Moving day for young hawks at Sea-Tac
SEATTLE (AP) - Wildlife officials at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have relocated two young red-tailed hawks from their nests as part of a program to prevent bird aircraft strikes.
The fluffy, off-white raptors, both less than a month old, were removed Wednesday from nests high in cottonwood trees located in and around the airport.
They're tagged and taken to northern Washington where they'll be raised by the nonprofit Falcon Research Group until they fly off on their own.
Since the airport program began in 2001, more than 200 raptors have been removed from nests to improve airport safety. Only two tagged hawks have returned to the airport in that time.
Nationwide, airplane collisions with birds or other animals have destroyed 28 aircraft since 2000, according to Federal Aviation Administration data released in April. In January, a US Airways jet ditched in New York's Hudson River after bird strikes knocked out both of its engines. All 155 passengers survived.
In 2008, there were 105 cases of wildlife hitting aircraft at Sea-Tac airport, up from 76 in 2007, airport spokesman Perry Cooper said.
He said the increase doesn't reflect more frequent incidents but rather better voluntary reporting by airlines.
There weren't serious problems with takeoffs or landings involving wildlife last year, but there have been previous cases where a bird strike delayed takeoff or forced a plane to return to the airport, Cooper said.
Most of the birds hit are gulls.
Airport officials say they try to make the airport as unattractive as possible to animals to keep them away, including building fences, planting grasses that some birds don't like and covering water features with nets.
Raptors, including eagles, owls, falcons and vultures, are rarely hit. "We can get to their nests and get to them when they're young," Cooper said.
Six pairs of territorial adult hawks are allowed to nest around the airport because they know how to avoid jet traffic and chase off other naive hawks. But young hawks aren't as familiar with the dangers of aircraft, airport officials said.
On Wednesday, arborist John Mailhiot climbed about 60 feet up a cottonwood tree and plucked a young hawk from its nest, placed it in a bag and brought it to the ground. Meanwhile, the hawk's parents circled and whistled overhead at the intrusion.
Bud Anderson, director of the Falcon Research Group, took the two hawks back to the Skagit Flats where they'll be raised until they become independent.
"They're here right now. They're feeding. They're doing great," he said.
Sea-Tac is currently working with the University of Illinois on a long-term effort to detect potentially hazardous bird activity on and near an airport.
The fluffy, off-white raptors, both less than a month old, were removed Wednesday from nests high in cottonwood trees located in and around the airport.
They're tagged and taken to northern Washington where they'll be raised by the nonprofit Falcon Research Group until they fly off on their own.
Since the airport program began in 2001, more than 200 raptors have been removed from nests to improve airport safety. Only two tagged hawks have returned to the airport in that time.
Nationwide, airplane collisions with birds or other animals have destroyed 28 aircraft since 2000, according to Federal Aviation Administration data released in April. In January, a US Airways jet ditched in New York's Hudson River after bird strikes knocked out both of its engines. All 155 passengers survived.
In 2008, there were 105 cases of wildlife hitting aircraft at Sea-Tac airport, up from 76 in 2007, airport spokesman Perry Cooper said.
He said the increase doesn't reflect more frequent incidents but rather better voluntary reporting by airlines.
There weren't serious problems with takeoffs or landings involving wildlife last year, but there have been previous cases where a bird strike delayed takeoff or forced a plane to return to the airport, Cooper said.
Most of the birds hit are gulls.
Airport officials say they try to make the airport as unattractive as possible to animals to keep them away, including building fences, planting grasses that some birds don't like and covering water features with nets.
Raptors, including eagles, owls, falcons and vultures, are rarely hit. "We can get to their nests and get to them when they're young," Cooper said.
Six pairs of territorial adult hawks are allowed to nest around the airport because they know how to avoid jet traffic and chase off other naive hawks. But young hawks aren't as familiar with the dangers of aircraft, airport officials said.
On Wednesday, arborist John Mailhiot climbed about 60 feet up a cottonwood tree and plucked a young hawk from its nest, placed it in a bag and brought it to the ground. Meanwhile, the hawk's parents circled and whistled overhead at the intrusion.
Bud Anderson, director of the Falcon Research Group, took the two hawks back to the Skagit Flats where they'll be raised until they become independent.
"They're here right now. They're feeding. They're doing great," he said.
Sea-Tac is currently working with the University of Illinois on a long-term effort to detect potentially hazardous bird activity on and near an airport.
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