Get Ready For Cannon Noise at Merrill Field

A message from the Anchorage Police Department:

We love birds. Big Bird, Sam the Eagle, Rio, Chicken Little, Angry Birds….. they’re all great and they make us laugh. Unfortunately they aren’t compatible with airplanes. Birds can cause catastrophic damage to aircraft to include making them fall from the sky.

Merrill Field Airport has bird cannons. The cannons make noise which discourage birds from inhabiting unsafe or undesirable locations. Like airports. Since Merrill Field began using the cannons a few years ago, they have not had to kill any fowl which is the ultimate goal. These cannons will go off between 6am and 8pm daily from May 1st through September 30th. Sometimes when neighboring folks hear the cannons go off, they think they are hearing gunshots. So please be aware of the noise coming from Merrill Field this summer and early fall as the airport takes proactive steps to keep the planes, pilots, passengers, and our feathered friends safe.