Mining bird control
Unlike agriculture and horticulture businesses, Mining can be at risk to birds 12 months of the year. Once a good food source is found, these birds will simply remain permanently, attracting more birds in the process. Unlimited shooting is rarely permitted and often netting is too costly.
The use of the Bird Gard Laser and acoustic distress calls punctuated with irritating harassment sounds is successful in reducing pest birds to low levels. In cases of large scale problems, the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) has repelled birds up to 1000 metres away. The LRAD is the latest acoustic technology available in the world.
Whilst it is almost impossible to get rid of every bird, with Bird Gard a large reduction in numbers is possible. National Parks and Wildlife Service will often allow a limited number of birds to be shot (the ones Bird Gard didn't move) but will rarely allow wholesale slaughter of large numbers of birds which wouldn't be necessary if Bird Gard was used.
Bird Gard Pty Ltd is proud to announce an exciting new development in bird control in Mining. The Bird Gard Laser, a hand-held device, is effective in low-light conditions out to 600m. The Laser 'gun' projects a bright red "dot" which when played around the area where the birds are standing will instantly put the birds to flight. The dot doesn't have to actually "hit" the bird - as long as the bird can see it in its immediate vicinity.
It appears the birds regard the "dot" as a physical thing which is moving around it - and they feel threatened and fly away. Water and wading birds (ducks, geese, seagulls, cormorants) seem to be more susceptible to the laser than most diurnal birds. In the United States the laser is used to repel seabirds from air fields - particularly by the Military, which helped develop the laser gun. One of the benefits of the laser is that it's silent (can be used near neighbours) runs on a single 9 volt battery, and is easy to use. The Laser is an ideal tool to be used in conjunction with the Pro Amp and the Super Pro X (acoustic bird repeller).
Bird Gard has many products to help bird and pest control around mines. Just like every other industry the mining industry has problems with birds and other fauna. Not only do birds and animals cause considerable OH&S issues and environmental concerns, they have been known to halt production. Bird Gard Pty Ltd is an Australian company that has for 20 years specialized in repelling unwanted birds and other species in an environmentally friendly manner without harming them. To do this Bird Gard utilizes the latest technological advances in acoustics, ultrasonics, lasers as well as some lighting effects to repel birds. Bird Gard has witnessed the spread of problem bird issues to virtually all aspects of human society and infrastructure. What was once just a farmer’s problem can now be anyone's problem and the Mining industry is no exception. Every bird and animal problem is unique as there are infinite environmental and human factors to consider. The type and quantity of equipment needed can differ between sites. Bird Gard specializes in designing systems to suit each individual circumstance. From a bird control perspective the mining industry is unique, as no other industry has such a diverse range of bird problem scenarios. On our website we have divided bird problems into eight categories, Mining, Aviation, Commercial/Industrial buildings, Domestic, Agricultural and Marine. The mining industry operates in diverse range of environments with a complexity of infrastructure and can experience bird and animal problems that are common with all those eight categories. Many mine sites have airstrips which are vital for ongoing operations, especially isolated mines. It only takes one bird or kangaroo to strike an aircraft and take out an engine and leave that aircraft grounded whilst undergoing repairs. Vital supplies and the transportation of workers are delayed. The flow on effect from Bird strikes can cost mining companies millions of dollars, often when they least expect it. Having the latest bird control technology available to defend a vital aviation asset makes good economic sense. If you are operating a RPT Airport you will already be aware that you can be held legally liable for damage to aircraft or worse personnel injury as result of a bird strike if it can be shown you have not taken reasonable preventive measures. The single biggest bird issue for mines is birds inside buildings. Not unlike a factory in Melbourne or Sydney, pigeons, swallows, starlings, sparrows and Indian mynas are drawn into buildings at mine sites. Any warehouse, workshop, equipment shed, outside awning or even kitchens can have a bird problem. Any building can attract birds. In the Eastern states Swallows have proven to be a regular bird problem. The main problem is guano or more commonly known as bird poo...over everything. Normally such problems start with just few birds. But those three or four birds gradually turn into thirty a hundred or even thousands of birds. According to one workshop manager at a Coal mine, “The mess they create needs to be cleaned everyday”. However the problem isn’t limited to the inconvenience and down time in cleaning up the mess. Not only does it damage plant and infrastructure but it also has serious health and wellbeing implications that impact on workers morale. The build up of nesting material can cause fires; bird guano can block gutters and drains leading to water damage to buildings. Birds also carry more than sixty diseases and mites etc, it is also understood that dried pigeon guano is carcinogenic. Recent research now indicates that the Spanish Influenza that killed millions people in the 1920s was in fact a bird flu virus. While we all admire the beauty and the abilities of birds it is best to keep them out of the workplace. By failing to respond quickly and appropriately to a bird problem the greater the risk and potential harm and expense to management and staff. Many mine sites have townships that accommodate shift workers. If sleep is disturbed by hundreds of corellas or cockatoos that compromises safety at any mine site. Not only do these birds destroy trees but they have been known to attack electrical wiring and anything else they decide to chew on. As one gas company explained to us the corellas had on several occasions brought their production to a standstill as the corellas had chewed through yet another piece of crucial wiring This is a fairly common problem and most Environmental officers are at lost to know what to do about it. So not unlike a domestic bird problem you need a silent non harmful form of control. Bird Gard has two products that we use in combination that can quickly solve this problem. Mining companies also have offshore marine assets such as exploration vessels, floating fuel tankers, oil and gas platforms, unmanned platforms and port facilities, all these infrastructure and production assets can have bird problems. One Mining company explained that they had an unmanned platform that was taken over by sea birds. These birds were most reluctant to leave the helideck even when the helicopter was trying to land. The helicopter risked being damaged out to sea or would have to return to base without achieving routine maintenance and production work required. What this company was looking for was a statically mounted device installed near the helideck that could be remotely activated by the approaching helicopter. Recently we developed a device that can do just that. It can be activated by a simple hand held transmitter at ranges of up to four kilometres away or in areas with mobile phone coverage the alternative is to simply call up the device on your mobile to activate an electronic bird control device. Even manned platforms can have issues with seagulls and other birds taking over the helideck. It’s all a question of safety; bird strikes can affect helicopters as well. Birds and animals that wander into some tailings dams can be devastating to wildlife. Several freak occurrences had been recorded where large numbers of native birds descended into tailings dams at the wrong time. This problem can then go through the food chain as eagles, dingos even goannas feed on dead birds and roos. The last thing any responsible company wants is tailings dam full of dead birds. One gold company explained that even though they didn't have a bird problem, they wanted to do something for the environment so they purchased electronic bird control devices to protect their dams. Numerous duck and other water birds are at risk but sometimes the role is reversed and the birds become a threat to us humans when they turn a mine sites water supply into a duck pond. Some mine sites inadvertently become a food source for birds and animals. Many companies are involved in rehabilitating and re-vegetating land they once worked, only to find kangaroos, wallabies and birds take advantage of this new food source and undo those environmental efforts. Some mining camps are like a green oasis; an irresistible target for kangaroos. This also increases the frequency of roos in your area raising the likelihood of vehicle accidents. Numerous products are available to repel kangaroos to suit most circumstances One underground site manager explained they had a large ventilation fan on the surface and numerous types of bird species where attracted to it due to concentration of insects in the area. The unsuspecting birds ended their days when they where sucked into the fan. The purchase of an electronic device soon solved that problem. Another manager explained that he had a kangaroo problem, it was rutting season and the female roos would often take refugee in his carport from aggressive males; however that didn't stop the amorous attention of the bucks that soon joined the females in his carport. The mine employee didn't mind the mating it was the dents in his car which he could do without. Over the last 20 years we have observed a general increase in problem birds and animals, the effects of drought have definitely changed the behaviour of cockatoos and corellas and driven them into closer proximity to humans. Other bird species have realized that human habitation is a safe place to be as our presence decreases the likelihood of predators. Other birds like crows have overcome their intelligent caution of humans to take advantage of the easy food sources that we provide. Issues with birds and other fauna will only increase and are yet another challenge for the Mining industry.
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What our
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Soon after we installed the Bird Gard, our percentage of bird damaged
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Auburn University Fairhop, USA