“Buzzard Be-Gone”: Suspending Vulture Effigies from Roost Structures to Reduce the Possibility of a Bird Strike

The turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) has a wingspan of 68–72 inches and an average weight of 3.1 pounds. It poses a severe hazard to aircraft at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. Feedback from pilots indicated these large birds were soaring within the aerodrome. This coupled with a vulture strike to a C- 130J aircraft, induced Wildlife Services to bolster “traditional” efforts of vulture dispersal. Dispersal techniques involving pyrotechnics and lethal removal are effective, but migrant birds establish a “home roost” each autumn through spring on local tower structures. Our vultures like to roost on two 150 foot tall water towers that are within easy soaring range of Cherry Point. Flowing water to the north, east, and west of the air station boundaries makes hazing efforts less than adequate due to the abundance of carrion the tide provides each day. In addition to the threat to aircraft, roost structures become coated with feces, feathers and pellets, potentially causing a health threat to nearby residents and maintenance workers. Attempts by tower managers to disperse the birds in the past using noise makers, ultra sonic frequencies, and fake owls met with failure. The National Wildlife Research Center made recommendations for repelling vultures from structures where they pose a health and human safety hazard by using vulture effigies. USDA Wildlife Services at MCAS Cherry Point dispersed vultures from these towers within 2 days by suspending the effigies from the tops of the towers. Vulture sightings on the airfield are down and the tower managers are very pleased with the results. The Cherry Point BASH team continues monitoring of all towers within a 10 mile area and can install effigies when a roost is discovered, thereby dispersing the vultures within days of a roost sighting. Altogether a win-win situation for man and bird

“Buzzard Be-Gone”: Suspending Vulture Effigies from Roost Structures to Reduce the Possibility of a Bird Strike

The turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) has a wingspan of 68–72 inches and an average weight of 3.1 pounds. It poses a severe hazard to aircraft at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. Feedback from pilots indicated these large birds were soaring within the aerodrome. This coupled with a vulture strike to a C- 130J aircraft, induced Wildlife Services to bolster “traditional” efforts of vulture dispersal. Dispersal techniques involving pyrotechnics and lethal removal are effective, but migrant birds establish a “home roost” each autumn through spring on local tower structures. Our vultures like to roost on two 150 foot tall water towers that are within easy soaring range of Cherry Point. Flowing water to the north, east, and west of the air station boundaries makes hazing efforts less than adequate due to the abundance of carrion the tide provides each day. In addition to the threat to aircraft, roost structures become coated with feces, feathers and pellets, potentially causing a health threat to nearby residents and maintenance workers. Attempts by tower managers to disperse the birds in the past using noise makers, ultra sonic frequencies, and fake owls met with failure. The National Wildlife Research Center made recommendations for repelling vultures from structures where they pose a health and human safety hazard by using vulture effigies. USDA Wildlife Services at MCAS Cherry Point dispersed vultures from these towers within 2 days by suspending the effigies from the tops of the towers. Vulture sightings on the airfield are down and the tower managers are very pleased with the results. The Cherry Point BASH team continues monitoring of all towers within a 10 mile area and can install effigies when a roost is discovered, thereby dispersing the vultures within days of a roost sighting. Altogether a win-win situation for man and bird

APPLICATIONS FOR CLUSTER ANALYSIS IN SPORT BIOMECHANICS

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the use of cluster analysis in sport biomechanics. A cluster analysis is a multivariate statistical technique used to group objects based on their characteristics. This technique was used to identify: (a) Five different movement phases in the hammer throw based on 3D kinematic data of an elite level male athlete; and (b) Three different golf swing styles based on the vertical ground reaction torque produced by twenty-nine male golfers. In both applications the cluster analysis provided valuable information about the skill techniques and highlighted possible deficiencies of previous research. This information can be used to make valid assessments of each skill with relevant feedback provided to coaches and athletes

NON-LINEAR ANALYSIS OF CENTRE OF PRESSURE PATTERNS IN THE GOLF SWING – POINCARE PLOTS

Little research exists in the golf swing examining shot to shot differences in the short or long term. The aim of this study was to use Poincare plots to examine if short and long term patterns exist among golfers. Five golfers performed 50 golf swings hitting a ball into a net while standing on two AMTI force plates. Centre of Pressure in the direction of the swing (CPy) was calculated for each swing. Poincare plots with CPy Range at swing N on the x-axis and CPy Range at swing N + 1 on the y-axis were constructed for each golfer. Plots were individual specific with short and long term variability highlighting interesting differences between golfers. Interesting shot to shot patterning existed, especially for one golfer. The use of Poincare plots in future work can provide useful information to the golfer and coach