Avian radar data integration and complementarity with field observations: A key to success
Maxime Allard
Director, Science and R&D
Falcon Environmental Inc.
2131 chemin Saint-Louis
Saint-Lazare, Quebec, Canada J7T 1Y
1 (514) 212-6297
maxime@falconenvironmental.com
and
Andrea Brown
Biologist and Analyst
Falcon Environmental Inc.
2131 chemin Saint-Louis
Saint-Lazare, Quebec, Canada J7T 1Y
1 (514) 212-6297
andrea.brown@falconenvironmental.com
Abstract– For years, radars have been used to monitor real-time avian activity for airport wildlife risk assessment. Data collected from radars can also be used to assess changes in avian airfield activity such as anticipating increases or decreases in daily activity or general changes in activity patterns between seasons at different airports. However, on its own, data collected from radars have some limitations which also differ from one airport to the next depending on the location, obstacles, climate, and species present. Despite these limitations, FALCON has explored how radar data can be used to compliment other ground-based collected data such as intervention and bird strike data. By using radar with field observation data, we can better understand the overall biology and avian activity occurring on the airfield. Here, we present how radar data can be used to supplement other wildlife data to better understand the avian airfield activity. This approach can be used and applied to most airports, with the potential to provide more precise and targeted alerts and further the operational uses of radars at airports.
Maxime Allard
Maxime Allard holds a master’s degree in biology from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), where he studied forest ecology and bird communities associated with mature forests. He started working for FALCON as a Wildlife control officer in 2006. Since 2022, as the Director of Science and R&D, he and his science team have tackled specific wildlife issues airports have been facing, either in Canada and abroad. He drafted over 100 airport wildlife programs. His main strength is about using data-driven and advanced statistical analysis to support operational changes to airport wildlife programs.
Andrea Brown
Andrea Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology and a master’s degree in quantitative biology from McGill University, where she focused her research on developing species distribution models to assess how climate change will impact Canadian birds. Since she started working for Falcon Environmental in March of 2023, she has been involved in behavioural surveys for protected species as well as analysing data collected at airports. Andrea is passionate about birds and in using her data analysis skills to further support wildlife management plans for various airports