As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Thursday, 25 October 2012

MIAA to shoo birds away with P45M sound device


The Manila International Airport Authority on Tuesday said that they are planning to acquire a sound device that will frighten away birds from the airfield, thus preventing bird strikes on aircraft. The sound device is worth P45 million.

MIAA’s airport grounds operations and safety division chief Joseph Agustin said that the new device has two powerful speakers, and it will replace the sirens currently used.

 The sound device should be in place before February 2013.

 Apart from the sound device, the airport authority is also planning to invest some P23-million to cover an artificial pond found between the runways. The artificial pond absorbs the excess water coming from the runway, thus preventing their flooding.

 According to Danish ornithologist Arne Jensen, water from the pond attracts birds. “Normally, you don’t have wetland inside the airport because it attracts birds,” Jensen said on Tuesday, at the sidelines of an on-site visit at the airport.

As of August, about 49 bird strikes have been recorded since January.

Currently, and aside from the sirens, the airport uses pigeon-hawk replicas, and starter pistols to get rid of the birds. They also have falconers that fly their birds-of-prey at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s grounds.


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