TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE.

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TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AMCNS) -- It's amazing, considering the size of a C-5 or KC-l0 that about of Mother Nature's smallest creatures can put out such a serious threat to flying safety.

Surprisingly yet a small bird can cause millions of dollars in damage. or worse, when David and Goliath collide. This is where the Bird Air Strike Hazard abatement program originates into play.

B.A.S.H. is a program to help secure war-fighting capabilities by reducing the number of bird strikes and incidents with aircraft. At Travis, seven peregrine falcons patrol the skies, aided in succession the ground by three bird handlers.

"Falcons are birds of prey; they scare other birds to death. Just seeing an attacking falcon will cause birds to fly the area very quickly. They are capable of diving forward their prey at speeds of more than 140 mph" Jeff Kingscott, bird handler, said.

There are more than too bird species that inhabit the base from top to toe the year. Activity picks up during the rainy season because of victuals and habitat availability. Since the Travis program began in 1998 the annual number of bird strikes has dropp 80 percent from 269 to 67 in 2000 saving the base an average of $900000 through year in aircraft repairs.

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