ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Hawks and falcons are an essential part of the ecosystem and are one of nature’s instinctive predators. Although these natural aviators are beneficial to the environment, they can pose as a threat to the safety of Airmen, aircraft and vulnerable wildlife.
The 97th Air Mobility Wing Bird/Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) program, expanded itself with an addition of the Predatory Bird Relocation Program in order to continue the mission at Altus AFB of training mobility aircrew.
After seeing what risks predatory birds, or raptors, have when they live near or on airfields, Adam Kohler, a Wildlife Biologist with the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services at Altus AFB, created a branch program off BASH, which safely removes birds near the airfield that have the potential to injure themselves or Aircrew flying.
“I work for the USDA Wildlife Services which acts kind of like the government’s wildlife damage management program,” said Kohler. “One of the big areas we work in are airfields. We use the BASH program to help keep the public and aircraft safe from accidents that may happen with wildlife.”
The Predatory Bird Relocation Program is an important aspect in forwarding the mission of the Mighty 97th. Each year, a total of $100 million in damage on aircraft from birds and other wildlife is spent throughout the Air Force. Since Kohler founded the program in the fall of 2018, over 20 raptors have been safely captured and relocated away from the airfield saving Altus AFB time, lives and money.
“While hawks and falcons are less abundant than other birds found in this area, they are one of the species with the highest risk of getting hit,” said Kohler. “Although there is less of them out there, they get struck by aircraft more often, and because of their size they inflict more damage when they are hit. That is why we created the program specific to relocate the raptors.”
When a raptor is within a close enough range of the airfield to become a hazard, Kohler will set out harmless, simple traps near the bird in order to capture it. Once the raptor is caught, Kohler will place a tracking band on the foot of the bird and relocate it to a safer environment.
“By us going out there and banding the raptors, it helps out U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and any agencies that’s studying wildlife,” said Kohler. “It’s a great cooperative effort between us and every other wildlife research agency towards gaining knowledge from and understanding different species.”
Banding is the process of placing a small plastic or metal anklet around the bird’s foot. The band has a specific number on it which can help identify the bird in the future. This is a very important part of the relocation process because it can help identify which birds return to the airfield once they have been relocated. If a banned bird does return, they are simply relocated to a different environment, hopefully to keep the raptor satisfied at its new location.
“Banding the birds is an essential part, nationwide, to the agencies research of the effectiveness in relocating raptors,” said Kohler. “Throughout our research we have found that more than 90% of the relocated birds have stayed in their new location, away from the airfield. It’s good because this data helps us show that catching and relocating these birds actually keeps them away and safe, and not returning.”
The Predatory Bird Relocation Program is an essential part in helping achieve the mission of the Mighty 97th. Although they are always needed in local environments, when too close to an airfield, predatory birds become a threat to their own lives, and the safety of Airmen. By relocating these predatory raptors to a safer location, Kohler and the USDA Wildlife Services team help keep Mobility’s Hometown safe and mission ready.