Sheep dog herds birds

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Hayden K. Hyatt
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Hurlburt Field strives to be good stewards of natural resources, but sharing the skies with our winged friends can be hazardous. It takes a special team to keep the flightline as safe as possible for all birds, manufactured and living.

At Hurlburt Field, the Bird and Wildlife Strike Hazard program employs a variety of methods to ensure the safety of Hurlburt’s aircraft and wildlife. One component to the program is the BASH team, which consist of a biologist and a canine.

“We are here to collect data on the wildlife so the Air Force can better understand what is going on, on the flightline,” said Ambre Depopolo, 1st Special Operations Wing wildlife manager and ecologist. “On the most basic physical level, our job is to be out on patrol and prevent collisions with aircraft and any wildlife that might be on the flightline.”

Depopolo is the human component of Hurlburt Field’s BASH team. Any day that the Hurlburt Field flightline is in use, you may see her and her canine companion, Sonic, an 8-year-old Border collie, patrolling the flightline for environmental hazards.

“We’re on call 24/7,” said Depopolo. “In between patrols, we’ll be in the office with the radio, [standing by] to see if the tower calls us.”

Depopolo said Sonic is an extraordinary dog, who has been specifically selected for this mission.

“As a Border collie, she is generally recognized as one of the most intelligent breeds of dog,” she said. “Her stamina is outrageous; we have seen her run 15 mph for what seems like miles.”

However, Depopolo’s mission is not always about scaring birds away.

“Sometimes my job is about getting the birds that aren’t going to leave in a more ideal location and keeping them there.” Deopopolo explains.

In fact, according to Depopolo, sharing the flightline with wildlife can be beneficial.

“The science is starting to show that if you have a resident bird occupying the territory, that bird becomes educated and understands the movements of the aircraft and knows to avoid the aircraft,” said Depopolo.

As part of the BASH program Depopolo and Sonic work together to avoid bird strikes, this protects Air Force resources and the local animals.

“The nice part about my job is I am a biologist and I do like animals,” she said. “So if I can avoid harming an animal, that’s always going to be my preference.”

Protecting aircraft and resident animals is a tough job on any Air Force Base, but it can be even more difficult at the 1st Special Operations Wing.

“Here, because a lot of our operations are at night, it just completely changes things,” she said. “When it is dark, it makes it much more challenging to ensure you are not going to have an incursion.”

Depopolo said the Hurlburt Field BASH program has been very successful at curbing bird strikes.

“We haven’t had any damaging strikes on base since 2010,” she said. “It’s nice too that you’re potentially saving [the Air Force] money, [people’s] lives and the animals.”