Ornithology at airports. Birds do not belong here: how the Pulkovo aviation ornithology group works

Nika Ryzhova-Alenicheva

32 years old, aviation ornithologist at Domodedovo Airport

How it started: crow fledgling, hawk chick and hunters

“I have been birding for over 15 years. Although I am an economist by education, I never graduated from the Faculty of Biology. The first bird - the Far Eastern big-billed crow - came to me by accident from Grandfather Durov's Corner. It was bought by one organization for filming, and then did not know where to put it, and gave it to the zoo corner of the school where I studied and worked as a laboratory assistant after classes. The crow was in a terrible state - bald, blue, with crooked lame legs, and even could not fly. I decided to go out, although I did not know how. I did not have the Internet then, but I was able to find people from the Russian Songbird Club. They told how to properly keep a crow and what to cook a mash from - this is such a special porridge for insectivorous birds.

A few months later, the bird shone, overgrown with feathers, in general, began to look pleased. But suddenly the same organization appeared and asked to return the crow - supposedly they gave it to me for a while. The bird managed to become my own, I put my soul into it and understood that after the next shooting it would be returned in the same terrible state. I was very upset then.

My biology teacher, seeing how worried I was, turned to friends. Soon one of them said that an orphaned crow fledgling was brought to the zoo (fledglings are called chicks that have fallen out of nests. - Note. ed.), which must be placed in safe hands. So I got my first personal bird - the raven Till. At first he lived in the school laboratory, then moved to my apartment.

After finishing school, I accidentally ended up in the Moscow region visiting a breeder of birds of prey and an experienced falconer. Having learned about my crow, Peter taught me how to make ammunition, how to properly tie entanglements (special straps on the paws of a bird that perform the same role as a collar with a leash in dogs. - Note. ed.). He also asked why I did not get myself a hawk for hunting. Then I could not even imagine that this was possible, but literally a week later, at the request of Peter, a hawk chick was handed over to me. All summer I tortured Peter with this hawk: for every question - and there were a lot of them - I called, went to see him from Tushino near Noginsk four times a week. Peter turned out to be a very good person - he not only endured anxiety, but always showed and told everything. He introduced me to other falconers. Seeing that I was a “poor student” who did not always have enough money for travel, they fully provided food for my bird, took us with her to all falconer events.

Already in September, I took part in the falconer competition, where my Till caught a pheasant and received a diploma as the only hunting crow. Then my hawk was not yet ready for such events, but at the beginning of winter he successfully hunted. At hunting competitions, I met many bird experts - not only from Moscow, but also from other cities and countries. There I also met employees of the ornithological department of Domodedovo Airport. About six months later, on their recommendation, I was invited to the airport for an interview.

About working at the airport: mallard ducks and blunt claws

I have been an ornithological flight safety specialist at Domodedovo for eleven years now. My main task is to scare away dangerous birds from the airport. And also to prevent their appearance, to identify and eliminate places of their accumulation. Airborne birds are divided into three groups: small (for example, starlings, swifts, thrushes), medium (such as pigeons and jackdaws) and large sizes (among them - herons, goose, herring gulls).

The ornithological service appeared in Domodedovo in the early 1980s, but birds of prey began to be used only in 2002. Prior to this, only technical means were used: pyrotechnics, bioacoustic installations with recordings of the disturbing cries of birds, starting pistols that scare away bright balls on ponds. These methods are still used, but so far there is no equipment that could completely replace the ornithologist and the hawk. Birds quickly get used to everything and stop being afraid - just not to predators.

According to international standards, the ornithologists' area of ​​responsibility is 150 meters from the ground on takeoff and 60 meters on landing. But at 150 meters, hawks cannot scare away birds, and firecrackers rise no higher than 50 meters. You can't close the sky with nets. On the ground, we inspect the territory within a radius of 15 kilometers from the airport: farms, fields, reservoirs, landfills and other places that attract birds.

Ornithologists work twelve hours a day, in shifts - two after two - and only in the daytime. The first thing I do when I get to work is look through my office mail and magazines with information about the places where birds gather, their numbers and movements during the previous shift. It is important for me to understand what happened while I was gone. Then, together with colleagues (two or three ornithologists plus a driver work in a shift), we go around the airport in a company car. Bioacoustic installations and propane guns are placed around the entire perimeter, imitating the sound of rifle shots: many birds are afraid of it. We check what condition they are in and, if necessary, change the batteries, propane. If necessary, we apply for equipment repair.

Also, going around the territory, we look where the accumulations of birds are. Now, due to the beginning of agricultural work, seagulls are gathering in the fields. During the hunting seasons there are also many birds, especially partridges and mallard ducks. If we fail to frighten off the birds with technical means - firecrackers or a starting pistol, we take a hunting bird. But usually in the morning this is not necessary, and we go out with the hawk according to the schedule - we inspect the places where partridges, waterfowl and near-water birds most often gather.

Somewhere around one in the afternoon, I go with a hawk to a place of potential accumulation of birds. All of our hawks are trained and know the territory well. They can either simply drive away the birds by chasing them, or catch them. At the same time, caught birds most often remain alive - our hawks have blunt claws, as they constantly run over reinforcement and concrete surfaces. But this does not mean that you can simply take the prey from them. If the human partner does not share the meat, the hawk sees no reason to stay with him and flies away. After all, nothing holds him, except for the knowledge that for the prey he catches he will receive conveniently cut pieces on the falconer's glove.

If a person does not share meat, the hawk sees no reason to stay with him and flies away. After all, nothing holds him, except for the knowledge that for the prey he catches he will receive conveniently cut pieces of meat.

I always take a butchered quail with me - the airport buys them for patrol birds every month - and offer it to the hawk instead of prey. My bird is already used to it and even knows how many small and large pieces of meat I have with me. If I forget to give her the last one, she will immediately go into hysterics. So hawks can count.

We release the caught birds away from the airport. We send whole flocks of partridges to wildlife sanctuaries, nurseries and hunting grounds for breeding. If partridges are stabbed with claws, we take them for our food.

In addition to scaring away ornithologists, they also inspect birds that have got into planes. They determine their breed, draw up an act and send it to the state inspection. In fact, birds often get into aircraft - in the turbine, fuselage, wing, landing gear and engines. We have dozens of such cases a month. As a rule, this does not cause much harm to the car. And the most common damage is bent engine blades. True, the birds do not survive after such meetings.

It is often asked if a bird of prey can get hit by an aircraft. In principle, this can happen to any bird. But we take into account the schedule of takeoffs and landings and choose the right moment (if necessary, the runway may be closed for the duration of the work). And also we do not release hawks in the immediate vicinity of taxiing, landing or taking off aircraft.

By the way, it is for security reasons that now only hawks work for us - falcons are also excellent at scaring away birds, but they need to climb to a considerable height to hunt. The hawk, on the other hand, attacks from the hand, trying to fly low to blend into the landscape.

About bird employees: stubborn females and a tattered hood

We take goshawks from nurseries. Now there are five of them in the state, two of which are constantly in operation, and three are in reserve. And all females. So it happened by chance. In birds of prey, females are always larger and heavier than males, and therefore look more intimidating. They are also lazy, because they are used to the male bringing prey to them and the chicks. In fact, female hawks know how to hunt, but prefer to take food from males. In extreme cases, in winter starvation, they can even eat a male that has turned up under its paws - cannibalism among hawks is in the order of things. And although females are stubborn, they have a significant plus - the mind.

Each falconer has his own bird, which he trains for a month. Sometimes they don't work. For example, I had a saker falcon with a complex character that did not suit me. It was uncomfortable to work, and I gave him back to the nursery. With the hawk Silva we have been together for five years. Although she has a very bastard and bitchy character - she does not recognize anyone but me. Apparently, she believes that I am the same bird as she is, only without wings, and therefore I must do everything for her. So, when Silva does not find prey and gets tired of waiting for an invitation to dinner, she imperceptibly flies up behind me and beats me on the head with her paws. The hood of my winter jacket has long been torn.

The methods of training and hunting with birds of prey have not changed much since the time of the ancient Egyptians. Judging by the archaeological excavations, the ammunition used to be exactly the same as it is now. Unless they started using other materials. Plus, a radio tracking system has appeared - a special transmitter is hung on the tail or paw of a bird and allows you to track its movements within a radius of about 20 kilometers.

To maintain health, a bird of prey needs movement, a well-equipped place to live, and proper nutrition. In no case should they be given meat from the store. No chicken, beef or pork! The diet should be as close to natural as possible, that is, only rodents and birds are suitable for food - quails, day old chickens, pigeons. We feed quails - one per day for each bird. Diurnal predators have a goiter: they fill it with food and consume it throughout the day.

I can create the appearance that Silva and I have complete understanding. The fact is that I know the natural instincts of birds well and understand what, why and why they do it. Falconers eventually develop the habit of seeing birds earlier - dogs, children, cars, other birds and inadequate people who can pull the tail. So this skill helps a lot when you accustom a hawk to the city and do not cover his eyes with a hood. True, I am so used to monitoring the situation around me that I almost never look into the eyes of the interlocutor. Some are offended. But there's nothing I can do about it. But unlike ordinary people who only notice pigeons and crows on the streets, I can count about a dozen different types of birds on the way from home to the metro. One day, walking along a busy street with my owl, I saw a gray heron in the sky.

All of our hawks live in enclosures, but often we take them home. Especially in the first month of training, so as not to pause in training. Silva, despite being well prepared, often spends weekends at my house, where several other birds live: an eagle owl, two house owls and a boreal owl, tropical frogs, a bearded agama, eublefara geckos, a 17-year-old tarantula and an ordinary cat. There was a period when eight owls lived in my apartment: I simply collected all the cripples and abandoned chicks. But then a rehabilitation center appeared near St. Petersburg - and I started sending everyone there.

Flight safety is the most important thing in aviation. Whether it is a large airport or an airfield for local airlines.
All of them are located in an open area, accessible to a certain kind of “persons” who do not need a pass and documents to enter the airport. Not only do these characters constantly enter the closed area, they also pose a threat to flight safety.

Today we will talk about birds and one day in the life of the ornithological service of Domodedovo airport.

Having collided with the fuselage or got into the aircraft engine, the bird can disrupt the operation of the aircraft units. To prevent such events, Moscow Domodedovo Airport was the first in Russia to create an Ornithological Service in the early 80s, whose task is to control bird populations on the territory of the airfield and within a radius of 15 kilometers from it.

What does the ornithological service do?

The tasks of the unit include ensuring ornithological safety of flights and control over bird populations on the territory of the airfield and within a radius of 15 kilometers from it. Domodedovo was the first among the airports of UIA (Moscow Aviation Hub) in 2002 began to use unique hunting patrol birds to scare away those birds that could pose a threat to aircraft.

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According to the danger that birds can pose to aircraft, birds are divided by weight and size.
The greatest danger is represented by large birds weighing from half a kilogram, striving for open areas of the airfield or gathering in flocks. These are geese, cranes, swans, herons, storks, eagles, buzzards, ducks, herring gulls.

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The middle ones include pigeons, rooks, black-headed and gray gulls, partridges, lapwings, as well as several other species. All of them have a weight of 150 to 500 g.
Small bird species dangerous for aircraft include starlings, thrushes, and larks. They are dangerous because they tend to form numerous flocks.

But crows are not dangerous, as they are very smart birds and behave correctly on the territory of the airport and keep a respectful distance from aircraft.

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Birds are afraid of sharp sounds, claps, shots and predators that pose a potential threat to them.
Proceeding from this, the scaring away of birds on the territory of the airfield is carried out with the help of acoustic installations broadcasting the cries of danger from birds.

From this speaker, birds are constantly moaning.

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Also, birds are scared away with the help of propane guns that imitate the sound of a rifle shot, a starting pistol or signal cartridges.
Several of these cannons are installed near the runway in Domodedovo - in the photo on the right.

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Periodically, the cannon fires compressed gas, and even at a distance of hundreds of meters, a blast wave is felt.

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One of the most “live” methods of dealing with a flying threat is birds of prey, they are also goshawks.
And yesterday, an employee of the ornithological service, Ivan, showed reporters how a hawk hunts.

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To date, five goshawks are used to ensure ornithological flight safety at Domodedovo Airport.
Meet Brunnhilda, a young half-year-old female hawk. For their own - Brunya.

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The use of specially trained birds of prey is the most effective and natural method of combating bird gatherings in the take-off and landing zone and is widely used throughout the world: bird hunters work in the largest air harbors in the USA, England, Spain, Canada (more than twenty countries in total).

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Unlike other technologies, in particular acoustic, this method induces stable avoidance reactions in birds based on deep instinctive processes developed in the course of evolution, as a result of which the effectiveness of such an impact is noticeably increased.

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On average, a goshawk learns and adapts within a month. Feathered guards are trained according to a special methodology, which is based on the principles of training used in falconry.

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In the process of so-called “nurturing”, ornithologists accustom the bird to themselves, the environment, and the specific working conditions at the airfield. The main task of a specialist is to find contact with the bird, to achieve trust from it and getting used to the equipment and personnel.

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Before the start of the hunt, the bird is put on an eyecup helmet so as not to be unnerved by a large number of lenses aimed at it - the hawk perceives camera lenses as someone's eyes and worries about how it will look on the screen.
Brunya listens to every sound and periodically scratches herself, trying to get rid of her helmet.

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Before a patrol bird is released on a patrol flight, a small transmitter is attached to its tail or paw, which allows tracking movements within a radius of 25 kilometers. However, this is more of a formality - a well-trained bird keeps close to the owner and only in the excitement of chasing prey can fly long distances.

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When an intruder comes into view, the hawk takes off from its perch - Ivan has a special thick leather glove on his left hand for transporting the bird.
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This time the intruder was a dove - not the easiest prey for a hawk. To us, they seem like clumsy bumpkins, but in fact, pigeons are very nimble and maneuverable when they are in open areas.

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Literally ten seconds pass and the intruder is about to be in the clutches of Brunnhilde.

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Everything happened quite far, so we will do without details.
Let me just say that Brunya did her job perfectly, and the intruder became a full-fledged hawk dinner.
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As Ivan said, each bird in the detachment has its own character and he could not single out a favorite from all.

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While Brunya is a young and impulsive girl, she has yet to work on herself and hone her hunting skills.

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Here is such a beauty.

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Arriving once again for spotting in Vnukovo, we saw a young man with such a bird near the fence.
True, at the first meeting, she still looked like this:

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It is clear that it was impossible to pass by such an animal without first imprinting it.

The owner of the "feathered", Dima, not only kindly allowed to photograph his pet (it's a girl), but also spoke in great detail about the ornithological service of Moscow airports in general and about falconry in particular.

The ornithological service is a detachment of birds of prey: hawks and golden eagles, designed to deal with such a problem as stray dogs and foxes on the airfield, and only to a lesser extent with birds that simply do not climb where there is a predator.
It turns out that this is a really serious problem.
Yes, the territory of the airports is fenced on all sides and, to put it mildly, well guarded, but at the same time there are a lot of repair plants from which vagrants get onto the field, and foxes just dig in the fence.
And now let's imagine: the plane lands, and then a dog of 15 or even 30 kilograms is on its way - it's just dangerous.
Hunting birds work both in Vnukovo and Domodedovo, only Sheremetyevo abandoned the idea of ​​an ornithological service.
There are four birds in Vnukovo.
Every day, several times ornithologists come to the airport and release their wards.
Foxes, as a rule, disappear for a long time, and with dogs it is more difficult. The fact is that a new flock will always take the place of one, the place will not remain empty.

Having told briefly about his work, Dima suggested that we film the bird training.

We met in an "open field" near the airport.
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As proof.

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This girl is still a chick, she is only three months old. The character, according to Dima, is bad, so the training is not going as fast as we would like. Dressura continues every day.

In fact, when you see such a beauty on a person’s hand, it’s hard to understand that this is not a pet in the usual sense, he does not feel love for his owner, does not want to play with him, does not feel his mood.
Roughly speaking, this person adapts to the bird, and she will be with him only as long as it is convenient for her.

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A bell is hung on the bird to hear where it has flown, and an electronic beacon in case it gets too far.
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When training a bird, the main thing is to teach it to return to the hand. Start with a small distance, gradually increasing it.
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The bird is called by a whistle, and in the hand is a piece of meat. They also whistle during feeding, so that this sound is associated with food. Please note that the bird does not take its eyes off the prey.

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12. There is a touch!

Dima is a falconer with decent experience, already 18 years old. This is how a boy at the age of 10 saw his first bird, and decided on his future profession once and for all.

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In addition to returning to the hand, the bird also needs physical activity, that is, the ability to fly, and fly quickly.
To do this, use the hunting instinct. The predator must catch up with its prey. Pigeons are often used for training, they fly very fast, which makes it possible to form good muscles in hawks.
But today there was no dove.

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For training, the decoy duck must be free, maneuverable, but at the same time remain decoy.
Birds have two-dimensional vision, they do not see the line, for a hawk hunting must be real.
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18. The enemy is defeated.

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20. Wet, but satisfied.

Here they are, the feathered defenders of the airfield fields!

Ornithological Service of the Moscow Kremlin, which included specially trained interceptors falcons and hawks, was replenished with another wise and skillful fighter - an owl named Phil, which is often affectionately called Philya.

The duties of a unique flying detachment include the protection of the Kremlin cathedrals from crow, damaging the gilding on the domes and spiers of cathedrals with their claws and destroying nightingales and other songbirds on the territory of the main fortress of Russia.

In addition, winged predators drive away flocks of city pigeons, which eat away at historical buildings and monuments.

The commandant of the Kremlin, Lieutenant General of the FSO Sergei Khlebnikov told RIA Novosti that The ornithological service in the Kremlin has existed since the 1970s, and, as practice has shown, the use of natural enemies of crows is much more effective than the use of noise complexes and other technical means to repel pests.
General Khlebnikov noted that: “Even in ancient times, the practice of falconry existed at the princely court. And today, the use of birds in the fight against crows is a tribute to those traditions that arose back in the days of the ancient Russian state.

Interestingly, falconry in Rus' was considered a subtle and refined art, and the great empresses Anna Ioannovna and Catherine II were fond of it.

Gray crows have lived on Borovitsky Hill since ancient times. Alexander Garden is a traditional roosting place for crows. The place near the Kremlin has always been the warmest in the city.
Every evening, huge flocks of crows (several thousand individuals) hung over the Kremlin towers.

Having circled with dreary cries over the fortress, the birds descended to spend the night on the trees in the Alexander Garden. In the morning, a flock of crows left the Kremlin with an unimaginable noise, and most of the birds went to feast in the country dumps.

"Feathered wolves", as the raven was called by the people, literally overcame priceless historical buildings, tearing off the precious gilding from the domes with their claws and beaks and causing much more damage than the harsh climate and urban smog.

According to ornithologists, crows in their mating dances usually move down the slopes of roofs, and shiny and slippery golden domes attract these strong and intelligent birds as a special entertainment.

It must be said that the appearance of flocks of gray crows and their cries in Rus' since ancient times were considered a harbinger of troubles, hunger or wars. Unlike the famous black ravens in the Tower of London (eng. Ravens of the Tower of London), which are a symbol of the power and invincibility of the capital and the British Monarchy.

Hordes of crows have been fought in the Kremlin for a long time. During the time of V.I. Lenin sentries often fired at them with rifles, which prevented the leader from working. It was forbidden to shoot birds on the territory of the Kremlin. In addition, smart and observant crows quickly learned how far from the shooter to fly away from the shooter so that they would not be hit by bullets.

A protracted and painful war with the crows began: they tried to poison them - the crows ignored dangerous baits; birds were frightened by bright light reflections, but they quickly ceased to be afraid of flashes; began to use a variety of frightening noise effects, including the cries of birds of prey and the cries of danger of the crows themselves, but the crows quickly learned not to associate these noises with real danger and threat to their lives.

Then, clever mesh traps with food were placed against the crows in the Kremlin, where the bird could fly in, but was not able to get out. But this expensive experiment did not bring the desired results. There were more than 5,000 ravens in the Kremlin, huge funds were spent on the permanent restoration of the gilding.

The crows began to feel like real masters in the Kremlin, and during the mating season they were not afraid of anything at all and even swooped down on tourists in flocks, dirtied the cars of Politburo members and benches in the Alexander Garden.

There is even a legend that in the summer ravens flew through open windows into the offices of party chiefs and stole documents from the table.

That's when the patience of the commandant's office of the Kremlin finally snapped, and in the 70s it was decided to create in the Kremlin ornithological department of the special Kremlin regiment.

This task was also not at all easy - one trained fighting falcon costs about 20 thousand dollars at the same time, it is necessary to train the birds right on the spot for about two years!

Interestingly, in nature, neither falcons nor hawks are ever associated with strong and dangerous crows that can inflict serious injury on them. A flock of crows in general can quickly beat a predator to death.

On the eve of the Olympics-80, the then commandant of the Kremlin, Sergei Shornikov, finally matured a plan, according to which it was proposed to throw falcons to fight the crows. Specialists came to the aid of the restorers and the military, who literally created an entire ornithological station from scratch.

In the Tainitsky Garden, closed to visitors, overlooking the embankment of the Moskva River, not far from the guardhouse of the Kremlin regiment and food warehouses, two large enclosures were built, gyrfalcons and saker falcons were settled there (the two most combat-ready species of hunting falcons, reaching a length of 60 centimeters) and engaged in the training of flying fighters.

At the same time, conscripts and officers of a special Kremlin regiment began to teach the tricks of falconry.

Completely unprepared birds got into the Kremlin. They took a special hunting course already in the fortress according to a unique methodology developed by the FSO employees themselves for feathered fighters.

Capricious and touchy falcons were patiently tamed, and it was forbidden to punish vindictive birds of prey. Finally, the birds learned, on command, to take off and land on a falconer's special leather gauntlet (gaiter), and then, on command, to rush at the victim.

Members of the detachment say that each of the birds has its own character and characteristics in communication, each has its own favorite trainer. Birds feel the shades of human mood and love to be treated confidently, without fear and with respect.

Soon, soldiers and officers of the ornithological service began to clear the territory of the Kremlin from crows, several times a day patrolling the vast territory of the main fortress of our country - 28 hectares.

This is the hard work that the precious fighters of this winged detachment do, however, according to experts, it would take much more money to clean up the territory and ancient monuments, restore gilding on the domes of the Kremlin churches by other methods.

Now Moscow specialists are working on the restoration of the population of birds of prey listed in the Red Book in the natural conditions of the urban environment. Peregrine falcons are perfect for this. They nested in cities in ancient times, and in modern megacities they feel quite comfortable.

According to the Kultura TV channel, until 1928 falcons lived on the bell tower of Ivan the Great, and until 1938 - on the Trinity Tower. The architecture there, with a lot of niches, is very reminiscent of a mountain landscape, that is, the place where the peregrine falcon could nest today.4.8 (96.67%) 24 vote[s]

A bird at the moment of a collision with the fuselage of an aircraft or if it gets into the engine, not only can it die, but it can also disrupt the operation of important mechanisms of the air liner. Domodedovo Airport was the first in Russia, where in the 1980s they organized the work of their own ornithological service, the purpose of which was to control birds both on the territory of the airfield and within a radius of 15 kilometers outside it.

In addition, Domodedovo is the first Moscow airport to start using so-called patrol birds to scare away all other birds.

Depending on how serious damage the birds can cause to an aircraft, they are divided according to the degree of danger. The category with the highest risk includes large birds weighing more than 0.5 kilograms: swans, storks, cranes, ducks, eagles and others.

Average danger is represented by birds weighing 150-500 grams: pigeons, gulls, rooks, partridges, etc.

Well, the lowest level of danger includes starlings, thrushes and larks, which tend to form numerous flocks.

Predators, such as, for example, goshawks, are considered a very effective way to deal with feathered "threats".

In Domodedovo, the ornithological service uses 5 goshawks.

These are specially trained hunting birds that help to effectively deal with accumulations of other winged creatures in the take-off and landing area. Such predators "work" not only in Russia, but all over the world.

There are also man-made ways to fight birds on the territory of airports: guns that imitate the sound of a gun shot, or loudspeakers from which the sounds of predators come, but only the use of a “live” method causes avoidance reactions in birds that occur at the level of deep instincts. That is why the use of birds of prey is so effective.