Bird Strike: A Tribute

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura) 05/02/2015 at 20:01 • Filed to: Planelopnik

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Robin in the rain, what a saucy fellow.
Robin in the rain, mind your socks of yellow.
Running in the garden on your nimble feet,
Digging for your dinner with your long strong beak.
Robin in the rain, you don’t mind the weather.
Showers always make you gay.
But the worms are wishing you would stay at home.
Robin on a rainy day — don’t get your feet wet,
Robin on a rainy day!
~Raffi, from The Singable Songs Collection

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/02/2015 at 21:36

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Katsumoto > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/02/2015 at 21:36

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The bird died in the MATRIX!

desertdog5051 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/02/2015 at 21:40

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I love to watch them in the yard. They have an incredible sense of hearing. They cock their heads to hear a grub under the ground and dive into a digging mode and most times come up with it.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 04:00

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i’ve had too many bird strikes and dog strikes

heyheauxs > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 12:06

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Had to take the skid plate off to get it out...

The result of a turkey that decided to take flight instead of running back into the woods like it started to.

alexlam24 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 12:18

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Was going onto the turnpike when some random bird decided to allahu akbar into my windshield.

Windshield-1 Bird-0

RobG-ADV > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 12:19

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My WRX ate several birds while I had it. One managed to fit itself into the tiny, dime-sized gap between the corner of the headlight and the hood, and at least one or two more went head-first into the hood scoop.

Urambo Tauro > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 12:20

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Well done! If you get the chance, aim for this asshole next time.

Ltd783 > RobG-ADV 05/03/2015 at 12:24

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Subarus are full of bird eating holes. My 97 Outback ate one through the hood scoop once as well (I also got a semi tire tread stuck in there once, that was frightening) and another got trapped in the 1 in gap between the foglight and bumper.

I got out to check that one when I thought I hit it, and couldn’t find the bird. Weeks later the car reeked when I would walk up to it, looked underneath and found the bird hanging behind the foglight. By then it came out in really smelly little pieces...

scubahood > desertdog5051 05/03/2015 at 12:25

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i raised an orphaned one.. named it happy pat

it lived to fly and then got eaten by a stupid cat or something

poor happy pat

notanother > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 12:28

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Larry ROBIN son, hit a buzzard at approx 175mph, in his Charger NASCAR Cup car, about a week ago. Complete story and photos from allpar .

davidj211 > RobG-ADV 05/03/2015 at 12:30

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My base Impreza ate a bird through the hole where the foglights would’ve been if I had foglights. Bounced another bird off my windshield just this past week.

NeonBlaqk > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 12:44

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I’ve never understood how birds manage to get hit, it’s like you’re a bird, gtfo! Luckily I’ve never hit one myself, the only thing I’ve ever killed was a tiny little ground squirrel I last saw tumbling limply across the pavement behind my Corvette. The Buddhist in me was deeply saddened by that turn of events.

Iwaswonderofwonders > RobG-ADV 05/03/2015 at 12:47

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My Saab 73 99LE ate a bat, which was a bit disconcerting. And yes, my friends called the car the Batmobile afterward.

Mufti H > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 12:51

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“ Watch where you shit, motherfucker”

550F2 > alexlam24 05/03/2015 at 12:52

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I hit a seagull at about 100mph with a Golf GTI. It wasn’t pretty.

I called the insurance and explained the grille, bumper needed to be replaced and the hood was dented pretty bad too. They didn’t believe it was a bird. I told them to come have a look at it as I could clearly see feathers and blood everywhere. The insurance expert came over to the dealership and opened the hood. He then nearly puked, and closed the hood very quickly again.

It was about €2500 worth of damage, it went straight trough the grille and damaged the radiator mounts and some inner parts as well. That was all covered, but I felt like I had to give a big tip to the dealer at least for getting most of the dead bird out of my enginebay.

Maxxuman > 550F2 05/03/2015 at 12:58

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Wow. They weren’t concerned about the 100mph?

550F2 > Maxxuman 05/03/2015 at 13:01

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I may have forgotten to mention that part.

rhhall > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 13:06

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On my BMW. He was the Judas bird.

Also blew up a blackbird on the same bike at 120 MPH. No damage to bike.

550F2 > Maxxuman 05/03/2015 at 13:13

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They didn’t ask, this was in Germany by the way so 100mph is not something crazy here.

Maxxuman > Urambo Tauro 05/03/2015 at 13:20

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During the winter we had a mockingbird living in the hedge next to where we park one of our cars. Evidently it decided the vinyl roof was its personal poop palace. Haven’t seen it since the spring though.

2cvhoonage > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 13:24

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5 years ago I bought a completely derelict land rover with some friends with the intention of restoring it and the moment we took delivery of a car that hadn’t been driven in over a decade, we also found a bird lodged in the radiator that also, hadn’t flown in over a decade. People think barn finds are all about fighting rust and cleaning interiors, no one ever tells you about spending the first day of the project finding small animal carcasses and cleaning up after whatever’s been living inside the car.

QADude > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 13:33

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I had a bird hit my side while I was at a stop light. It was being chased by a red tailed hawk. I heard a solid THUD and a dead bird was there. Easy meal for the hawk.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Maxxuman 05/03/2015 at 13:34

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I’m leaning it was probably Germany based off it was 2,500 Euro for the repair.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > NeonBlaqk 05/03/2015 at 13:35

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WE hit my one with my dads van, just flew out at the wrong time and thud bounced off the grille.

salisfury > 550F2 05/03/2015 at 13:44

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I hit a seagull on the way to work this morning. Well, I didn’t hit it outright though. The car in front of me did and I got the leftovers as it came off their windshield... double tap.

mishal1 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 14:03

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My mom and i were stopped at a red light four or five years ago on a very hot summer day. When out of nowhere a tiny bird crashed into the side window of the van, needless to say, scaring both of us shitless as the sound of the little thing was very loud! moments after the hit the bird stood on its wobbly little feet just barely and tried to fly away..

lonestranger > RobG-ADV 05/03/2015 at 14:09

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I was going to say - the one and only time that we had an STI in the detailing shop that I used to work at, there was a dead sparrow atop the intercooler.

ronmancvu > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 14:26

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93-97 Camaro hoods where they cover the sealed-beam headlights are effectively a knife edge at speed, so it was pretty grisly when my friend hit a huge pigeon on the interstate...

Jake > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 14:28

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I hit a bird doing about 80 last November..... it was a turkey...

deanmachine14 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 14:29

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I've just recently started van deliveries in mid Wales and every bird here seems to be suicidal. I think it's because the bushes at the side of the lanes are pretty good places to build a nest or something but they constantly fly out in front of me. I'm not sure if I've actually hit one yet, there hasn't been anything splattered on my van yet.

Hawili > lonestranger 05/03/2015 at 14:38

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obligatory ..

smalleyxb122 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 14:40

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This little guy folded himself between the hood and bumper cover of my GTO last year July, 2013.

Finegreensilk1 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 15:04

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People who hit animals or pedestrians are driving too fast and should have their licenses penalized.

Maidee > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 15:28

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I luckily only had a green parrot like bird slide up from my hood over my windshield then fly away. Glad it wasn't anything like what any of you guys have had because I have a bit of a phobia to birds and that would probably cause me to leave my car were it was and just walk home or something.

TurboZ31 > rhhall 05/03/2015 at 15:41

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I once caught a bird with my shoulder at full lean... didn’t bother me much but apparently the bird exploded and covered the riders trailing me.

Little Lebowski Urban Achiever > heyheauxs 05/03/2015 at 15:54

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No pictures (so it did not happen), but I had one of those ring necked doves fly up into my face while riding my motorcycle. My visor was up, and I took it across the sunglasses. I was surprised at how much dirt it left on my shades.

A-J-I > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 16:21

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Only ever hit pigeons in my cars, which I somehow don’t feel sorry about, and pheasants, which seem to have a death wish as they wait at the side of the road until you’re about ten feet from them and then flap madly into your path.

Thankfully, the cars have never suffered much damage (remarkably, pheasants have so far gone right underneath - none of my cars have been that low...). The birds on the other hand have not escaped so easily.

toecutter (so grey, I gotta wear shades) > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 16:30

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The result of over bob, bob, bobbing.

Micro-dosing Gawker's Tears > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 17:15

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I hit a seagull in a box truck.

Micro-dosing Gawker's Tears > Hawili 05/03/2015 at 17:18

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Now, I’m no expert, but isn’t that scoop for the intercooler?

Micro-dosing Gawker's Tears > Finegreensilk1 05/03/2015 at 17:25

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I drive around constantly honking so that everyone has fair warning of my speedy approach.

f86sabre > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 17:48

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Bird strikes get fun the faster you go.

WhiskeyGolf > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 18:19

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My cousin was passing a truck in Northern Ontario when a partridge flew into his car and triggered the hood release, which flew back into the windshield. The truck noticed his predicament and give him space but I’m sure it was rather scary few seconds. He had a police report done so the insurance actually believed what happened.

Thank you for being kind to the littlest birdies.

Gover57 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 19:40

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91 Olds cutlass supreme. doing about 80 km/h on a paved country road and a flock of starlings were on the road. In my experience, these birds are fast and attentive, so I didn’t bother slowing as they could have waited until the last second and gotten out of my way. I knew on many occasions that these types of birds will get into barns by timing the exhaust fan blades and get in between them to get into a barn. Short version - they did wait for the last second, but half flew one way and half flew the other way - unfortunately, they instinctively fly together, so the group that went to the passenger side collectively changed their minds and about 15-20 got smushed/clipped by my car. When I got home a half hour later, I pulled a two out of the grill area, and one was stuck underneath. Random feather kept being found up to a few weeks later

Gover57 > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 05/03/2015 at 19:45

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similar thing happened with my mom - just flew in front and thump. sadly when we got home, and looked at the grille, we could see bits of egg shell too - it was about ready to lay a bunch of new eggs and flew into the way of a car.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 19:48

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I once ended up with among the shittiest rental cars I’ve ever had the misfortune of receiving. 2008-9-ish Kia SUV of some kind. We nicknamed it “The Gutless Wonder”. At the time I had been driving for a solid decade and had never hit a single bird. In one weekend with that car I pegged three of them with that car... Luckily, there was little more than blood, feathers, and flesh left on the car from each one.

Rainbow > Jake 05/03/2015 at 20:06

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That is one fast turkey.

Oosh > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 20:20

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Mate’s car ate a pigeon without our knowing until we pulled in to his girlfriend’s drive and she started screaming at the twitching corpse in the grill.

Finegreensilk1 > Micro-dosing Gawker's Tears 05/03/2015 at 20:27

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Lol idiot :)

ct06033 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 20:47

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I once hit a crane on a causeway in Florida. On minute it was gliding along gracefully the next, it was bodyslamming my hood. No damage to the car and the crane flew on so I dunno if it survived or died later. Sad day tho I did have a neat crane powder outline on the hood.

Brent Moore > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 21:10

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It wasn’t a bird but on a road trip from Nebraska to Los Angeles, somewhere in Arizona(?) I was traveling along at about 80 on a highway, pitch black. All of a sudden this jackrabbit jumps out in front of the car *thump*. That fucker came out of no where!! At least I knew his death was instantanious =\

TheFamousEccles > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 21:23

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I hit a seagull at Phillip Island. I was riding a CBR600F4i at the time, on Gardner straight. Hit my left hand/shoulder and stung like a motherfucker! I have no idea if the boid survived.

It’s a remarkably common occurrence at that track.

TheFamousEccles > Urambo Tauro 05/03/2015 at 21:24

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Grr - that boid is pure malevolence!

Treadwell > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 22:00

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California State Bird

Ash78, voting early and often > smalleyxb122 05/03/2015 at 22:03

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Monarown3d!

Christopher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 22:24

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Evo IX RS

WeissGuy > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 22:47

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An honest to god bat splatted onto my windshield one time. I started yelling to my passengers that we were in bat country.

It was funny to me....

Hallpass > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 23:02

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I had one fly in the window once driving down a suburban street. I was only going about 40 mph, but it hit me in the face and startled the bejeezus out of me. I managed to pull over without crashing. Looked over and saw this stunned and disheveled little gray bird sitting on the passenger seat.

We kind of yelled at each other for a second, and then I opened the passenger door and shooed him out and he flew off the seat and away. Luckily I was wearing sunglasseses, or probably would’ve suffered a beak or claw to the eye.

TheHondaBro > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/03/2015 at 23:04

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Nice touch.

Micro-dosing Gawker's Tears > Finegreensilk1 05/04/2015 at 00:26

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Not as bad as the people I hit, who had fair warning, they should have stayed off the sidewalk.

anonkc > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/04/2015 at 08:41

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I seem to hit a bird once a month or so in my 05 STi. Doesn’t make any sense. It’s not quiet but I suppose the wind noise a bird has to deal with overrides my exhaust. They have hit the windshield, radiator, and bumper but not the hood scoop yet.

Related to this, there was a road kill deer in the middle of a beltway yesterday and someone had tied a get well balloon to one of its legs. At first I thought, “Is that supposed to be funny?” then I laughed loudly and for too long.

slicks30z > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/04/2015 at 09:07

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My mom hit a vulture on the way home one day, that was trying to fly off with a dead raccoon. There were feathers, blood and guts all down the side of the car when she got home, it was pretty gross.

Traveller > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/04/2015 at 09:12

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It sucks. Fortunately no damage was done to my car.

XSoph > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/04/2015 at 13:20

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Dad decapped a bird with his Bronco's antenna once. The head stuck to the antenna for about 2 weeks.

20thCenturyForever > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/04/2015 at 14:55

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I had a dove fly into my path once. I was driving an ‘88 Celebrity wagon. POI ( Point Of Impact) was just right of centerline on the grille. Dove literally disappears in a small explosion of feathers. It looked like something out of a cartoon from the driver’s seat. I had stopped and looked around for what was left of the dove, but didn’t find remains of any kind. To this day I still wonder if the bird literally disintegrated.

Chris Warner > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/04/2015 at 16:59

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I’ve only hit one bird before. I was driving to work on I-87N at 0530; when I heard a thump. It wasn’t until break time at 0900

when I saw the blood splatter. The poor little bird hit the window visor right behind the antenna, then dead center of my tailgate. I found him lying in the bed at 1100. He didn’t stand a chance.

yung bramblepelt > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 05/04/2015 at 21:47

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This must not have been near Boston, because you know, they discovered that crows near Boston used lookouts when eating roadkill. However, scientists studying the crows concluded that a lot of crows were only being hit by trucks. They realized that while all the crows could say “cah”, none of them knew how to say “truck”.

yung bramblepelt > Traveller 05/04/2015 at 21:48

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Is that its tail by the front of your car? Get well soon, little buddy

SeedArmsForRaisin > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/04/2015 at 22:48

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A dove in the middle of the road turned as I approached at 60 mph. Once I was within a couple feet he jumped up to fly away, and didn’t get far.

Fresh-Outta-Nissans > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/05/2015 at 22:47

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I’ve hit everything but a bird. The coyote was the worst. So much blood...