KC Adopt Wildlife Hazard Plan Bower Field

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Bowers Field Wildlife Hazard Management Plan Over 20,000 European starlings and other blackbirds were observed flying into, around, out of, and roosting in the cattails and trees/shrubs surrounding the shoreline of pond V in August. Significantly fewer blackbirds were observed using the pond other times of the year. It is common for adult and immature blackbirds and starlings to congregate in large roosts in mid to late summer. These roosts may be used again during winter and spring migration. Water is typically one of the most attractive habitats at airports across the country, but this level of significant use was unexpected. Other than a limited number of European starlings feeding and loafing around the areas where supplemental feed was provided for cattle, in the west undeveloped pasture (noted above), cattle grazing on airport property did not appear to attract hazardous wildlife in a manner that negatively impacted aviation safety. Calving was not permitted on airport property, which likely reduced the presence of large scavengers. 2.2 WHE Conclusion and Recommendations ELN does not have a wildlife observation, control, and strike database, nor are there records of a control program at the airfield. USDA WS recommends that ELN develop a hazardous wildlife control program. USDA WS will provide a useful example database and recommends that ELN use it or develop their own. USDA WS has yet to encounter an airport that does not have some level of hazardous wildlife activity, and ELN is no exception. However, mammals (e.g., coyotes), pigeons/doves, shorebirds (e.g., killdeer and other plovers), upland birds (e.g., pheasant and quail), and wading birds (e.g., herons and egrets), which are typically observed at/around airports throughout Washington, were infrequently observed and few in number. Songbirds were frequently observed but are not a guild that wildlife hazard management programs generally focus control efforts or habitat management towards. Nationally, they are often struck, but rarely cause damage. Songbirds can attract some predators, which would be more hazardous to aviation safety, but that was not observed during the WHE. Directing habitat management towards deterring or excluding this guild could result in increasing the attractiveness for a more hazardous guild. Cattle grazing did not appear to increase wildlife hazards and likely helps manage vegetation and reduce weedy species in areas where grazing occurs. Calving operations are not permitted on airport property and that policy should continue. The following is a practical discussion for dealing with the key hazardous guilds documented during this WHE - blackbirds, corvids, raptors, and waterfowl. 2-10 31 December 2024