Dead Birds on the Roads

[Chook a demus]

Is it just me or has there been a huge increase in the amount of Birds splattered on roads last week drivers bent of random killing of animals due to excessive speed lucky those aren't kids or cyclists !

[Big Gaz]

As so the "speeding" motorists get them blame again.....it's more likely to be the fact that the road is now plastered with dead insects having been hit by vehicles and the birds are too interested in their meal to see the little granny in the mobility scooter trundle up behind them before....SQUISH....!......now that's roadkill!

[Alice in Blunderland]

Unfortunately I have taken out a couple of rabbits and possibly a bird recently due to the fact that they have no road sense. I wasn't speeding however as Gaz has suggested the amount of food on the roads means that the amount of birds and animals scavenging on the roads has increased.

[Chook a demus]

Well there will always be people who want ta blame everything but themselves for hitting animals personally I've yet to hit an animal in all my years of driving, bugs or no bugs a quick dip on tha brakes gives em time to escape.

[Tangerine-Dream]

Well there will always be people who want ta blame everything but themselves for hitting animals personally I've yet to hit an animal in all my years of driving, bugs or no bugs a quick dip on tha brakes gives em time to escape.

X2 I'm quite a fast driver (where the road conditions permit) but have (touchwood) never hit an animal or a bird in over thirty years of motoring. Plenty of bees and flies have committed suicide on the windscreen but that's about it. I always hoot when I see crows scavenging on the road and they tend to fly away before I get anywhere near them. I've swerved to avoid the occasional rabbit or pheasant but I think a few people would prefer to just run them over rather than trying to avoid them.

[orkneycadian]

.....personally I've yet to hit an animal in all my years of driving.

I would be very surprised if this was the case. According to Wikipedia's definition of animals, that includes insects;

Animals are divided into various sub-groups, some of which are: vertebrates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertebrates) (birds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds), mammals (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammals),amphibians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphibians), reptiles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptiles), fish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish)); molluscs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molluscs) (clams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clams), oysters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oysters), octopuses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopuses), squid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squid), snails (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snails)); arthropods (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthropods) (millipedes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millipedes), centipedes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centipedes),insects (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insects), spiders (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiders), scorpions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpions), crabs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crabs), lobsters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobsters), shrimp (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrimp)); annelids (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annelids) (earthworms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthworms), leeches (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeches)); sponges (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sponges); and jellyfish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jellyfish).

You would be a very good driver if you have yet to splat a bug (animal)! ;)

[sids]

I would be very surprised if this was the case. According to Wikipedia's definition of animals, that includes insects;

Animals are divided into various sub-groups, some of which are: vertebrates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertebrates) (birds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds), mammals (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammals),amphibians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphibians), reptiles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptiles), fish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish)); molluscs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molluscs) (clams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clams), oysters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oysters), octopuses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopuses), squid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squid), snails (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snails)); arthropods (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthropods) (millipedes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millipedes), centipedes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centipedes),insects (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insects), spiders (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiders), scorpions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpions), crabs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crabs), lobsters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobsters), shrimp (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrimp)); annelids (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annelids) (earthworms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthworms), leeches (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeches)); sponges (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sponges); and jellyfish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jellyfish).

You would be a very good driver if you have yet to splat a bug (animal)! ;)

It's an unlucky jellyfish that gets killed on a zebra crossing.

[sids]

At this time of year, there are many immature birds, which have not learned self-preservation.

[orkneycadian]

Maybe all cars and other road vehicles should be banned? If a proposed windfarm is calculated to kill 1 bird every 5 years, then it doesn't get planning permission. About time to ban cars? I am guessing you have seen more than 1 dead bird on the road in the last 5 years?

[jacko]

I have been driving a long tiime, both for pleasure and for a living , hit several birds and rabbit s , not intentionally but rather than swerve or brake and get shunted by following vehicles, yes im guilty. guess it s just a fact of life , folks throwing litter on the road bird s n animals foraging & doing road crossing s. but im not going to endanger my life , my passenger s lives or the lives of people in following vehicles or those in vehicle s coming in the opposite direction by swerving or braking . on that assummption i can sleep at night s peacefully.

[leagrave]

Think it might be a bit unreasonable to say that drivers are unthinking. In 30 years of driving I can recall hitting a cat at night that I could not possibly have avoided. Once got out of the car and found a small bird stuck in the grille of the car .. dead. I didn't even know it was there during the 200 mile trip. Rabbits can simply stand there and stare .. then move to the right as you move to the right to avoid.

Birds are unusual because they will normally wait until the last minute ... but they inevitably get out of the way. Possible theory - perhaps contentious ... been hit by a windmill blade, perhaps dazed and land in the road before being hit... pigeons at certain times of the year can be particularly dozy in the road.

Once nearly hit a stag as it jumped out in front of me on one of the "country routes" up from Helmsdale? to Bettyhill .. a long route I doubt I'd be taking again LOL Hitting a stag is well worth avoiding .. you'll write your car off.

There are often times when driving that you could only avoid the collision by risking the distinct possibility of a much more serious accident. I think most of us slow down if we think we're going to hit something and give it the best chance... but can often fail .. or even still hit it despite our best intentions.

Reminds me of the insurance stories.


"The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him."

"The pedestrian had no idea which way to run as I ran over him."

"The pedestrian ran for the pavement, but I got him."

"The accident was caused by me waving to the man I hit last week."

[Iffy]

I, also, have to admit to hitting one or two wee creatures in my 28 years of driving !

The worst one being a ginger cat - it, along with it's "pal" was sitting over the other side of the ditch on a relatively quiet road, but,. . . just as I came adjacent to them this cat decided to make "a leap of faith" . . . SO, SO horrible, I cried the whole way home :( :( !!!!

I ALWAY's try to avoid any living thing in my way as I drive, but must say that sometimes it's completely unavoidable, as "jacko" has already said, keeping you, your passengers and other road users safe is your utmost consideration .

[squidge]

I think sids is right, there are a lot of fledglings around just now. It's also worth remembering that trying to avoid hitting a rabbit or a bird can leave you in a bigger pickle , a ditch or the front if the car coming the other way. I have only ever hit a cat with a car once, it was my cat :( and I was simply moving off, admittedly in a hurry, my son was in hospital and the daft thing was sat under the car and didn't move :( it upset me for weeks :(

[spurtle]

People forget that the larger birds take a little longer to get off the ground out of the way of vehicles. If you see a larger birdie then you really need to slow down, especially birds of prey when they are at a dead rabbit on the road

[Kevin Milkins]

Its a horrible feeling when you've just ended the life of a creature or critter with your motorcar, but sometimes its impossible to avoid some incidents. A few years ago I was riding home from work on my motorbike and going a lot faster than I should have been. A pheasant decided it would be a good idea to take off the top of a hedge and cross in front of me, the only thing I could do was dip my head and it just caught the top of my helmet. the only damage was it pulled of the vent, but my backside was winking like a ferrets eye for a minute or two.:eek:
We both lived to tell the tale.

[Angel]

The cause as I see it is that lots of birds are either feeding their young or the young are learning to fly as well as having hedges on both sides of the carriageway the birds fly away from their nest as a distraction to protect their young or eggs... I have been traveling at less than twenty and birds fly straight into the car in a panic...then there is the problem of scavenging animals feeding off roadkill...only last week there was literally the front half only of a lamb on Camster road on a very tight bend... and you can't go round that at above 10mph...so yes I guess we motorists are to blame, if we weren't there, there would be no collision...

Angel...

[Connor.]

Echoing some of the other posts in this thread. If the road is not clear, it's the animals or risk your own life/someone elses.

Recently had a close call where an oyster catcher and it's chicks were trying to cross a country road. Mother flew off and left the chicks to get squashed, luckily I saw the chicks in time and braked/swerved to avoid them.