BIRDS AND ME -3

In 1991 Air Marshal Keeler (Air Safety Officer of Air Force) came to Baroda and requested me to meet
him at the Air Force Station. He asked whether we could continue the study and find solution for the bird
problems. Promptly ARDB sanctioned the Project Bird Hazard to Aviation Phase II (1992-1995) to
study methods for bird proofing airport buildings and installations, to scare the birds away from
airports and to reduce the bird population by use of weedicides and ecological measures to
minimize bird hits at Ahmedabad and Baroda Airports. Our research team learned so much from
ATC officers, Airport officials, working of radars and runway lights and studied birds and animals of
airport. At that time Hella, the German firm was marketing ABC (Anti Bird Collision) light. AVM
Krishnan was the Supervisor of the Project. It was really fun to be with him as he explained aircrafts and
us about birds. ABC light was much powerful that the strobe light and we decided to filed test it. We
mounted the light on to our special vehicle and directed the light to the flock of vultures and kites and
other birds. They were only amused at seeing the light. Meanwhile we tested many devices to bird proof
the building and installations.

Vultures at dead animal

dumping place

Vultures at the garbage

dumps

Vultures waiting at the

carcass processing centers

Setting up experiments exposing the strobe light on to a flock of vultures

Disheartened by the ineffectiveness of ABC light on birds, we returned to our attempts to various other
bird scarring devices and methods to reduce the bird population in the airport and its vicinity. Around the
Ahmedabad airport there was large number of carcass processing centres where they just dump cattle
carcass to be cleaned by hordes of vultures. We suggested shifting of carcass processing centres from the
vicinity of air ports to reduce vulture population. We tried all known bird repellants including the methyl
mercaptan (Methyl Mercaptan, the garlic odour bearing chemical is added to natural gas to make it
odoriferous. Finally we found that ecological measures to reduce the bird population are the best way to
save the aircrafts. We tried weedicides in the airports to reduce vegetation. We wound up the project after
submitting a report with practicable and proven solutions. Studying birds was the easiest part of the
project but physics and chemistry was tough.