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Data Dish or Raven Haven?

File photos by Jim Coccia

Ravens trying to woo their mates pecked holes in expensive equipment on the roof of the Geophysical Institute this winter.

In between impressive aerobatics, the birds ripped open a portion of the weatherproof fabric that covers the radome, the white structure that projects out from the center of the blue tracking dish on top of the institute's Elvey building.

The dish, or reflector, receives data from a series of polar-orbiting satellites and relays it to the Alaska Synthetic Aperture Radar Facility on the second floor of the building.

Even one peck through the radome cover, an airtight, pressurized unit designed to prevent water, moisture, or snow from getting into the data-receiving mechanism, can damage sensitive equipment.

"Even a slight break in the airtight seal can allow moisture from blowing snow to get into the equipment and potentially cause thousands of dollars worth of damage," said ASF Chief Engineer Brett Delana.

When arm waving and shouting didn't shoo away the ravens, wildlife officials suggested using a 12-gauge shotgun to send modified firecrackers into the air near the reflector to scare the birds.

Research Technician David Sanches, who monitors the dish (and the ravens) on a small screen in the ASF control room, is in charge of firing the gun when the birds get destructive. "Dave Sanches has been designated as the Geophysical Institute's official ravenator," said Operations Manager Bob Grove.