Bird Detect And Deterrent System Data

DeTect, Inc. (DeTect) was contracted by Imperial Oil Resources Ventures Ltd. to design, supply, install, and support a system capable of detecting and deterring birds from the ETA Pond at Kearl Lake, north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, to help minimize hazards to bird populations in the area. The MERLIN detect & deter™ system uses a combination of horizontal surveillance radars (HSR) and deterrents (Acoustic Hailing Devices (AHD), lasers, and Secondary Deterrent Units (SDU)) to automatically and simultaneously detect and deter bird activity.

Two Data Reports presented radar data from the MERLIN detect and deter™system in 2011 and 2012. Two types of radar data were analyzed: target rates and target directions from the HSR, and deterrent activation information from the Haze software. Data are reported for spring (April 1 – May 31), summer (June 1 – August 14), and fall (August 15 – November 14) of both 2011 and 2012. Time units include hours, and four biological time periods (dawn, day, dusk, and night) that are based on sunrise and sunset times. Various factors that could influence data collection were noted, including component installation and replacement times, software and hardware considerations, data clutter due to boat activity, and activation of system even when birds fly at high altitudes with no risk of landing on the lake, or activity by local ravens who never land on the lake. As purely data reports, conclusions were not included.