlines Boeing 737-823 jet departing Vancouver for Dallas reported a bird strike. A runway inspection discovered a “mutilated flock of birds.” The departure of several aircraft was delayed. The largest number of birds culled by species last year included 147 mallards, 71 American wigeon, 48 snow geese, 27 dunlin, and 26 green-winged teal. Four coyotes were also killed. In some cases, feathers were sent to the Beaty Biodiversity Museum at the University of B.C. for identification.
A great blue heron, a northern harrier and seven short-eared owls — a species of special concern in B.C. — were killed by a trained falcon during efforts to manage other avian species. The falcon has since been removed from the wildlife program.
Research into the stomach contents of dead birds reveals some are attracted to introduced non-native cutworms that live in the turf grasses around the airport.
Chemical treatments are being used on an experimental basis to address the problem.