Prince Albert Glass Field Airport is advising nearby residents they may hear occasional popping noises around the airfield as staff step up wildlife deterrence efforts during the spring migrating season.
The city-issued media release describes the effort as part of the airport’s wildlife management plan, which is aimed at reducing hazards to aircraft caused by birds and other animals on or near airport grounds.
Airport Manager Todd Schultz said the plan is not new, and in fact, remains in place throughout the year. Schultz said the release was issued now because migratory bird activity becomes a bigger concern at this time of year, even though wildlife monitoring continues in all seasons.
“Certified aerodromes such as this one are regulated by Transport Canada and are required to implement a comprehensive airport wildlife management plan,” Schultz said. “The purpose of the plan is to identify any hazards associated risks and implement control measures to mitigate any risk to aviation safety.
“The plan is in effect for the entire year,” he added. “It never ceases, because throughout the winter, there can be a variety of other mammals—foxes and coyotes and things like that, so it’s not just migratory birds that we’re interested in tracking. But at these times of the year during the migratory seasons, of course, that becomes a concern.”
While the release mentions pyrotechnic tools such as shell crackers, flares, firecrackers and rockets, Schultz said those are not expected to be the main source of activity.
“We primarily utilize a propane-powered cannon so you’re not going to see very much pyrotechnic activity. It is a tool that we do have at our disposal,” he said.
Schultz said those devices are moved to different parts of the airfield and usually operate during higher-risk periods, especially around sunrise and sunset.
“They are rotated through various locations around the airfield, they’re on a timer system, so they’ll release a popping sound, at higher risk times of the day, typically dawn and dusk,” he said. “There’s a few hours in the morning and in the evening that nearby residents may hear a faint popping sound, but I wouldn’t expect it’s going to be much of the city, just some of those residences that are somewhat adjacent to the airport.”
He said the concern is greatest during takeoff and landing, when aircraft pass through the airspace where birds are most commonly present.
“There are bird activities generally restricted to 3000 feet and below. So during those takeoff and landing phases of a flight, they’re transitioning through those altitudes where birds can be present,” Schultz said. “So, that’s the overarching goal of the wildlife management plan, is to deter those birds away from the airport to safer areas.”
Schulz said there have been no recent bird strikes or close calls at the Prince Albert Airport.
He added that some quieter deterrent methods are also used, including grass maintenance and fence-mounted bird bristles, but the airport’s main concern remains safety.
“Well, we just remind everybody that that the airport’s first and foremost priority is aviation safety. So we we take that very seriously, but at the same time, we recognize that some of these activities do pose a nuisance, so we make our best attempt to keep them to a minimum,” he said.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
