Ivan is part of a team that I’d wanted to learn more about for a long time, and standing there in the snow as planes landed and took off around me, I got an amazing lesson in what it takes to keep planes coming and going at Pearson Airport.
Landings and takeoffs are the most dangerous part of any aircraft flight — not just because you’re dealing with the vagaries of the weather close to the surface, but also because pilots have to pay attention to wildlife like birds and even coyotes while moving at 300 km/h.
This is why wildlife control at airports like Pearson is a critical part of the smooth operation of air transport; wildlife is unpredictable and ubiquitous in and around Toronto and Mississauga, where Pearson is located.
In 2022, 1689 bird strikes were reported to Transport Canada, and while only four per cent of those collisions caused significant damage to the aircraft, the majority happened during the most critical stage of the flight, takeoff and landing. When something goes wrong and the ground is that close, there’s not a lot of time or room to manoeuvre.
“Our job here at Pearson as wildlife control officers is to maintain operational balance,” explained Momla. “We do this by reducing wildlife hazards around the airport, and to do that, we’re here an hour before sunrise to an hour after sunset every single day of the year. We patrol the airfield with our birds and capitalize on the predator-prey relationship. Think of it like educating the wildlife that the area isn’t a good or safe place to be.”
Falcon Environmental has a flock of around 30 birds, including falcons, Harris hawks, and even a bald eagle for larger birds like Canada geese. The entire team is always busy given that Pearson is on the migratory pathway of many bird species across North America, it’s close to Lake Ontario, and the airfield has at least three creeks and a large river in and around the property. All of these are prime bird habitats, which means that there’s a constant stream of avian and more ground-based animal visitors to the airport.
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