While squeaky modern and hi-tech may be desirable, as a rule, in the diamond mining industry, perhaps in some areas, old methods and “technology” is the best alternative judged by holistic standards.

De Beers Group’s joint venture Gahcho Kué mine, touted as the largest new  mine in Canada, has gone back to old methods and equipment – scarecrows, canons and wailers – to keep the birds away.

“All part of the company’s commitment to the environment, the bird deterrent programme is aimed at discouraging migratory birds from nesting in active mining or construction areas,” De Beers said explaining the need for shooing the birds away.

“For the 2017 Spring bird monitoring, more than 10,000 individual birds were sighted, comprising 61 different species,” the Company elaborated. “Daily monitoring of bird activity is imperative to prevent birds from nesting in undesired areas.”

Initially, propane canons and an electronic wailer, which periodically emit loud noises, were used. These sounds which continue on a round-the-clock basis scared away birds in the pit and along the pit walls.

The ideal nesting habitat of the peregrine falcon and other raptors are steep cliffs such as the pit walls offer.  To keep these species away, scarecrows simulating human activity were installed. 

“In addition, deterrents were placed at other sites in the area and at three lakes nearby, where songbirds and waterfowl look for ground cover for nesting,” De Beers stated. “For these birds, decoy deterrents were used to mimic the appearance of natural predators such as eagles and foxes.”

Patrick Kramer, Environment and Permitting Superintendent at Gahcho Kué, commented: “De Beers Group is very conscious of its role in preserving wildlife so will stop work rather than harm breeding birds. Overall, the programme was successful with no nesting activity occurring within the pit.”

 But it seems not all birds were fooled or deterred, and even crept into unsuspected places!  “However, one American robin built its nest undetected in the engine compartment of a parked drill rig,” Kramer said, despite their precautions. “As the nest already contained eggs, the equipment was locked out of use for three weeks and cordoned off to allow the brood to hatch and leave the nest independently. This is an excellent reminder of the importance of regular wildlife monitoring and inspection of equipment to reduce impacts to cost as well as biodiversity.”

This story had a happy ending – both for the robin family and the mine -- as the fledglings, in due course, left the nest in July, and the drill rig was brought back to active duty.

Gahcho Kué, at Kennady Lake on the Canadian tundra, which is expected to yield about 54 million carats of rough diamonds over its lifetime, is a joint venture between De Beers Group (51 per cent) and Mountain Province Diamonds. De Beers Group’s investment is about US$ 500 million.