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LYDD AERODROME BIRD CONTROL MANUAL FIREARMS / PYROTECHNICS RISK ASSESSMENT LYDD AIRPORT Bird Control Manual Issue Number: 7 Issued to: Aerodrome Bird Control Unit Copy Number: 1 London Ashford Airport Ltd Page 37 of 37 June 2010 LYDD AERODROME BIRD CONTROL MANUAL Part 1 AMENDMENT RECORD Date Amend. # Area covered Pages Initials 15/10/01 Original All 29/12/2001 2 Various 30/01/2002 3 Various 15/05/2003 4 Various 06/01/2004 5 Advice received from AWM all May 2007 6 Various All April 2008 7 Revised and Reformatted All Stations All June 2010 8 Revised and Reformatted All Stations All PF June 2010 9 New Appendix 7 26-30 PF June 2010 10 New Appendix 8 31 PF London Ashford Airport Ltd Page 2 of 37 June 2010 LYDD AERODROME BIRD CONTROL MANUAL Part 2 CONTENTS Part 1 AMENDMENT RECORD Part 2 CONTENTS Part 3 INTRODUCTION Part 4 THE MANUAL, DISTRIBUTION AND AMENDMENTS Part 5 GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED Part 6 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Part 7 LICENSING Part 8 LIST OF FIREARMS RETAINED Part 9 FACILITIES AND RESOURCES Part 10 OBSERVATIONS, COUNTS AND DISPERSAL OPERATIONS Part 11 HABITAT MANAGEMENT Part 12 AERODROME ACCESS Part 13 RECORD KEEPING AND REPORTING Part 14 APPENDICES 1. Operational Use of Bird Control Techniques and Equipment 2. Bird Control Area Plan 3. Aerodrome Area Map 4. Official Rights of Way Map 5. Shepway Council Letter Regarding Rights of Way & Shooting Rights 6. License to Kill or Take Birds to Preserve Air Safety 7. Firearms Safety and Best Practice 8. Firearms Risk Assessment London Ashford Airport Ltd Page 3 of 37 June 2010 LYDD AERODROME BIRD CONTROL MANUAL Part 3 INTRODUCTION AND RISK ASSESSMENT 1. INTRODUCTION. Birds are one of the major controllable hazards to aviation. Typical bird species that occur on aerodromes, including Lydd, can cause catastrophic accidents and major incidents to all types, from light aircraft to wide- bodied transports, with piston, turboprop and jet engines. Consequently, if the qualitative approach to risk assessment recommended by the CAA for matters where accidents are infrequent is applied it can be concluded that the bird hazard falls across the CAA‘s ―unacceptable / review‖ definitions of tolerability. In practice this means that no level of hazard mitigation is acceptable to the point that it does not require constant review, re-assessment and modification, and this is the basis of Lydd Airport‘s bird control policy (BCP). 2. RISK ASSESSMENT. The majority of reported strikes (over 90%) cause little or no damage but often appear very similar to those causing serious damage, i.e. they involved common aircraft types, standard aerodrome activities and modest numbers of the species that commonly frequent airfields. Analysis of birdstrike data indicates that species which are heavier than 100g, and/or occur in dense flocks on and near aerodromes (e.g. gulls, lapwings, corvids, pigeons, starlings, etc) have the highest potential to cause accidents and damage to aircraft. This has given rise to the defining of a "priority group" of bird species which fit either or both of these categories and are attracted to the airfield environment. These are generally the main target of our preventive measures. 3. MAIN BIRDSTRIKE RISK SPECIES AT LYDD AIRPORT 3.1 GULLS. In a south coastal location, gulls are inevitably numerous and are a significant element of the birdstrike hazard. There are several winter roosts, including Lade gravel pit and the coast at Littlestone, Lydd, Dungeness and Rye, totalling perhaps 30,000 gulls. There are also a number of nesting colonies of black- headed and herring gulls around the Denge Peninsula so that, as with many coastal aerodromes, the gull hazard will continue year-round. Daily movements are concentrated along the coasts and, for black-headed gulls especially, from coastal colonies and roosts to inland feeding areas that are strongly influenced by agricultural activity. The background gull hazard is unexceptional, and gull observations at the airport are unusually low as a consequence of the unattractive airport and local habitats and the absence of any concentrated ―flight lines‖ from roosts to favoured feeding areas. However, agricultural activity and wet weather can bring significant numbers of gulls to the airport and its surroundings. 3.2 GRASSLAND PLOVERS AND COASTAL WADERS. The grazing marsh and gravel pit habitats of the Peninsula provide attractive wintering habitats for lapwing and golden plover. Given the peninsula‘s location relative to coastal and cross channel migration routes, influxes of a number of wader species on passage may be expected in autumn and spring, especially in poor weather and especially on the runway. However, the airport habitat is (deliberately) unsuited to feeding grassland plovers and as a consequence lapwings are rarely observed, and golden plovers are a rarity on the airport. Although lapwings were formerly a birdstrike hazard at Lydd, there have been no birdstrike incidents with this species since 1993. London Ashford Airport Ltd Page 4 of 37 June 2010 LYDD AERODROME BIRD CONTROL MANUAL 3.3 GAME BIRDS. This is a high bird strike risk group, and numbers at Lydd are much higher than at most UK airports because of local game rearing and shooting practices. The main hazard identified at present involves pheasants, grey and red- legged partridges which overspill onto the airport in significant numbers. At present their frequency and abundance on the airport is cause for concern and these birds constitute a significant potential hazard to turbine engine aircraft. 3.4 RAPTORS. Barn owl and kestrel, the most common raptors involved in birdstrikes, and the commonest species seen at Lydd, are sufficiently large to cause engine damage to business jets but, fortunately, are always struck as single birds reducing the risk considerably. The airport is regularly visited by marsh harrier in the summer months, and occasional hen harriers in winter. 3.5 CORVIDS. There are relatively few stands of trees on the Peninsula suitable for rookeries, but there is a rookery in Lydd village within 2km of the airfield, sufficiently close to cause year-round encroachment from the west, especially in early summer when young rooks fledge. Rooks, carrion crows and jackdaws may congregate around feeding troughs and sheep in the pastures at Forty Acre Farm, and on the golf course. Territory-holding carrion crows are a permanent presence on the airfield in daylight hours. The background corvid hazard at Lydd is lower than the UK average, and the flocking species (rook and jackdaw) are only an occasional nuisance. 3.6 STARLING. With a history of causing birdstrike accidents, the starling is the smallest species regarded as a significant risk to air safety in the UK. Flocks in the order of 300-500 birds, consisting largely of juveniles in the summer months, visit pasture fields in close proximity to the airport and occasionally make incursions onto the airport grassland. In winter, much larger flocks may be seen in the area but they rarely visit the airfield. 3.7 OTHER SMALL BIRDS. Small passerines (less than 100g, but excluding starlings) and swifts are statistically important in UK birdstrikes, and at many airports account for over 50% of recorded strikes. However, their potential to cause significant damage is very low and they have no proven potential to cause damage to commercial turbine engines. Skylark, meadow pipit, barn swallow and swift are the species most commonly struck and they can generally be regarded as uncontrollable, low risk and low priority species. 3.8 PIGEONS. There is a small infestation of feral pigeons in the hangar (regularly shot to control numbers) and woodpigeons and stock doves are numerous in the local area. Woodpigeons and small numbers of stock doves occasionally feed in the airfield grassland, but at present numbers are small and they cause few problems. 3.9 WATERFOWL. The flooded gravel pits, marshes, drains and grazing marshes are ideal habitat for a number of waterfowl. Ornithologically, the area is noted for wintering Bewick‘s swans, shoveler, pochard, smew, grey heron, feral Canada and London Ashford Airport Ltd Page 5 of 37 June 2010 LYDD AERODROME BIRD CONTROL MANUAL greylag geese, shelduck, wigeon, and mallard. The winter presence of over 100 Bewick‘s swans that fly frequently between water roosts and farmland feeding sites in large flocks and tight formations represent a potential ―very low incidence/high hazard‖ birdstrike scenario comparable with those of City of Derry Airport with the same species (and with whooper swans), and Glasgow Airport with whooper swans. A Bewick‘s swan study conducted on behalf of the airport has shown that flight tracks between preferred roosts and feeding sites do not impinge on the airport or the critical lower airspace used by aircraft during take-off or arrival. The study identifies a potential flight track between the former preferred roost at ARC pit and feeding grounds to the northwest. However, the preferred roost has relocated to Cheyne Court and movements between this roost and the swans‘ feeding grounds are well outside the areas of concern. It is possible that the Bewick‘s swans will relocate to the ARC pit if/when Cheyne Court is dry, and both roost sites and preferred feeding grounds are subject to change due to disturbance, agricultural practices, etc., and the airport will need to remain aware of these factors in the future. The majority of swan observations at the airport are currently of small numbers (generally singles or pairs) of mute swans, probably associated with the smaller ponds in the area. Despite the large variety of duck species present in the area, only dabbling ducks (mallard, small numbers of teal and very small numbers of wigeon and gadwall) and shelduck are significant in UK birdstrikes.