John Wayne Goes After Some Unwanted Fliers

Officials at John Wayne Airport have tried driving them away with noise-making machines, scaring them off with blank shotgun blasts and jarring them with kites that resemble birds of prey.

But no amount of bullying has convinced a bunch of stubborn pigeons to leave their grassy perch on the edges of the airport’s tarmac.

So now, the county is taking a more subtle approach.

Over the next few months, officials will plant buffalo grass around the runways in hopes that nature will accomplish what technology could not. A naturalist hired by the county suggested the special grass, because birds usually stay clear of its tall, sharp blades.

“Essentially, the pigeons get scared because the grass is at their eye level,” said Kathleen Campini Chambers, an airport spokeswoman. “It discourages them from landing.”

While the effort might seem excessive, aviation experts insist that the pigeons pose a significant threat to planes landing at or taking off from the airport.

Collisions between birds and aircraft have shattered windows, damaged engines and radars and even resulted in deadly crashes, including one at Boston’s Logan Airport in 1960 that killed 62 people.

John Wayne Airport experiences relatively few “bird strikes” each year, and none so far have been serious, officials said. But nationwide, more than 100 people have been killed in bird-related aircraft accidents over the last 40 years.

“We don’t see a lot of strikes. . . . But our operators know [the birds] are very much a hazard and can really wreak havoc,” said Jeff Thorstenson, manager at the John Wayne Airport control tower, who added that the pigeons are too small for most radars to detect.

Ben Fujinaka, a supervisor for Delta Airlines, said the last Orange County bird strike involving one of his company’s airplanes occurred about three years ago and forced a 737 to abort its takeoff.

“Anything they can do to improve safety is welcomed,” he said.

John Wayne’s bird problem is no more severe than at other big-city airports, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Some experts speculated that the airport’s proximity to Newport Bay marshes and estuaries is one reason pigeons flock to the runway strips.

The proposed Orange County solution is less violent than the tactics of other airports like New York’s Kennedy International, which employs sharpshooters to periodically kill hundreds of birds that invade its tarmac. Other airports uses toy owl figures, as well as humans who actually dash onto the runway before takeoffs to scatter the birds.

In its search for solutions, John Wayne officials hired a naturalist to examine the flight patterns and behavior of the pigeons, who hang around the tarmac in flocks of six to 12.

The naturalist concluded that planting buffalo grass around the concrete runways would drive the pigeons away because birds rarely land on the 5-inch-tall blades.

“We made an effort to treat them in a humane manner,” said Campini Chambers. “We went through a very thoughtful process.”

The project is expected to cost about $810,000 and will include installation of an irrigation system on 64 acres of grassland between the runways. In addition to chasing away the pigeons, officials expect the grass to reduce dust and erosion.

The county’s project comes as plane manufacturers and federal air safety agencies work to develop new aircraft designs that are less susceptible to damage from bird collisions.

One idea is to create new engines that protect moving parts from objects that might fly into them, said Mitch Barker, an FAA spokesman.

Testing the new equipment “is a gory process,” Barker said. “They use slingshots to hurl chickens you buy at the supermarket into engines to see what happens.”

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Discouraging Birds

John Wayne Airport will be planting buffalo grass between its runways in an effort to drive away pigeons. Officials hope the tall, sharp grass will prevent the birds from landing. Here are some approaches used by other airports across the country.

* Hiring sharpshooters to kill birds on the runway.

* Placing life-size owl figures on the runway.

* Firing noise cannons periodically to frigten birds.

* Playing recorded bird- distress calls.

* Flying kites that resemble birds of prey

Pigeon Profile

The birds pose a threat to planes taking off and landing. Colisions can cause damage to windows and engines.

Name: Although “pigeon” is a general term often used to describe any of the nearly 300 species of pigeons and doves in the family Columbidae, the common North American pigeon is known as a rock dove.

Size: Approximately 13 inches.

Coloring: Generally blueor ash gray with a white rump and a purplish-green area around the neck.

Diet: Fruits, grains, nuts and insects, snails and worms.

Voice: A deep, rolling series of coos.

Range: All of North America except for the northern tundra.

Source: Times reports; Researched by SHELBY GRAD / Los Angeles Times