BHWG's mission to prevent bird strikes Published Nov. 9, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Charles V. Rivezzo 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- As the sweltering Texas heat begins to fade and leaves begin to turn brilliant shades of red, brown and orange, birds begin to migrate south to their wintering grounds. That migration means one thing to pilots and airfield managers: a dramatic increase in the risk of bird strikes. However, Team Dyess has a solution to this Air Force-wide problem. The Bird Hazard Working Group, made up of Dyess safety officials are the airmen behind preventing bird strikes, which can cause thousands of dollars in damage every year. "Thankfully Dyess is not located directly in any major migration corridors," said Tech. Sgt. Dallas Osburn, 7th Bomb Wing flight safety. "Unfortunately, most of our bird strikes occur when our aircraft train in different regions such as New Mexico or near the Gulf." During Fiscal Year 2011, Dyess B-1's recorded 17 bird strikes which caused more than $800,000 worth of damage. "In order to prevent these collisions we do everything from coordinating flight plans and patterns around migration routes to putting appropriate countermeasures up to keep birds from nesting near the flightline," Osburn said As bird populations increase due to adaptation and conservation efforts, so have Air Force efforts expanded to educate aircrews about tracking migratory patterns and activity and to ensure base-level managers maintain robust mitigation programs. "At the end of the day our main goal is prevent the loss of wildlife and minimize the amount the damage our aircraft can sustain during these collisions," Osburn added. "To us that's a win-win situation for all parties involved." Birds native to the Abilene area include: Savannah Sparrows, Cave Swallows, Red Tail Hawks, Grackles, Meadow Larks and many more. For more information, call the 7th Bomb Wing Safety Office at (325) 696-5574 or logon to www.afsc.af.mil/organizations/bash/index.asp.