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UGH!

EVERY TIME WE FLY,

THERE'S ONE DANGER NO ONE CAN FULLY PREDICT.

Official YIFY movies site: YTS.BZ

MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY.

IT'S THAT INITIAL REACTIONWHERE YOU'RE LIKE,

"OH, MY GOSH, ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO EJECT?"

WHEN PLANES AND BIRDS COLLIDE,

THE RESULTS CAN BE CATASTROPHIC.

IN 2009, A MIRACLE ON NEW YORK'S HUDSON RIVER

SEIZES THE WORLD'S ATTENTION.

BEHIND THE SCENES,

AN EXTRAORDINARY TEAM PIECES TOGETHER WHAT HAPPENED.

HOW COULD BIRDSBRING DOWN A HUGE JET LIKE THIS?

THIS IS THE INSIDE STORY OF THE QUEST

TO SOLVE THE MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON.

I HAPPENED TO LOOK UP,AND IT WAS LIKE

THERE WAS THE FEATHER.

NOW, AS OUR SKIES GET BUSIER,

AN ARMY OF EXPERTS ARE RACING TOSOLVE THE BIRD STRIKE PROBLEM...

WE ARE GOING TO LEARN HOW TO UNZIP BIRDS.

...BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES.

WE REALLY HAVE TO PLAN FOR THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO

BECAUSE WE MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY THE NEXT TIME.

EAGLE FLIGHT 4718, CONTACT DEPART TO 124.75.

JANUARY 15, 2009, 3:25 P.M.

U.S. AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549 IS 95 SECONDS INTO ITS JOURNEY

FROM NEW YORK'S LaGUARDIA AIRPORT

TO CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.

VERY BRIEFLY OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE,

I CAUGHT A MOVEMENT.

AS I GLANCED LEFT, AND YOU COULDSEE A BLOB FLY BY THE WINDOW.

Denise Lockie:I REALIZED BY THE DEAD SILENCE,

WE HAD NO ENGINE POWER.

CAPTAIN SULLENBERGER CAMEACROSS THE, THE LOUDSPEAKER

AND SAID, BRACE FOR IMPACT.

ALL YOU COULD HEAR FROM WHERE WE WERE SITTING

WAS THE COMPUTERIZED VOICE FROM THE COCKPIT

GOING, "PULL UP, PULL UP."

"TERRAIN, TERRAIN, PULL UP, PULL UP."

IT'S AUTOMATED, AND I JUST THOUGHT, OKAY.

WITHIN MINUTES,

WORRYING NEWS REACHES WASHINGTON, D.C.

I REALIZED THAT SOMETHING BIG HAD HAPPENED

IN NEW YORK WITH AN AIRPLANE AND POSSIBLY A BIRD,

AND ALL OF US GOT THE CHILLS.

I JUST KNEW THAT WHEN I GOT HOMEAND TURNED ON THE TV,

THAT THERE WERE GOING TO BE FATALITIES.

CCTV CAPTURES THEMOMENT THE PLANE HITS THE HUDSON

AT 140 MILES PER HOUR.

INCREDIBLY, ALL 155 PASSENGERS AND CREW SURVIVE THE LANDING,

AND WITHIN 40 MINUTES,THEY'RE ALL SAFELY ON DRY LAND.

MIRACULOUSLY, TRAGEDY HAS BEEN AVOIDED,

AND AN INVESTIGATION IS LAUNCHED IMMEDIATELY.

THE WORLD WAS WAITING.

A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE NEVER HEARDOF BIRD STRIKES BEFORE THIS.

THEY WERE WONDERING,

HOW COULD BIRDS BRING DOWN A HUGE JET LIKE THIS?

FOR AS LONG AS MAN HAS BEEN FLYING,

WE'VE BEEN SHARING THE SKIES WITH BIRDS,

SOMETIMES WITH TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES.

A GRIM SEARCH IN THE SHALLOWS

OF BOSTON'S PLEASANT PARK CHANNEL

NEAR LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

THIS IS THE WORST BIRD STRIKE TO DATE.

IN OCTOBER 1960, 62 PEOPLE LOSE THEIR LIVES

WHEN THEIR PLANE HITS A FLOCK OF THOUSANDS OF STARLINGS.

SINCE THEN, THE NUMBER OF FLIGHTS GLOBALLY

HAS RISEN A HUNDREDFOLD TO OVER 100,000 EVERY DAY.

WITH THE SKIES BUSIER THAN EVER,

MORE AND MORE PLANES ARE COMINGINTO CONTACT WITH BIRDS,

AND THE RESULTS CAN BE TERRIFYING.

MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY.

THOMSON 253 ENGINE FAILURE.

WE ARE CONTINUING NORTHWESTERLY

AND INBOUND TOWARDS WALLASEY.

DECLARING AN EMERGENCY DUE TO A BIRD STRIKE.

EVERY YEAR,

BIRD STRIKES COST THE AVIATION INDUSTRY

BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

AND SINCE 1988, OVER 280 PEOPLEHAVE LOST THEIR LIVES.

AS FLIGHT NUMBERS CONTINUE TO RISE,

SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD

ARE SEARCHING FOR WAYSTO AVERT POTENTIAL CATASTROPHE,

FOR PLANES AND BIRDS ALIKE.

BUT WITH THOUSANDS OF SPECIES OF BIRDS IN THE SKY,

IT'S A COMPLEXAND CONSTANTLY SHIFTING PROBLEM.

THERE'S FORCES OF NATURE

THAT ARE LARGER THAN US.

WILDLIFE ARE JUST DYNAMIC.

THERE'S A LOT OF VARIABLES AT PLAY HERE.

EVERY ENVIRONMENT'S DIFFERENT.

EVERY HABITAT IS DIFFERENT.

BIRDS BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY INDIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.

THE SPECIES ON ONE AIRFIELD

MAY NOT BE WHAT'S THE PROBLEM ON ANOTHER AIRFIELD.

AND IT'S NOT JUST BIRDS

THAT COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES.

IT DEPENDS ON THE AIRCRAFT TYPE,

THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE THAT A BIRD CAN DO.

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH THE PROBLEM

TAKES AN EXTRAORDINARY LEVEL OF EXPERTISE

AND A VERY UNIQUE RESOURCE.

THIS IS A SPECIMEN OF A CAROLINA PARAKEET.

THIS BIRD WAS COLLECTED IN 1879.

LOCATED IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM

OF NATURAL HISTORY,

THIS IS ONE OF THE LARGEST COLLECTIONS

OF BIRDS IN THE WORLD,

CONTAINING OVER 620,000 SPECIMENS.

THIS IS A BIRD THAT WAS COLLECTED BY TEDDY ROOSEVELT.

THIS IS HIS LABEL FROM THE ROOSEVELT MUSEUM.

FOUNDED BY PEOPLE

WHO COULD NOT HAVE IMAGINED THE JET AGE,

THE COLLECTION NOW HAS A SURPRISING NEW ROLE.

TODAY WE USE IT IN OUR WORK

FOR BIRD STRIKE IDENTIFICATION,

BUT THESE COLLECTIONS HAVE BEENAROUND FOR 150 YEARS,

SO THAT WAS BEFORE AIRCRAFT WERE EVEN INVENTED.

THESE SPECIMENS ARE CENTRAL TO THE WORK

OF THE SMITHSONIAN FEATHER IDENTIFICATION LABORATORY...

CAN YOU HAND ME THAT TRAY OF KESTRELS, JIM?

...WHERE A TEAM OF FORENSIC ORNITHOLOGISTS

PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE

IN UNDERSTANDING THE BIRD STRIKE PROBLEM--

IDENTIFYING WHICH SPECIES OF BIRDS ARE INVOLVED.

ONCE YOU KNOW WHAT THE SPECIES IS,

THEN YOU KNOW WHY IT WANTS TO BE ON YOUR AIRFIELD.

WHAT DOES IT EAT? WHAT DOES IT DRINK?

WHY DOES IT WANT TO LIVE IN THIS SORT OF HABITAT?

ONCE YOU KNOW THAT, THEN YOU CAN GO ONTO THE AIRFIELD

AND MITIGATE THE PROBLEM

SO THAT THE BIRDS ARE NOT ATTRACTED TO THAT ENVIRONMENT.

Narrator:THE LABORATORY IS INVESTIGATING

MORE CASES THAN EVER BEFORE.

THEY CAN RECEIVE OVER 100 BAGS OF BIRD REMAINS IN A DAY.

THIS ONE'S ANOTHER GOOD WHOLE FEATHER.

OH, YEAH, KIND OF PEACHY.

BUT AFTER A COLLISIONWITH A PLANE,

THERE'S OFTEN LITTLE LEFT OF THE BIRD.

SOMETIMES IT'S FEATHERS, AND OTHER TIMES

A MIX OF TISSUES, BLOOD, AND FEATHER FRAGMENTS

KNOWN AS SNARGE.

THIS ONE'S AIR FORCE, COUPLE SAMPLES.

OKAY.

WE'VE GOT ONE FOR A WHOLE FEATHER,

AS WELL AS WE'VE GOT SOME GOOD SNARGE IN THERE.

IN JANUARY 2009, CARLA'S TEAM FACED

THEIR MOST HIGH-PROFILE CHALLENGE TO DATE--

WORKING OUT WHAT SPECIES OF BIRDCAUSED THE EVENT

NOW KNOWN AS THE MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON.

BUT WITH COLD WEATHER HAMPERING

ATTEMPTS TO LIFT THE PLANE FROM THE RIVER,

WOULD THE TEAM GET HOLD OF THE VITAL EVIDENCE

BEFORE IT WAS TOO LATE?

THE WORRIES WERE, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW,

THE ENGINES HAVE BEEN UNDERWATER,

IT'S FREEZING COLD THERE. WAS IT INDEED A BIRD?

WOULD THERE BE ANY EVIDENCE LEFT IN THE ENGINE?

WOULD IT BE DEGRADED?WOULD THERE BE FEATHERS AT ALL?

SO, WE WERE SORT OF WORRIED

ABOUT WHAT KIND OF EVIDENCE WE WERE GOING TO RECEIVE

AND IF IT WAS GOING TO BE ENOUGHTO GET US TO THAT SPECIES LEVEL.

HUGE CRANES ARE MANEUVERED INTO POSITION

NEXT TO THE SUBMERGED PLANE, READY FOR THE LENGTHY TASK

OF HOISTING THE FUSELAGEAND RETRIEVING THE BLACK BOXES.

FINALLY, TWO DAYS AFTER THE INCIDENT,

THE PLANE WAS LIFTED ONTO A BARGE,

AND SOON AFTER,

INVESTIGATORS BEGAN THE SEARCH FOR TRACES OF BIRD.

THE PLACE STANK OF JET FUEL.

IT WAS SLIPPERY AND DANGEROUS, AND IT WAS FREEZING.

WE ALL HAD TO WEAR LIFE JACKETS

ON TOP OF OUR WINTER CLOTHING AND HARD HATS.

I WAS ON MY BACK, CRAWLING UNDER THE WING.

I REMEMBER VERY CLEARLY, ALL OF THE SUDDEN,

I HAPPENED TO LOOK UP,AND IT WAS LIKE

THERE WAS THE FEATHER.

IT LOOKED LIKE A FEATHER OUT OF A PILLOW.

IT WAS SNOW-WHITE,

LIKE SOMEBODY HAD JUST STUCK ITTO THE BOTTOM OF THE WING,

AND I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT,

AND I SAID, "I'VE GOT A FEATHER!"

WITH THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS

STILL PASSING THROUGH NEW YORK'SAIRSPACE EVERY DAY,

THE PRESSURE WAS ON CARLA DOVE AND HER TEAM

TO DETERMINE EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO FLIGHT U.S. 1549.

SO, HERE IT IS.

THIS IS THE EVIDENCE THAT WE HAVE ARCHIVED FOR FLIGHT 1549.

UM, THIS CASE WAS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT

BECAUSE WE RECEIVED ABOUT 69 DIFFERENT SAMPLES.

TYPICALLY IN A CASE,

WE'LL GET A BAG OF REMAINS OR MAYBE TWO BAGS.

THE BAGS COME LABELED,USUALLY WITH THE ENGINE NUMBER.

SO, THIS MATERIAL CAME OUT OF THE ENGINE.

THIS IS THE DATE THAT IT WAS COLLECTED.

THE MOST CRUCIAL PIECE OF EVIDENCE

AND THE TEAM'S STARTING POINT

WAS THE FEATHER FOUND BY MICHAEL BEGIER.

WE HAD THIS NICE, WHITISH SORT OF BROWN FEATHER,

AND IT HAS ALL OF THE IMPORTANT PARTS,

WHICH WAS REALLY EXCITING TO US

BECAUSE THE FLUFFY PART OF THE FEATHER

IS WHERE WE ACTUALLY FIND THE MICROSCOPIC CHARACTERS

THAT ARE UNIQUE TO GROUPS OF BIRDS.

IDENTIFYING THE SPECIES FROM A FEATHER

IS NO EASY TASK.

550 SPECIES HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN BIRD STRIKES TO DATE,

AND EACH INDIVIDUAL BIRD HAS A HUGE VARIETY OF FEATHERS

THAT CHANGE WITH AGE AND THE TIME OF YEAR.

FORTUNATELY IN THIS CASE,

THE TEAM HAD A KEY CLUE-- EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY.

INITIALLY WE RECEIVED REPORTS

FROM CAPTAIN SULLENBERGER THAT HE HAD HIT GEESE,

AND SO PEOPLE WILL SAY,

"WELL, WHY DO YOU HAVE TOCONTINUE WITH THE INVESTIGATION

WHEN HE ALREADY KNEW HE HIT GEESE?"

BUT YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER

THAT SOMETIMES PILOTS ARE LIKE FISHERMEN,

AND IF THEY, YOU KNOW, REALLY CATCH A FISH THIS BIG,

IT ACTUALLY COMES OUT TO BE THIS BIG

WHEN THEY DESCRIBE IT TO YOU,

SO WE REALLY WANTED TO CONFIRM THAT.

NARROWING DOWN THE POSSIBLE CULPRITS

INVOLVED A TECHNIQUE PIONEERED IN THIS LAB,

AND UNTIL RECENTLY, PRACTICED NOWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD--

MICROSCOPIC IDENTIFICATION OF FEATHER BARBULES.

SO, THE FIRST THING WE'LL DO

IS TAKE A LITTLE PIECE OF THE FLUFFY DOWN,

AND THE DOWN ON A FEATHER

ACTUALLY HAS SOME DIFFERENT PHYSICAL CHARACTERS,

AND IT'S REALLY GOOD TO GET US TO THE GROUP OF BIRD.

OH, YEAH, THIS IS BEAUTIFUL.

AND ALREADY, I'VE GOT THE CHARACTERS

THAT, I'M REALLY EXCITED,

THAT ARE PROBABLY GOING TO CONFIRM GOOSE.

THE ONLY WAY FOR MARCYTO CONFIRM HER SUSPICIONS

IS TO COMPARE THE UNKNOWN FEATHER

TO A REFERENCE SAMPLE OF A GOOSE.

WE'RE SEEING ALMOST IDENTICAL CHARACTERS,

THESE BEAUTIFUL TRIANGULAR NODESTHAT ARE KIND OF AT THE TIPS

OF THESE REALLY LONG FEATHER BARBULES.

ALSO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE NODES.

FROM OUR STANDPOINT, THAT'S A LONG DISTANCE,

WHICH IS ALSO VERY PARTICULAR,

WHICH IS KIND OF EXCITING, OF GEESE.

THE MICROSCOPIC EVIDENCE

HAS LED TO THE FAMILY OF BIRDS,

BUT IT ALSO PROVIDES ANOTHER CLUE.

IT'S SHOWING SOMEVERY SUBTLE, STIPPLING PIGMENT.

IT'S A LITTLE HARD-- LOOKS LIKE LITTLE TINY DOTS

THAT WE SEE IN THE BRANTA GENUS.

THE TEAM WERE NOW LOOKING

FOR A GOOSE OF THE BRANTA GENUS.

BUT IN THE NEW YORK AREA,

THIS MEANS ONE OF TWO POSSIBLE CULPRITS--

THE CANADA GOOSE AND THE BRANT.

DETERMINING WHICH ONE HAD BROUGHT DOWN FLIGHT U.S. 1549

WAS CRUCIAL.

THE BRANT GOOSE, THAT BIRDWEIGHS ABOUT THREE POUNDS.

THE CANADA GOOSE WEIGHSABOUT EIGHT POUNDS, TEN POUNDS.

SO, KNOWING THE WEIGHT OF THEBIRDS THAT WENT INTO THE ENGINE

WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE ENGINEERS

BECAUSE THOSE ENGINES ON THAT AIRCRAFT

WERE DESIGNED TO TAKE A FOUR-POUND BIRD,

SO IF IT HAD BEEN A BRANT,

THEN THE ENGINE SHOULD HAVE BEENABLE TO CONTINUE TO FLY.

THE MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON

LED TO A HUGE INCREASE IN BIRD STRIKE REPORTING

AND TO 400 PERCENT MORE WORK FOR CARLA'S TEAM.

TODAY, THEY PROCESS 10,000 CASES EVERY YEAR,

AND HALF OF THEM DON'T COME FROM COMMERCIAL AVIATION,

BUT FROM THE U.S. MILITARY.

THIS IS RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE IN TEXAS.

I'VE FLOWN NUMEROUSPLACES AROUND THE WORLD.

BIRDS ARE SORT OF AN ISSUE,

AND WE ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THEM AT ANY BASE,

BUT I GOT TO RANDOLPH AND IMMEDIATELY NOTICED,

JUST FLYING AROUND THE PATTERN,

THAT, HOLY COW, THERE'S A LOT MORE BIRDS HERE.

THAT SORTIE, WE TOOK OFF ONTO A LOW LEVEL ROUTE,

SO WE'RE FLYING ALONG AT ABOUT 400 MILES AN HOUR,

ABOUT 500 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND.

I WAS A PILOT INSTRUCTOR,

TRAINING INSTRUCTOR, AT THAT POINT.

SO, THE STUDENT, HE'S SITTING IN THE BACK SEAT.

HE'S TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING TO SEE

AT OUR NEXT TURN POINT.

SHOULD BE SEEING A SET OF TOWERS ARE GOING.

I BELIEVE THE NORTHERN ONE'S IN THE VALLEY,

AND THEN THERE'LL BE A SOUTHERN ONE ON THE HILL.

THE AIRPORT YOU SAID IS IN-- BIRD! UGH!

ALL THE RIGHT SIDE BASICALLY

OF THE CANOPY ITSELF IS GONE.

YOU CAN IMAGINE, YOU KNOW, YOU ROLL YOUR WINDOW DOWN

ON THE FREEWAY AT 60 MILES AN HOUR,

AND YOU GET ALL THIS WIND NOISE.

WE'RE DOING ALMOST 400 MILES AN HOUR.

THE BODY OF THE BIRD ENDS UP HITTING THE BACK SEATER,

MY STUDENT, IN THE SHOULDER.

BIRD! UGH!

IT'S THAT INITIAL REACTION WHERE YOU'RE LIKE,

"OH, MY GOSH, ARE WE GONNA HAVE TO EJECT?"

THAT'S KIND OF THE BIG ADRENALINE RUSH.

YOU HAVE THE AIRCRAFT!

I IMMEDIATELY TAKE THE AIRPLANE FROM HIM.

HE WAS FLYING, AND I START CLIMBING AWAY FROM THE GROUND

BECAUSE THAT'S ALWAYS WHAT WE DOIF THERE'S ANY KIND OF PROBLEM

ON THE, A LOW LEVEL, CLOSE TO THE GROUND.

WE GET AWAY FROM THE GROUND

BECAUSE THAT'S OUR BIGGEST THREAT.

BITS OF THE PLEXIGLAS

HAVE RIPPED OUT A CONNECTION OFF MY MASK.

SO, I'M MAKING ALL THESE RADIO CALLS.

NOBODY CAN HEAR ME.

AND EVENTUALLY THE BACK SEATER,THE STUDENT, IS GOING LIKE,

"HEY, CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

AND I'M ABLE TO VERYCAREFULLY GIVE HIM A THUMBS UP.

I MEAN, I DON'T WANNA STICK MY ARM UP TOO HIGH

AND, YOU KNOW, HAVE IT HITTING THE 400-MILE-AN-HOUR,

OR THE 300 BY THIS POINT, MILE-AN-HOUR WIND

AND RIPPED OFF, OR, YOU KNOW,

DISLOCATE MY SHOULDER OR SOMETHING,

SO I'M LIKE, "YEAH, OKAY, I CAN HEAR YOU."

YOU OKAY?

I'M GOOD! I'M GOOD!

I START DIALING IN OUR NAVIGATION AIDS

TO GO INTO KELLY AIR FORCE BASE

OR KELLY FIELDON THE WEST SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO.

WE LAND.

I TAXI CLEAR OF THE RUNWAY, AND WE SHUT DOWN THERE,

AND, AT THAT POINT, WE'RE ABLE TO UNSTRAP

AND KIND OF TAKE A LOOK AT THE DAMAGE

AND STAND UP THERE, AND THERE'S JUST, YOU KNOW,

THE BIRD BLOOD AND GUTS ARE ALL OVER THE BACK COCKPIT.

WITH THE HELP OF THE FEATHER LAB,

THE BIRD WAS IDENTIFIED AS A BLACK VULTURE,

WHICH HAS A WINGSPAN OF NEARLY FIVE FEET.

BIRD! UGH!

SO, AS BAD AS THIS WAS,

A BIRD THAT SIZE COULD HAVE DONE MORE DAMAGE.

IT'S ALL A GAME OF INCHES.

IT WAS PROBABLY THE WORST THINGI'VE HAD HAPPEN IN AN AIRPLANE.

THE U.S. MILITARY'S BIRD STRIKE PROGRAM,

KNOWN AS BASH,IS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD,

AND IT NEEDS TO BE.

MILITARY FLIGHTS REPRESENT JUST SIX PERCENT

OF ALL FLIGHTS IN THE U.S.

BUT ACCOUNT FOR NEARLY A THIRD OF ALL REPORTED BIRD STRIKES.

FLYING AT LOW ALTITUDES AND HIGH SPEEDS

PUTS MILITARY PILOTS ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH BIRDS.

TYPICALLY COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT

ARE IN THE BIRD ENVIRONMENT DURING TAKEOFF AND LANDING,

AND ONCE THEY GET TO ALTITUDE,

THE PROBABILITY OF A STRIKE GOES DOWN REMARKABLY.

NOT ONLY IS IT WHERE THE BIRDS LIVE,

IT'S ALSO THE SPEED OF THEAIRCRAFT ON A LOW-LEVEL MISSION.

WE'RE FLYING 500 MILES AN HOUR,

SO NOW EVEN A SMALLER BIRD THAT YOU HIT

WILL DO SERIOUS DAMAGE.

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE IS LOCATED

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CENTRAL FLYWAY,

A MAJOR MIGRATORY PATH THATFUNNELS MILLIONS OF LARGE BIRDS,

LIKE VULTURES, INTO THE AREA EVERY WINTER.

ON THE AIRFIELD ITSELF, THERE'SA YEAR-ROUND BIRD THREAT,

ONE THAT REQUIRESEXTRAORDINARY CONTROL MEASURES.

ALL RIGHT, YOU CAN TAKE WEAPONS OFF SAFE.

CHARGE AWAY.

THIS SQUADRON PATROL THE BASE EVERY MORNING AT DAWN

ARMED WITH PAINTBALL GUNS.

ALL RIGHT, I'LL TAKE THE OUTER RIGHT CORRIDOR.

I'LL TAKE THE INNER RIGHT.

LET'S BRANCH OFF.

THEIR MISSION-- TO WARD OFF A THREAT

THAT COULD GROUND THE ENTIRE FLEET.

YOU CAN SEE ONE RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE NOW.

WE'VE GOT A COUPLE HERE.

WHITE-WINGED DOVES.

SO, WE DON'T WANT TO HIT THE BIRDS,

BUT WE WANT TO HIT NEAR ENOUGH TO THEM

THAT THEY KNOW, DON'T STAY IN THIS TREE.

AND SOMETIMES THEY LIKE TO MESS WITH US

AND JUST HOP FROM TREE TO TREE.

I'M OKAY WITH THAT.

THE AREA THE SQUADRON PATROL

IS HOME TO AROUND 50,000 WHITE-WINGED DOVES.

IT'S ALSO BETWEEN TWO RUNWAYS.

Michael Pacheco:WE HAVE A SMALL FLOCK RIGHT HERE

COMING OVER THE RUNWAY RIGHT NOW.

WE HAVE AN ACTIVE RUNWAY WITH T-38 TRAINERS COMING ACROSS.

MOST OF THESE BIRDS ARE GOING TOBE ANYWHERE FROM 200 TO 300 FEET

UP TO MAYBE 500,

600 FEET UP IN THE AIR,

RIGHT AT THE SAME ALTITUDE AS OUR PLANES ARE LAUNCHING.

TO KEEP THEIR PILOTS SAFE,

THE BIOLOGISTS ON THE GROUND

HAVE STUDIED THE BEHAVIOR OF THESE BIRDS IN DETAIL.

SO, THEY'LL LEAVE HERE,AND THEY'LL COME.

THEY'LL FLY ACROSS,

AND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF BIRDS JUST COME ACROSS,

FLY OVER THIS RUNWAY, HEAD OVER,

AND THEY EAT, DO WHAT THEY DO OFF BASE,

AND LATER ON DURING THE DAY, THEY'LL TRICKLE BACK.

BUT THE MOST CRITICAL POINT OF, OF THE DAY

IS THIS TIME OF DAY BETWEEN 7:00 AND 9:00 A.M.

ARMED WITH A DETAILEDKNOWLEDGE OF THE BIRDS,

THE TEAM HAVE CREATED A TARGETED PROGRAM

TO KEEP THEM SAFELY AWAY FROM THE JETS.

WE'VE GOT, UH, SCREAMERS.

WE'VE GOT SOME BANGERS.

ON THAT UNIT RIGHT THERE,

WE'LL HAVE WHAT WE CALL A DISTRESS CALLER,

WHICH, WHICH EMITSDISTRESS CALLS OF INJURED BIRDS

OR A PREDATORY BIRD...

SO IT JUST MAKES THAT PARTICULAR BIRD SPECIES

NOT WANT TO BE HERE.

IT WOULD ONLY TAKE ONE DOVE

TO CAUSE ENGINE FAILURE IN A T-38 JET.

AS YOU CAN SEE DOWN HERE IN THE ENGINE,

YOU HAVE THE FIRST STAGE OF BLADES.

THOSE BLADES RIGHT THERE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES BACK THERE.

YOU HAVE ABOUT ANOTHER 10 TO 15,

EVEN 30 STAGES OF BLADES SPINNING AT HIGH SPEED.

NOW, IF ONE OF THOSE BLADESGETS HIT BY A REALLY SMALL BIRD,

IT WILL LET ONE OF THOSE BLADES GO

AND LIBERATE IT FROM THE REST OF THE ENGINE

AND THEN CAUSE IT TO GO DOWN

THE REST OF THE COMPRESSOR STAGES.

THAT'S REALLY BAD.

IT'S NOT JUST ANAIRPLANE THAT'S FLYING THROUGH.

THERE'S ACTUAL PEOPLE THAT I WORK WITH

ON A REGULAR BASIS HERE THAT ARE FLYING THESE PLANES,

SO IT'S MY JOB TO KEEP THESEBIRDS OUT OF THEIR FLIGHT PATH.

Narrator: SINCE THE EARLY 1980s,THE U.S. MILITARY

HAS BEEN GATHERING DATA ONEVERY ONE OF THEIR BIRD STRIKES.

IN 1990, COMMERCIAL AVIATION FOLLOWED SUIT,

LAUNCHING AN AMBITIOUS PROJECT--

THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE STRIKE DATABASE.

SINCE THEN, MORE THAN 200,000 STRIKES HAVE BEEN REPORTED.

YOU CANNOT SOLVE A PROBLEM

YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND,

AND THE DATABASE PROVIDES US

WITH A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF INFORMATION

ON THE NATURE OF THE STRIKES THAT ARE OCCURRING--

THE SPECIES OF BIRDS, THE PHASE OF FLIGHT,

THE TYPE OF AIRCRAFT,

THE TYPE OF DAMAGE THAT OCCURS TO THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS,

TIME OF DAY, HEIGHT ABOVE GROUND LEVEL.

ALL OF THESE THINGS,

WHEN COLLECTED IN AGGREGATE AND ANALYZED,

GIVE A VERY CLEAR PICTURE OF WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.

THIS DATA HAS REVEALED THE EXACT MOMENT

WHEN PLANES ARE MOST VULNERABLE TO A BIRD STRIKE...

TAKEOFF.

THIS IS WHEN THE AIRCRAFT

IS AT MAXIMUM THRUST, MAXIMUM VELOCITY,

AND THE IMPACT FORCES ARE AT THEIR GREATEST.

THE AIRCRAFT IS FULLY FUELED,OVERWEIGHT FOR A RETURN LANDING.

ALL OF THESE FACTORS MEAN THAT IT IS MUCH MORE LIKELY

THAT IF YOU HAVEA SIGNIFICANT STRIKE ON TAKEOFF,

THEN YOU MAY RESULT IN A CATASTROPHIC OUTCOME.

BUT ON JANUARY 15, 2009...

...THE MYSTERY OF FLIGHT U.S. 1549

WAS THAT IT WAS SAFELY THROUGH TAKEOFF.

THEY WERE FLYING ALMOST AT 3,000 FEET

AT FIVE MILES OUT FROM THE RUNWAY.

I MEAN, THIS IS THE ENVELOPE WHERE YOUR, YOUR CHANCES

OF HAVING A BIRD STRIKE GO DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY.

THROUGH MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS,

THE TEAM NARROWED THE SEARCH DOWN TO TWO TYPES OF GEESE--

THE LIGHTER BRANT

AND THE MUCH HEAVIER CANADA GOOSE.

DETERMINING WHICH SPECIES BROUGHT DOWN FLIGHT U.S. 1549

WAS CRUCIAL.

HERE WE HAVE A MUSEUM STUDY SKIN OF A CANADA GOOSE.

COMPARING FEATHERS TO A SPECIMEN LIKE THIS

IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE BIRDS HAVE

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FEATHERS ON THEIR BODY

AND THERE ARE A LOT OF VARIATION

IN A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL.

YOU CAN SEE THE NECK FEATHERS ARE BLACK.

YOU KNOW, THE BREAST FEATHERS ARE SORT OF BROWN.

THERE'S WHITE FEATHERS ON THE UNDERTAIL COVERTS

AND THE BELLY,

AND THEN THERE'S SOLID BLACK FEATHERS ON THE UPPER TAIL,

DARK BROWN ON THE BACK, SO THERE'S A LOT OF VARIATION

EVEN IN ONE SINGLE INDIVIDUAL BIRD,

AND SO MATCHING A FEATHER TO A BIRD

IS A QUITE COMPLICATED PROCESS,

AND IT REALLY TAKES A LOT OF EXPERIENCE.

IN THIS CASE, THE FEATHERACTUALLY MATCHED VERY, VERY WELL

WITH THIS SPECIMEN OF CANADA GOOSE.

YOU CAN EVEN SEE THE LIGHTER SORT OF BUFFY TIP

ON THIS GRAYISH BROWN FEATHER.

IT'S A PRETTY GOOD MATCH, BUT IN A CASE LIKE THIS,

WE'RE NEVER SURE UNTIL WE COMPLETE THE WHOLE ANALYSIS

USING THE OTHER TOOLS IN OUR TOOLBOX,

WHICH INCLUDES THE DNA ANALYSIS.

WITHIN THE 69 BAGS OF EVIDENCE,

THE TEAM FOUND 18 SAMPLES THAT YIELDED VIABLE DNA.

THEY INPUTTED THE RESULTS INTO AN ONLINE DNA DATABASE,

AND THEY MATCHED 99 TO 100 PERCENT TO ONE SPECIES.

SO, MONDAY MORNING, YOU KNOW, WE ALL CAME RUNNING IN.

DID THE SEQUENCES COME OFF THE PLATE?

WHAT'S THE ANSWER?

DID WE GET THIS RIGHT?

AND THEN WHENEVER IT CAME BACK BRANTA CANADENSIS,

WHICH IS CANADA GOOSE, WE WERE ALL LIKE, YES!

THIS IS A KEY FINDINGFOR ENGINEERS.

CANADA GEESE WEIGH AN AVERAGE OF SEVEN TO TEN POUNDS,

MUCH HEAVIER THAN THE ENGINES WERE CERTIFIED TO WITHSTAND.

WHAT'S MORE, CANADA GEESE FLY IN FLOCKS.

DESIGNING ENGINES THAT CAN SURVIVE AN IMPACT

WITH MULTIPLE LARGE BIRDSIS A NEAR IMPOSSIBLE CHALLENGE.

THE ENGINEERS TELL ME THEY COULD DESIGN ONE,

BUT THE PLANE PROBABLY WOULDN'T FLY

AND IT WOULD BE TOO HEAVY OR INEFFICIENT,

OR IT WOULD HAVE SUCH POOR FUEL EFFICIENCY

THAT NO ONE WOULD USE IT,

SO IT'S JUST A VERY DIFFICULT BALANCING ACT,

OF DESIGNING ENGINES THAT ARE FUEL EFFICIENT

AND ALSO ABLE TO WITHSTAND FLOCKS OF BIRDS.

BUT IT'S NOW MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

THAT ENGINES CAN WITHSTAND A BIRD STRIKE.

AS THE JET AGE DAWNS, MOST LARGE COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT

HAVE THREE OR FOUR ENGINES.

TODAY, 96 PERCENT HAVE JUST TWO.

WHEN YOU HAVE AN IMPACT TO AN ENGINE

AND YOU LOSE AN ENGINE,OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE FOUR ENGINES,

YOU HAVE THREE OTHERS THAT ARE STILL FLYING,

WORKING ORDER.

IF YOU HAVE TWO ENGINES AND YOU LOSE ONE,

IT'S A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT.

AND WE KNOW FROM U.S. AIR 1549,

IF YOU LOSE TWO ENGINES ON A TWO-ENGINE AIRCRAFT,

YOU ESSENTIALLY BECOME A GLIDER.

Narrator: SINCE THE 1960s, ENGINES HAVE BEEN TESTED

TO PROVE THEIR RESILIENCE TO BIRD STRIKES.

EXCEPTIONAL DURABILITY WAS DEMONSTRATED

BY THE INGESTION OF FOUR TWO-AND-A-HALF-POUND BIRDS

AT TAKEOFF.

TRADITIONALLY, THIS ONLY HAPPENED

ONCE THE ENGINE HAD BEEN BUILT.

BUT ADVANCED COMPUTER MODELING

NOW ALLOWS ENGINEERS TO TEST THEIR ENGINES MUCH EARLIER.

SO, THIS IS A SIMULATION

OF A BIRD HITTING A FAN BLADE...

...THE PURPOSE BEING TO LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE

THAT OCCURS IN THE FAN BLADE SO THAT WE CAN PREDICT

THE STATE OF THE BLADE AFTER THE IMPACT.

PREVIOUSLY, ENGINE DESIGN WORKED

ON A TRIAL AND ERROR BASIS.

ENGINEERS WOULD HAVE TO BUILD

AND THEN PHYSICALLY TEST THEIR CONCEPT,

OFTEN DESTROYING THEM IN THE PROCESS.

COMPUTER MODELING STREAMLINES THE DESIGN PHASE,

BRINGING IMPROVED ENGINESTHAT ARE BOTH SAFE AND EFFICIENT

INTO PRODUCTION MUCH MORE QUICKLY.

SO, WE SEE THE BLADE DEFORMING.

WE SEE QUITE A LOT OF PERMANENT CHANGE OF SHAPE,

BUT IT'S PREDICTING

WHILE THERE'S A LOT OF DAMAGE TO THE BLADE,

THE BLADE ITSELF HAS STAYED INTACT.

THIS SORT OF MODEL IS THEN USED TO STUDY

WHETHER WE CAN BUILD A BLADE OF THAT SHAPE WHICH IS SAFE.

EVERY DAY IN THE USA,

AN AVERAGE OF 40 CIVIL AVIATIONBIRD STRIKES ARE REPORTED.

THIS DATA REVEALS THAT 97 PERCENT OCCUR

DURING TAKEOFF AND LANDING,

SO MANAGING BIRDS AT AIRPORTS IS VITAL.

THAT'S WHERE THE BIRDS ARE.

THAT'S WHERE THE AIRCRAFT ARE, AT THOSE LOW ALTITUDES,

AND THAT'S WHERE WE NEED TO PUTOUR INVESTMENT AND ENERGY.

BUT NO TWO AIRPORTS ARE THE SAME.

EACH OFFERS A UNIQUE HABITAT TO BIRDS.

THIS IS PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT,

AND IT'S AN ATTRACTIVE HUNTING GROUND FOR BIRDS OF PREY.

SO, THE WEST END OF THE AIRFIELD

HAS BEEN A KNOWN HOT SPOT FOR RED-TAILED HAWKS,

SO WE IDENTIFIED THE NEEDTO TRAP AND TRANSLOCATE RAPTORS

OUT OF THAT AREA,

SO WE'RE HEADING THAT WAY TO ACTIVATE A TRAP.

HEY, NICK.

SO, I THINK THIS IS A REALLY GOOD SPOT

BECAUSE WE'VE HAD THAT UNBANDED ADULT OVER HERE,

HANGING OUT ON THESE TOWERS,

AND ON HERE AND KIND OF ON THE FENCE LINE.

IT MIGHT BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY

TO GET THAT ONE PERSON OR THAT ONE HAWK

THAT'S BEEN SITTING HERE FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

SO, GIVE ME A HAND PULLING THIS OFF,

AND WE'LL GET THE DOORS FACING THE FENCE.

ALL RIGHT, GOOD.

I'VE GOT THE LURES.

YOU WANT TO GRAB THE FOOD AND WATER?

YEAH, I GOT IT.

AFTER A SERIES OF STRIKES,

THE TEAM IDENTIFIED THE RED-TAILED HAWK

AS A KEY SPECIES OF CONCERN.

AND EVERY SPRING AND FALL,THOUSANDS OF THEM PASS OVERHEAD

ON THE COASTAL MIGRATION PATH KNOWN AS THE PACIFIC FLYWAY.

THIS BEING THE LARGEST GRASS HABITAT

IN THE WHOLE METROPOLITAN AREA,

BIRDS ARE MORE LIKELY TO STOP HERE.

THE RIVER SYSTEMS ACT AS A CORRIDOR, TOO,

SO BIRDS CAN MOVE UP AND DOWN THESE RIVER SYSTEMS,

SO GEOGRAPHICALLY IT'S LIKE A MAP

THAT ACTUALLY HELPS THEM

LOCATE AND FIND THIS PARTICULAR SITE.

AND WITH 19 MILLION PASSENGERS

GOING THROUGH THE AIRPORT EACH YEAR,

KEEPING BIRDS OUT OF THE PATH OF PLANES IS CRUCIAL.

DURING A TYPICAL MIGRATION SEASON,

THE TEAM CAPTURE UP TO 80 RED-TAILED HAWKS.

FOR LURES, WE USE THE EUROPEAN STARLINGS.

WE'VE ALSO USED PIGEONS IN THE PAST,

BUT PIGEONS JUST TEND TO SIT

AND NOT MAKE A LOT OF MOVEMENT,

WHERE IF YOU PUT A FEW STARLINGS IN HERE,

THERE'S A LOT OF FRANTIC MOVEMENT.

SO, THE IDEA IS YOU DRIVE AWAY,

AND THE HUNGRY HAWK COMES THROUGH,

SEES THIS ACTIVITY DOWN THERE, AND LOOKS AT IT.

"OH, HEY, THAT'S A PRETTY EASY MEAL,"

SO THEY COME DOWN,

SOMETIMES THEY'LL GO AROUND THE SIDES OF THE TRAP,

SOMETIMES THEY MIGHT PERCH ON THE PEAKS

OR THE, OR THE, THE DOORS HERE.

BUT THE IDEA IS ONCE THEY COME DOWN GOING FOR THE BIRDS,

THEY HIT THIS TRIGGER STICK, OR THEY PERCH ON IT,

AND THEN THE TRAP CLOSES,

AND NOW THE HAWK IS TRAPPED INSIDE,

WITH LOOSE NETTING, SO IT'S NOT SO STIFF

THAT THEY END UP HURTING THEMSELVES.

ALL RIGHT, THANKS, NICK. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.

I'LL CHECK BACK IN A COUPLE HOURS.

SOUNDS GOOD.

BUT RELOCATING THE BIRDS IS NOT ENOUGH.

THE TEAM NEED TO REMOVE WHAT ISATTRACTING THEM TO THE AIRFIELD.

IT'S A FOOD SOURCE THAT LIVES HIDDEN OUT OF SIGHT.

THESE ARE VOLE HOLES.

HE'S TREATING THE AIRFIELD WITHA PELLETIZED ZINC PHOSPHIDE,

SO THE IDEA IS TO CONTROL THE SMALL MAMMAL POPULATION,

MAINLY THE GRAY-TAILED VOLE.

WE'RE TRYING TO REDUCE THAT SO WE CAN REDUCE

THE OVERALL ATTRACTANT TO THE AIRFIELD.

BUT EVERY AIRPORT ATTRACTS DIFFERENT BIRDS.

2,000 MILES AWAY AT DALLAS FORT WORTH AIRPORT,

THEIR MAJOR CHALLENGE IS PIGEONS.

IN THE SUMMER OF 2014,

THEY CAUSED NINE STRIKES, ONE INVOLVING OVER 50 BIRDS.

SO, EVERYBODY, LET'S GATHER AROUND A TABLE.

WE ARE GOING TO LEARN HOW TO UNZIP BIRDS.

GATHER ROUND.

TODAY WILDLIFE BIOLOGISTS

FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

HAVE COME TO LEARN AN INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUE...

EVERYBODY GETS A BIRD. YEP.

...ONE THAT CANBE USED ACROSS VARIOUS SPECIES.

MOURNING DOVE?

THEY EAT MUCH MORE FUN THINGS THAN PIGEONS DO.

EVERYBODY'S GOT A BIRD?

KEEP YOUR HAND ON THE OUTSIDE.

IT IS SURGICAL SHARP. BE SUPER CAREFUL.

AND IT'S REALLY EASY-PEASY.

AND IT BASICALLY JUST COMES.

IT'S SO MUCH NICER THAN A GIZZARD.

SOME OF YOU WILL FIND SEEDS IN YOURS OTHER THAN THE CORN.

THESE BIRDS, YOU CAN SEE,ARE ALL EATING DIFFERENT THINGS.

I CAN'T TELL WHAT ALL THAT IS.

ONCE BIOLOGISTS KNOW

WHAT THEIR PROBLEM BIRDS ARE EATING,

THEY CAN TAKE STEPS TO STOP THEM COMING.

AT DFW AIRPORT,

THE TEAM REMOVED THE PLANTS THAT WERE ATTRACTING PIGEONS,

AND THE NUMBER OF STRIKES INVOLVING PIGEONS

DROPPED IMMEDIATELY.

BACK AT PORTLAND, IT'S PEAK MIGRATION SEASON,

AND THE TRAPS HAVE BEEN BUSY.

WE HAVE FIVE RED-TAILED HAWKS.

THEY'RE ALL HATCH YEARS.

THEY WERE CAUGHT WITHIN THE LAST TWO DAYS.

WE'RE GOING TO BAND AND WING-TAG THESE BIRDS.

BEFORE RELOCATION,

THE TEAM COLLECT VITAL DATA ABOUT THE HAWKS.

Carole Hallett: 366.

25, 0.

BY BUILDING A PICTURE

OF THE AGE AND CONDITION OF THESE BIRDS,

THE TEAM HAVE A BETTER CHANCE

OF KEEPING THEM AWAY FROM THE AIRFIELD.

SO, HE'S, UM, X OVER T.

SO HE'S STILL A KID.

AND THIS BIRD PROBABLY DIDN'T GROW UP HERE.

HE'S PROBABLY A MIGRANT,

SO WE'RE INTO THE MIGRATION SEASON,

SO HE MAY HAVE ALREADY COME DOWN FROM CANADA,

OR HE MAY HAVE MOVED UP FROM CALIFORNIA,

BECAUSE THESE KIDS WILL MOVE NORTH AND SOUTH INITIALLY.

THE YOUNGER BIRDS ARE LESS LIKELY TO COME BACK

THAN OLDER BIRDS.

WE'RE GOING TO DO OUR BEST

TO TAKE HIM TO A MORE SUITABLE SITE,

AND HOPEFULLY HE STAYS AWAY FROM AIRFIELDS.

ALL OF THE HAWKS

RECEIVE AN EASILY VISIBLE WING TAG.

SO, FOR US, WE'RE TRYINGTO TRACK RETURN RATES

AND LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE AGAIN

ABOUT THESE PARTICULAR BIRDS,

AND WE DO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC THROUGH A WEBSITE,

SO THERE IS OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PUBLIC TO SUBMIT LOCATIONS

IF THEY SEE THESE BIRDS.

WITH THE NICE WING TAGS ON THEM,

THEY'RE EASIER TO SPOT AND IDENTIFY.

I WANT TO GET A NICEFRONT AND BACK SHOT OF THE BIRD.

BIRD X/T IS NOW READY FOR RELOCATION

WITH THE OTHER CAPTURED HAWKS AT A CAREFULLY CHOSEN SITE.

AWESOME.

OKAY.

IT'S THANKS TO PROGRAMS LIKE THIS

THAT DAMAGING BIRD STRIKES AT AMERICAN AIRPORTS

HAVE BEEN REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLYOVER THE PAST 18 YEARS.

BUT THE TASK IS GETTING HARDER.

NOT ONLY ARE THERE MORE PLANES IN THE AIR,

THERE ARE MORE LARGE BIRDS, TOO.

THE MAJOR CHALLENGE WE HAVE WITH BIRD STRIKES

TODAY IN NORTH AMERICA

IS THAT WE HAVE SEEN A TREMENDOUS INCREASE

IN THE POPULATIONS OF MOST OF OUR LARGER BIRD SPECIES.

SEVERAL OFTHE SPECIES HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD

AT ADAPTING TO OUR HUMAN ENVIRONMENT,

AND SO THINGS LIKE CANADA GEESE

HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LIVE AMONG HUMANS,

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FERTILIZED LAWNS

IN THESE INDUSTRIAL PARKS.

THEY'VE MOVED TO AREAS

WHERE THEY'RE ABLETO SURVIVE THROUGHOUT THE WINTER

AND LIVE THERE YEAR-ROUND,

SO THAT'S BECOME A PROBLEM.

THE SMITHSONIAN TEAM PROVED THAT CANADA GEESE

CAUSED FLIGHT U.S. 1549 TO LAND IN THE HUDSON,

BUT IDENTIFYING THE SPECIES WAS NOT ENOUGH.

THEY NEEDED TO FIND OUT HOW MANY BIRDS WERE INVOLVED.

KNOWING HOW MANY BIRDS WENT INTO EACH ENGINE

MAY HELP THE ENGINEERS IN THE FUTURE

WHEN THEY'RE DESIGNING AIRCRAFT ENGINES

TO KEEP THIS IN MIND ABOUT FLOCKING SPECIES.

BUT THE TEAM FACED A CHALLENGE.

THE MATERIAL WAS TOO DEGRADED

TO IDENTIFY INDIVIDUAL DNA PROFILES.

WHAT THEY COULD DO WAS WORK OUT

IF THERE WAS MALE OR FEMALE DNAIN EACH ENGINE.

SO, WE DECIDED JUST TO TRY TO DETERMINE

THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF BIRDS IN EACH ENGINE

BY DETERMINING IF THERE WASAT LEAST ONE MALE AND ONE FEMALE

IN THE ENGINE.

TO DO THIS,

THE TEAM CARRIED OUT A PROCESS CALLED DNA SEXING.

JUST LIKE HUMANS,

BIRDS HAVE TWO SEX CHROMOSOMES.

THE GENES ARE TWO DIFFERENT SIZES.

IN THIS CASE, YOU'RE SEEING TWO BANDS,

TWO DIFFERENT SIZES,SO THIS INDIVIDUAL IS A FEMALE,

AND IN THIS CASE, YOU'RE SEEING ONLY A SINGLE BAND,

WHICH MEANS WE HAVE A MALE IN THIS CASE.

THE TEAM TESTED 20 SAMPLES FROM THE ENGINES.

IN THE RIGHT ENGINE, THEY FOUND ONLY MALE DNA,

BUT IN THE LEFT,THEY FOUND BOTH MALE AND FEMALE.

THAT ALLOWS US TO KNOW

THAT WE HAD A MINIMUM OF THREE CANADA GEESE

THAT WERE INGESTED INTO THE ENGINES OF THAT AIRPLANE.

THIS WAS A CRUCIAL FINDING

FOR THE ENGINE MANUFACTURERS.

NO AIRCRAFT ENGINE ON THE PLANETCAN MAINTAIN THRUST

AFTER A STRIKEFROM MULTIPLE EIGHT-POUND BIRDS,

BUT FOR BIOLOGISTS, IT WASTHE BEGINNING OF A NEW MYSTERY.

WAS THIS FLOCK OF GEESE A LOCAL POPULATION,

OR WERE THEY MIGRATORY?

WHY WERE THOSE BIRDS THERE?

THEY HIT THOSE BIRDS AT 3,000 FEET.

THAT'S PRETTY HIGH.

NOT LIKELY THAT BIRDS VERY CLOSE TO THE AIRPORT

WOULD SPIRAL THEIR WAY UP INTO THE ATMOSPHERE

TO 3,000 FEETAND THEN GET HIT BY AN AIRPLANE.

BUT JANUARY IS NOT A TIME

WHEN CANADA GEESE USUALLY MIGRATE.

SO, WHAT WERE THESE BIRDS DOING UP SO HIGH

AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR?

IT DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT TO US.

THE HUNT FOR ANSWERS

LED THE TEAM TO A COMPLEX TECHNIQUE

THAT HAS NEVER BEFORE BEEN USEDIN A BIRD STRIKE CASE,

ONE THAT SEARCHES FOR CLUES TO A BIRD'S HISTORY

IN ITS FEATHERS.

BIRDS, IN PARTICULAR CANADA GEESE,

THEY MOVE TO THE NORTH IN ORDER TO BREED.

WHEN THEY GET THEIR BREEDINGGROUNDS, THEY'RE GOING TO MOLT.

THAT MEANS THEY'RE GOING TO DROP ALL OF THEIR FEATHERS,

AND THEY'RE GOING TO REGROWTHEIR FEATHERS IN THAT LOCATION.

WHATEVER AN ANIMAL EATS OR DRINKS,

IN THE CASE OF THE BIRDS,

IS GOING TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE FEATHER.

IT'S THE ADAGE YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT,

MINUS WHAT YOU EXCRETE.

THE PROCESS IS CALLEDISOTOPE ANALYSIS.

THIS TINY PIECE OF FEATHER

IS THEN WEIGHED AND THERMALLY DECOMPOSED,

AND THE HYDROGEN WITHIN IT CONVERTED TO GAS.

THE GAS IS THEN ANALYZED IN A MASS SPECTROMETER,

WHICH SHOULD GIVE CLUES TO THE BIRD'S LOCATION.

AREAS FURTHER NORTH IN LATITUDE

HAVE MUCH LIGHTER HYDROGEN.

AREAS FURTHER SOUTH HAVE HEAVIER HYDROGENS.

THE TEAM TESTED CANADA GOOSE FEATHERS

FROM SEVERAL LOCATIONS

TO COMPARE WITH THOSE FROM FLIGHT U.S. 1549.

FEATHERS FROM THE RESIDENT NEW YORK GEESE

WEREN'T A GOOD MATCH.

A MUCH CLOSER ISOTOPE SIGNATUREWAS FOUND IN FEATHERS

FROM BIRDS COLLECTED THOUSANDSOF MILES TO THE NORTH IN CANADA.

SO, WE'RE PRETTY CONVINCED THAT THOSE GEESE

THAT ENTERED INTO THOSE ENGINES

WERE A MIGRATING POPULATION FROM THE CANADA REGION.

IT IS MOST LIKELY THEY WERE NOT PART

OF THE LOCAL NEW YORK CITY RESIDENT POPULATION OF GEESE.

THIS REVELATION MARKED THE END

OF THE TEAM'S INVESTIGATION, AND WHAT IT REVEALS

MAKES AN ALREADYDIFFICULT PROBLEM EVEN TOUGHER.

WE NEED TO START FOCUSING NOW

ON MIGRATORY POPULATIONS OF LARGE BIRDS.

WHERE ARE THEY? HOW CAN WE PREDICT THEM?

HOW CAN WE FIND THEM?

IS THERE ANY TOOLS THAT WE CAN USE

THAT HELPS US LOCATE THESE LARGEFLOCKS OF MIGRATORY BIRDS?

MIGRATORY GEESE ARE A LITTLE BIT HARDER TO MANAGE,

AND YOU HAVE TO MANAGE THEM IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

RESIDENT GEESE OFTEN STAY IN THE LOCAL AREA.

THEY'LL ONLY TRAVEL GENERALLY ABOUT THREE MILES OR SO

FROM THE ORIGINAL SITE MAYBE

WHERE YOU FIRST OBSERVED THEM OR BANDED THEM.

THAT'S MUCH EASIER TO FOLLOW AND TRACK AND MONITOR.

MIGRATORY GEESE MAY BE AT HIGHER ALTITUDE,

AND WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY

WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO MIGRATE THROUGH.

ONCE THE FULL PICTURE

OF THE MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON EMERGED,

EXPERTS BEGAN INVESTIGATING WAYS

TO HELP PLANES AND BIRDS AVOID EACH OTHER.

DEPARTURE RANDOLPH. SUE E 1 IS ROLLING D.

IN 2015, RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE

ROLLED OUT NEW TECHNOLOGY IN THEIR CONTROL TOWER.

WHEN WE HAVE THE FULL FLIGHT OPERATIONS GOING,

THIS IS ONE OF THE BUSIESTAIRFIELDS IN THE UNITED STATES.

WE WATCH THE BIRD ACTIVITY

AS MUCH AS WE WOULD WATCH THE WEATHER.

THE BASE'S BIGGEST BIRD CHALLENGE

IS THE 50,000 WHITE-WINGED DOVES

THAT NEST IN BETWEEN THE RUNWAYS.

SO, OUR BIGGEST TOOL

THAT WE USE TO MONITOR THE BIRD ACTIVITY

IS OUR BIRD DETECTION SYSTEM, OUR BDR, BIRD DETECTION RADAR.

CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW, THE WAY THE SYSTEM IS SET UP

IS TO CAPTURE THE MASS OR THE SIZE OF A DOVE,

SO EVERY TRIANGLE WE SEE RIGHT HERE IS AN ACTUAL BIRD

FLYING RIGHT NOW OVER OUR AIRFIELDS.

WHEN WE HIT A CERTAIN LEVEL,

LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THIS YELLOW LINE RIGHT HERE,

THAT'S ABOUT 600 BIRDS IN THE AREA.

WE HIT THAT, WE'RE GOING TO START

CHANGING THE WAY WE OPERATE.

SO, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE T-38s

RIGHT HERE TAKING OFF RIGHT NOW.

UH, YOU CAN SEE THE FIRST AIRCRAFT TAKING OFF,

AND SHORTLY RIGHT BEHIND HIM

IS HIS WINGMAN TAKING OFF FOLLOWING THAT.

NORMALLY THEY'LL TAKE OFF TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME,

RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER.

HOWEVER RIGHT NOW,

BECAUSE OF THE INCREASED BIRDTHREAT THAT WE HAVE IN THE AREA,

WE'RE DOING AN INTERVAL TAKEOFF

TO HELP PREVENT THEMFROM BEING CLOSE TO EACH OTHER.

THEY CAN FOCUS ON FLYING THE PLANE,

AND IF THEY HAVE TO DODGE A BIRD,

THEY'RE ABLE TO DO SO

WITHOUT BEING RIGHT NEXT TO THEIR WINGMAN.

SINCE IMPLEMENTING THE BIRD RADAR

AND USING THAT DATA TO CHANGE OPERATIONS,

WE HAVE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT DROPIN BIRD STRIKES.

BIRD STRIKES WITH THE WHITE-WINGED DOVE

WERE OVER HALF OF OUR STRIKES.

THIS YEAR RIGHT NOW SO FAR,

WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT FIVE PERCENTOF OUR BIRD STRIKES

DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE WHITE-WINGED DOVE.

AS WELL AS CAREFULLY TRACKING AND REMOVING BIRDS,

SCIENTISTS ARE ALSO TRYING TO FIGURE OUT

HOW TO HELP THEM STEER CLEAR OF PLANES.

BIRDS ARE NOT SUICIDAL.THEY WANT TO AVOID AN AIRCRAFT,

BUT MODERN AIRCRAFT MAKE IT MOREDIFFICULT FOR THEM TO DO THAT

THAN THE OLDER, NOISIER, SLOWER AIRCRAFT DID.

Narrator: SINCE THE 1970s,LIGHTS HAVE BEEN USED ON PLANES

IN AN ATTEMPT TO COUNTER THIS PROBLEM,

BUT NOT ALL BIRDS SEE IN THE SAME WAY,

AND USING THE WRONG COLOR LIGHT

CAN ACTUALLY ATTRACT CERTAIN SPECIES.

AN EXPERIMENT RUN BY PURDUE UNIVERSITY AND THE USDA

APPROACHES THE ISSUEFROM A TOTALLY NEW PERSPECTIVE--

THE BIRDS THEMSELVES.

SO, THE WAY BIRDS SEE

IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE WAY HUMANS SEE.

AND THOSE DIFFERENCES ARE BASED ON THE FACT

THAT BIRDS HAVE FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF VISUAL PIGMENTS,

WHILE HUMANS HAVE ONLY THREE DIFFERENT TYPES

OF VISUAL PIGMENTS,

SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS BIRDSCAN SEE MORE COLORS THAN WE DO,

ACTUALLY COLORS THAT HUMANS CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE.

THE FIRST SPECIES THE TEAM STUDY

IS THE BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD.

THEY START BY FINDING OUT

WHICH COLORS ARE MOST CONSPICUOUS TO COWBIRDS

BY MICROSCOPICALLY EXAMINING THE BIRDS' RETINAS.

THEN, THEY CARRY OUT A BEHAVIORAL EXPERIMENT.

SO, WHAT WE DOIS WE START THE BIRD IN HERE,

WE RELEASE THE BIRD INTO THIS ARENA,

AND IT'S EITHER GOING TO GO LEFT OR RIGHT.

AND WHAT WE HAVE IS A SINGLE CHOICE DESIGN,

WHICH IS VERY GOOD FOR TESTING FOR AVOIDANCE.

TODAY THE TEAM ARE TESTING RED LIGHTS.

THEY KNOW IT'S A COLOR THAT'S HIGHLY VISIBLE TO THE COWBIRD.

WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW IS IF THE BIRD WILL AVOID

OR BE DRAWN TO THE LIGHT.

OKAY, SO, THE BIRD IS IN POSITION.

OUR CAMERA HERE IS RECORDING THE TRIAL.

AND WE'RE ABOUT TO BEGIN.

SO, WE JUST OPEN THE DOOR AND RELEASE THE BIRD.

OVER THE COURSE OF THE EXPERIMENT,

THE TEAM RUN 20 TRIALS FOR EACH COLOR OF LIGHT.

EACH OF THESE TRIALS INVOLVES 20 DIFFERENT COWBIRDS.

IN THIS TRIAL, 13 BIRDS AVOID THE RED LIGHT.

WE'RE CONCLUDING THAT IN THIS ARENA

WHERE A BIRD IS FLUSHED THROUGH

AND HAS TO MAKE A RAPID CHOICE BETWEEN TWO PATHS,

THAT THE BIRD CHOOSES TO STAY AWAY FROM SIDES

THAT HAVE RED AND BLUE LIGHTS.

SO, ONE OF THE THINGS

I WOULD LIKE TO DO IN THE FUTUREIS TO REPLICATE THIS EXPERIMENT

WITH SPECIES THAT HAVEA HIGH FREQUENCY OF BIRD STRIKES

OR SPECIES THAT CAN CAUSE DAMAGING BIRD STRIKES.

AS WE GET MORE AND MORE RESULTS,

THE IDEA IS THAT WE CAN TALK TO MANUFACTURERS

IN ORDER TO DEVELOP LIGHTS THAT COULD MINIMIZE

THE CHANCES OF COLLISIONS BETWEEN AIRCRAFT AND BIRDS.

ONE OF THE PURPOSES IS, OF COURSE,

TO MAKE THE SKIES SAFER FOR HUMANS,

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT COULD BE A GOOD THING FOR BIRDS.

THE MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON

COULD SO EASILY HAVE BEEN A CATASTROPHE.

WE REALLY HAVE TO PLAN

FOR THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO

BECAUSE WE MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY THE NEXT TIME.

IN THE FUTURE,

OUR SKIES ARE ONLY GOING TO GET BUSIER,

WHICH MEANS BIRD STRIKES WILL REMAIN AN EVER-GROWING THREAT.

WILL WE EVER SOLVE THIS 100 PERCENT?

THE ANSWER IS PROBABLY NO.

BUT CAN WE REDUCE IT GREATLY? YES.

EVEN THOUGH WE'RE FLYING MORE

AND WE KNOW THERE ARE MORE LARGE BIRDS IN THE ATMOSPHERE,

WE'VE REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGING STRIKES.

WE'VE MEASURED THAT. WE KNOW THIS FOR A FACT.

WE'RE DETERMINED TO HELP THE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND

WHO ARE FIGHTING THIS PROBLEM.

WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO IDENTIFYTHE SPECIES OF BIRDS

THAT ARE CAUSING THESE PROBLEMS.

IT'S GOING TO CHANGE IN THE FUTURE.

WE HAVE TO FIGHT THIS FOR BIRDS AND FOR MANKIND.