Reported strike events between wildlife and aircraft are hazardous to aircraft and airfield operations and are increasing globally. To develop effective mitigation strategies, the relative hazard a species poses to aircraft, as well as information relating to its life history, are key to the development of effective mitigation strategies in Wildlife Hazard Management Plans. However, given the complex nature of airfield environments with access restrictions and the presence of sensitive equipment, the collection of high-quality ecological data can be difficult. Here we use motion-activated camera traps to collect activity data on a population of Irish hares (Lepus timidus hibernicus) inhabiting the airfield at Dublin International Airport, to investigate the link between hare activity and aircraft activity in relation to hare strikes. Camera traps revealed that the hare population at the airfield largely displayed a bimodal crepuscular activity pattern, with activity peaking at sunrise and at sunset. Recorded hare strike times at the airfield were closely associated with hare activity times with a high temporal overlap between these datasets. In comparison, hare activity and aircraft movement activity had a moderate overlap across all seasons, with strikes peaking at times with low aircraft movements. We demonstrate the importance of understanding the circadian and seasonal activity patterns of hazardous species at airfields for targeted strike mitigation.

中文翻译：

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Hareport 危害：识别国际机场的野兔活动模式和增加的哺乳动物-飞机撞击风险

据报道，野生动物与飞机之间的撞击事件对飞机和机场运营造成危害，并且在全球范围内不断增加。为了制定有效的缓解策略，一个物种对飞机造成的相对危害，以及与其生活史有关的信息，是在野生动物危害管理计划中制定有效缓解策略的关键。然而，考虑到机场环境的复杂性、出入限制和敏感设备的存在，收集高质量的生态数据可能很困难。在这里，我们使用动作激活的相机陷阱来收集爱尔兰野兔 ( Lepus timidus hibernicus)种群的活动数据) 居住在都柏林国际机场的机场，调查野兔活动与飞机活动之间与野兔袭击有关的联系。相机陷阱显示，机场的野兔种群主要表现出双峰黄昏活动模式，活动在日出和日落时达到顶峰。在机场记录的野兔袭击时间与野兔活动时间密切相关，这些数据集之间存在高度时间重叠。相比之下，野兔活动和飞机起降活动在所有季节都有适度的重叠，罢工有时会在飞机起降较低的情况下达到顶峰。我们证明了了解机场危险物种的昼夜节律和季节性活动模式对于有针对性地缓解罢工的重要性。