July 14, 2009

The Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport would rather not have birds call it home.

The airport will likely keep the fields surrounding its runways mowed short to prevent grassland species of birds from nesting and breeding there, Airport Director Cliff Moshoginis said.

“As an airport, you’re trying to prevent the nesting,” Moshoginis said.

During a bird inventory conducted on June 10, avian ecologists from the Kalamazoo Nature Center identified 43 species of birds in the 150-plus acres of grassy fields at the airport.

Haley Breniser, a scientist involved in the inventory, said the airport’s decision to encourage the birds to find another home was in the best interest of safety and the birds.
“Hopefully, they’ll choose other surrounding fields,” Breniser said.

The airport used to allow the fields to grow up to 5 feet, creating a habitat for some of the birds. Breniser said the intent of the report was to see what species were at the airport and present the airport with options for managing the bird population.

“You have a unique opportunity to manage your grasslands for grassland bird habitat. I encourage you to look at your property as a part of the whole system here in Southwest Michigan,” Breniser wrote in the report.

Rather than maintaining the long grass in the fields and encouraging further breeding, Moshoginis said the airport will likely mow the fields and keep the grasses short before the breeding season starts next spring.

There were eight reported airplane-bird collisions at the airport in 2008, according to a Federal Aviation Administration database of bird strikes. Moshoginis said he could not recall a bird strike causing serious damage to an airplane at the airport, but said the risk is there.

Moshoginis said he plans to present the bird-inventory report to the airport’s wildlife committee.

Two of the species observed, the grasshopper sparrow and dickcissel, are among the birds in Michigan which have been placed on a list of “special-concern species” compiled by the state’s Endangered Species Program. Five other species, the grasshopper sparrow, horned lark, eastern meadowlark, field sparrow and common grackle, are on the Audubon Society’s list of 20 common birds in decline.

Breniser said she also hopes to work with smaller area airports, such as the airport in Plainwell, on habitat-maintenance plans.