In another thread, the discussion turned to killing birds accidentally with your car.
This has never happened to me, in roughly forty years as a licensed driver. The other poster in the discussion – no idea how long he’s been driving – has killed two.
So I find myself curious – have I just been rolling sevens all these years?
Only once that I remember, but it was a spotted owl.
How did it happen?
That I know for sure, one.
My GF and I were in an unfamiliar area looking for an address, and when I looked forward at the road I saw the bird but it was too late to avoid it, then I saw a poof of feathers in my rear-view mirror. Sorry, little guy.
I’m guessing three. Seems about right.
One that I’m aware of. I saw him shoot out from the trees on the shoulder; I tapped the brakes but it didn’t do much because I was going about 70 at the time. Heard a little ‘bonk’ sound and he didn’t reappear on my side, so it was pretty clear what had happened. My wife witnessed it too but the kids were oblivious. When we got to our destination, I grabbed a couple paper towels and gently extricated him from the grill. That was a couple years ago, after about 30 years of driving.
I’m 95% sure none. Had a very close call once. Was driving from Charlotte to Durham early in the morning, doing maybe 70 on the Interstate. I saw a bird fly right in front of my car from right to left. I heard no noise and when I got to Durham I checked and saw no evidence of a collision.
I have no idea what the hell it is about them, but they all seemed to have a death wish- the same species in the UK stay out of the way, but the ones living in NZ regularly manically darted out right in front of me, with no chance whatsoever to brake.
I’ve spent about 10 years driving in the UK, down similar back-country roads in Cumbria, and never hit anything; I spent less than 6 months with a car in NZ.
I had one bounce off my windshield once, but then it flew away seemingly unharmed, so I’m putting “none.”
Years ago I was driving in Brooklyn. I was going very slow and was absolutely sure the pigeon would get out of the way. It did not. To this day I have visions of the pigeon crawling up on the hood of my VW Beetle yelling “Hey! I’m walking here!”.
Quite a few, sadly.
One was in my grill, once a pigeon flew into my windshield.
That left a blood smear.
I almost hit a hawk or rather he almost hit me. Scared the shit out of my passenger.
Another time I almost got an osprey. I saw a big fish in front of my windshield and thought WTF?! An osprey had just caught it and was having trouble getting lift, he dipped a bit in front of me and then got up over me before I hit him. The fish looked bigger than the bird.
Unfortunately, when I was delivering papers I hit a lot of birds.
I don’t know if it was for the heat but they would sit in the road just before dawn and they wouldn’t even try to fly out of the way. That is when I hit quite a few, it seemed like if I expected them to move they didn’t and if I tried to go around them they’d move and I’d get them.
One of the down sides of delivering papers, all the critters out at night. Attempts to miss them usually didn’t work because they will be in the clear and then turn around and run under you. I hit a cat (on the highway), a fox, a rabbit, a possum, a raccoon and a snake. Well, the rabbit actually hit me and the snake I didn’t see until after I hit him. All the others had run in front of me, were safely on the other side and then turned around and ran back into me.
Crazy animals.
At least I always avoided the deer. Where I delivered I think they were smart about cars.
One of my friends has hit at least 3-4.
I voted three since that’s what I know for sure. I picked two of them out of the grill of my car. Probably a few more that I just didn’t see on the road behind me.
Never hit a bird (hit a squirrel once) but it’s only by the grace of their Avian God. I drive through a rural area on my way to work each day and it’s seemingly populated by suicidal (or just stupid) birds who wait until I’m passing before flying out in front of my windshield. It’s going to happen sooner or later.
I once ran into one of those big flocks of tiny birds you see swarming through grain fields. I don’t know what you call it but when they move they act like a large school of fish. Anyway, something must have spooked them because they ran straight into my car while I was doing 60 on a rural farming road. It sounded like a lightly muffled machine gun going off. There were birds stuck in the wheel wells. I dug five or six off the radiator. My windshield was streaked with unidentifiable liquids. It was pretty bad.
I don’t think I’ve ever hit a living creature (larger than a bug) with my car.
Had a bit of a close call with a cat… and a bicyclist maybe. (sigh)
This is the time of year I see a lot of low flying birds gliding over the roads back and forth. Redwinged blackbirds right now. So I slow down, instead of doing 60, I’m doing 50ish. seems to help avoid close calls.
I brake for song birds
:eek: That’s like something out of a horror movie.
I’ve never hit a bird. I have hit squirrels, raccoons, porcupines, groundhogs and one cat(I cried my eyes out). And I’ve had too many close calls with deer to even count.
I had an employee call in late for his shift because a bird had flown into his car, through an open window, and he couldn’t shoo it back out. He arrived and sure enough there was a little brown bird hopping around in there.
At least 6-8 over 35 years of driving in and around Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast. Mostly pigeons, with at least 2 Mourning Doves included.
Many years ago while driving in Louisiana, I came up behind a guy in a small P/U that was driving kinda slow on the highway, with his head stuck out of the side window. 
As I passed him, I noticed that his windshield was literally caved in right in front of the driver. :eek:
Slowed back down to get beside him and ask WTF?!
It seems a Turkey Buzzard had flew up from the side of the road and he couldn’t avoid it, he even stopped and recovered the carcass. (To show his insurance adjuster, he said.)
I definitely decapitated a mallard duck who was sitting right in front of my car. He “ducked” down to let me pass, but raised his head too soon. Ker-THUNK! Yuck.
Also I remember at least one unidentified flying bird that took a pretty good hit from the corner of my car, and may be presumed dead although I didn’t stop for an autopsy.
Two that I know of- one cardinal who was feeding on some corn spilled in the road and one big chicken who wandered onto the state highway.
I have lost count of all the cats I’ve flattened, however.