Photo By Staff Sgt. Matthew Greiner | Wildlife biologist Carl Frey with the United States Department of Agriculture clenches...... read more read more
RENO, Nev. (Sep 19, 2017) -- It was a brisk morning, with a slight breeze, the temperature was 38 degrees Fahrenheit, and the air was thick with morning mist. Fall was here in Reno, and that meant more migratory birds were heading south to escape the cold in the north. That meant more bird work for Carl Frey, wildlife biologist with the United States Department of Agriculture.
Making his morning rounds near the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, and Nevada Air National Guard Base, Frey stopped his truck in front of the gate leading to the abandoned golf course bordering the airport. Just before he got out to open the gate, he looked over to me and said, “We might be able to use this pigeon noose harness.”
As we drove through the gate, Frey noticed a red-tailed hawk perched in a cottonwood tree. He reached down and pulled out Pablo; the name given to the bait pigeon. Pablo was wearing a pigeon noose harness, and ready to be deployed as bait to catch a raptor (A raptor is a bird of prey, a large, strong bird that feeds on smaller animals). Frey drove his truck slowly past the hawk, and released Pablo.
The red-tailed hawk, in just a few moments, was out of the tree and in attack mode. Bearing down on Pablo, he delivered a devastating hit that mortally wounded the pigeon.
Unfortunately Pablo’s sacrifice was in vain, as the red-tailed hawk avoided being snared. The hawk carefully assessed the pigeon and decided to leave the immediate area.
Frey was discouraged about the hawk escaping, he said birds like that are a danger to the planes flying in this area.
According to the United States Air Force Wildlife Strike Report 2016, the red-tailed hawk ranked 17th in number of strikes by species. From 1995 to 2016, red-tailed hawk strikes totaled 568. The total mishap cost caused by the red-tailed hawk in that respective timeframe is $17,039,479.
Wildlife poses a problem for military, as well as civilian aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration reports at least 2,300 wildlife-related aircraft strikes each year. The Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps report at least an additional 3,000 wildlife related aircraft strikes each year.
The Department of Defense wants to provide the safest flying conditions as possible, which is why it established the Bird/Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard prevention program known as “BASH.”
The BASH program’s purpose is to mitigate the risk of bird and wildlife strikes. This is done by carefully monitoring the surrounding airfield environment, scaring the birds away and relocating resident birds to different parts of the state. It also provides feedback on removing or modifying features and structures near the airfield. The goal is to eliminate perch sites for birds; by removing them or installing anti-perching devices.
Frey is currently working on three BASH sites for the Nevada Air National Guard. The sites include the Nevada Air National Guard Base here in Reno, the Sierra Army Depot in Herlong, California, and Sweetwater, the U.S. Marine Corps airport, near Wellington, Nevada.
Frey works in cooperation with the Nevada Air National Guard and Reno-Tahoe International Airport for their BASH programs.
Frey graduated from Northland College, located in Ashland, Wisconsin with a bachelor’s of science in biology, with an emphasis on fish and wildlife management, in 2008. His understanding of the natural environment and wildlife gives him a practical working knowledge for his BASH program.
Being able to identify bird species in your location and understanding why that species is attracted to that environment is paramount for Frey. Key information like this is collected in the BASH report and helps researchers and airport mangers get a better understanding of the birds’ habits.
As the day continued on, Frey set more traps and snares to catch the various raptors. The hawks looked, with a discriminating eye, at the pigeon in the noose harness and passed on the masquerading prey.
Frey said when the weather is bad, the birds head south to escape the storm. When they arrive here, they’re very hungry and will strike whatever prey is put in front of them. But today the weather isn’t bad, the birds aren’t that hungry, and are being more selective in what they eat.
The previous two weeks Frey captured over 20 birds and relocated them to different parts of the state. This Thursday morning was nothing like that.
Friday morning, Frey called and said he caught that same red-tailed hawk that got away the previous day. He said it was the same trap, but this time it worked the way it was supposed to.
Frey clenches the red-tailed hawk in front of the 152nd Maintenance Group hangar at the Reno Air Guard base. He said he’s going to continue doing his job, as he is responsible for keeping the Air National Guard safe.
| Date Taken: | 09.19.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 10.12.2017 19:08 |
| Story ID: | 251530 |
| Location: | RENO, NV, US |
| Web Views: | 572 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Wildlife biologist keeps Nevada Air Guard and civilian aircraft safe from raptors, by SSgt Matthew Greiner, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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