driver109x wrote:
True story ... a few years back I was crossing a bridge and saw a flock of seagulls munching on roadkill. As I was aproaching all but one got away. I tagged the last one to fly and it bounced off the car coming the opposite lane. I was listening to the radio and the next song that played was by the flock of seagulls... I kid you not.
Did you run? Run so far away? Did you get away? 
In high school I hit a bird with my '78 Malibu. Next day blew a head gasket.
In college I hit another bird with my '88 turbo Daytona. Within a couple days blew a head gasket. At least this was under warranty.
Several years later I hit a bid with my '96 Dak. Head gaskets held. Did need to replace a plenum gasket in it though...
I didn't think albatross were indigenous to my area.
I talked to a guy who installed windshields who said he once replaced one after an owl dropped a jackrabbit onto it while someone was driving at night.
Lesley
SuperDork
10/22/11 11:21 p.m.
Bird had nothing to do with the Dak's plenum, those things are infamously bad.
Will wrote:
Didn't Earnhardt hit a seagull at Daytona in 90 to cost him the race?
There's something about my Thunderbird that drives real birds crazy. I've had several birds fly straight into it--hit me head on, fly into the side of it, all sorts of weird stuff. Fratricide, man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkyntWOMkrY
i've seen a video of an F1 car hitting a deer at speed.. i think it was back in the 80's..
In reply to novaderrik:
http://www.formula1blog.com/2011/06/29/f1s-wild-life-revealed/
A friend was pulling out onto the highway in his grain truck when he saw a hawk swoop in front of the grille. He didn't see it bounce, or come out behind, so he presumed it had gone by in front. Slowing down 4 miles later to turn into town, and as he driopped down to about 10 mph the bird flew off the truck, unharmed.
I would imagine his feathers were a bit ruffled...
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote:
Hawks are such beautiful birds to begin with and it just sucked to have hit one. 
Don't let it bother you. A big ole pretty wild dog will have a free meal. I hate when I hit any wild animal, but when I do, I know the coyotes will thank me later.
Red Tail Hawks are one of my totems. I was lucky enough to recently see about 200 of them riding a thermal circling over my head. They are beautiful animals.
Worst I've done yet was a flock of turkey vs. the Freightliner straight truck I was driving for work at the time. Big steel bumper rang like church bells against their heads. Still makes me sick to this day.
M2Pilot wrote:
All of you who have killed hawks are probably now Federal criminals.
The burden of proof regarding intent is their saving graces.
The more birds preying on varmints and critters the better.
Same w/ cats. The neighbors cats keep the mice and mole population down. One neighbors rather plump cat would make a line up my driveway to the woods every morning at 4 am sharp ... like he was hitting the time clock.
We had a guy that showed up to an autocross a few years back in a EG Civic Si that had the front fascia all cracked up because he hit a bird. They can do a lot of damage for how light they are.
We once had one of the Blue Angels pilots come to my high school to give some sort of motivational thing, and he said how in practice earlier in the day one of the planes in the squad had sucked a Canadian goose into it's engine. When a student, who I'm pretty sure was the president of the school environmental club, asked "Was it ok?" the pilot chuckled and said "I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that the bird was vaporized." Classic.
N Sperlo wrote:
M2Pilot wrote:
All of you who have killed hawks are probably now Federal criminals.
The burden of proof regarding intent is their saving graces.
The person who did this deserves to be a federal criminal. Poor thing is still out there, but they are trying to catch it.
mad_machine wrote:
N Sperlo wrote:
M2Pilot wrote:
All of you who have killed hawks are probably now Federal criminals.
The burden of proof regarding intent is their saving graces.
The person who did this deserves to be a federal criminal. Poor thing is still out there, but they are trying to catch it.
That's just berkeleying horrible. The person who did't that needs to be shot with a nail gun.
Also in the head.
Twin_Cam wrote:
We had a guy that showed up to an autocross a few years back in a EG Civic Si that had the front fascia all cracked up because he hit a bird. They can do a lot of damage for how light they are.
We once had one of the Blue Angels pilots come to my high school to give some sort of motivational thing, and he said how in practice earlier in the day one of the planes in the squad had sucked a Canadian goose into it's engine. When a student, who I'm pretty sure was the president of the school environmental club, asked "Was it ok?" the pilot chuckled and said "I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that the bird was vaporized." Classic.
There is a video that has been on youtube for a long time. It is a man being pulled through a fighter jets engine. He made it past with a few scratches. He was lucky enough to fit through that very small space between the housing and the turbines. Its possible, but birds aren't usually that lucky.
Took a goose to the windshield of my S-Jimmy at about 75mph years ago. Caved in but didn't collapse. Rear view mirror was knocked into the back seat. Lucky for me I was wearing sunglasses as tiny bits of glass did spray about despite the lamination layer.
update on the Hawk.. they were able to catch it and remove the nail. It is recovering as I type
My SIL hit a turkey in her little Toyota pickup truck. Smashed the windshield and stoved in the front of the roof panel. They almost totaled the truck, but in the end they replaced the whole roof panel. This chick is the most oblivious human being on the planet. She was once chased for 10 miles by multiple police cars with lights and sirens down rte 195 in Mass, and didn't even notice. She pulled into a gas station right before her house and got out of her Pathfinder to find several cops with guns drawn. Would have loved to see her reaction when that turkey came thru the windshield.
mad_machine wrote:
update on the Hawk.. they were able to catch it and remove the nail. It is recovering as I type
Its a shame no one will ever be charged for that. The red tail hawks were actually released in StL to help control the rodent population. Then they flourished.
