Falcon decoys and simulated rifle fire keep bird...( is currently being used by Albian Sand...)

"This system could be helpful in deterring birds from industrial ponds and we have suggested some potential applications to oil spills at sea," said St. Clair, who is from the Faculty of Science. "In the oilsands, several hundred birds are probably oiled each year and that number might reach into the thousands in some spring conditions."

The system was also able to detect four times as many birds as visual sightings and could also detect the animals at night--particularly critical for bird deterrence because shorebirds, ducks and geese are nocturnal as well as diurnal migrants. But although the research shows promise for radar-activated on-demand deterrents, bird deterrence is not the long-term solution, says St. Clair. In addition to deterrence, the oil sands industry is committed to the reclamation of mines and tailings ponds post production and is also developing processes that will negate the need for hazardous ponds. "The problem will be reduced in time as the oilsands move to technologies that do not produce tailings ponds but that technology is likely to be at least 10 years away," said St. Clair. "In the meantime, on-demand cannon deterrent systems offer the potential of better avian deterrence at industrial sites."

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Contact: Phoebe Dey
phoebe.dey@ualberta.ca
780-492-0437
University of Alberta
2-Mar-2006