Using an Avian Radar to Supplement an Airport Wildlife Hazard Assessment

Wildlife hazard assessments are regularly performed to support the development of wildlife hazard management plans (WHMP) for airports. Current assessments use visual observations of wildlife, with particular attention paid to birds. As a tool, avian radar can supplement visual observations of birds on and around airports and can provide useful data sets for analyses to support the development of WHMPs. A test of avian radar was conducted to demonstrate its usefulness as a supplement to a  scheduled monthly observation that was part of a year-long wildlife hazard assessment at Cedar City Regional Airport in Utah. The avian radar consistently observed more bird targets than were identified by visual observation and provided a useful data set for analyses that supported the development of the airport’s WHMP.

DOT/FAA/TC-TN12/27
Author: Edwin E. Herricks, Wendell Bunch, Steve Osmek, and Frank Svoboda