Falcons are eyes in the sky - Travis Air Force Base uses falcons to help control small birds - Brief Article

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AMCNS) -- It's amazing, considering the size of a C-5 or KC-l0, that some of Mother Nature's smallest creatures can pose such a serious threat to flying safety.

Surprisingly though, a small bird can cause millions of dollars in damage. or worse, when David and Goliath collide. This is where the Bird Air Strike Hazard abatement program comes into play.

B.A.S.H. is a program to help preserve war-fighting capabilities by reducing the number of bird strikes and incidents with aircraft. At Travis, seven peregrine falcons patrol the skies, aided on the ground by three bird handlers.

"Falcons are birds of prey; they scare other birds to death. Just seeing an attacking falcon will cause birds to flee the area very quickly. They are capable of diving on their prey at speeds of more than 140 mph," Jeff Kingscott, bird handler, said.

There are more than too bird species that inhabit the base throughout the year. Activity picks up during the rainy season because of food and habitat availability. Since the Travis program began in 1998, the annual number of bird strikes has dropped 80 percent from 269 to 67 in 2000, saving the base an average of $900,000 per year in aircraft repairs.

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