Fifty Plus (50+) - I hit a bird!

I went out on my mtb this morning because they were calling for rain and I didn't want to get caught in it on the road bike (yeah yeah I know a wuss) but anyway I just went a few miles on the mtb and on the way home a bird flew into front spokes! Killed it.
It was weird because I didn't see it until right when it happened and all I saw was some sort of movement and them a thud. Sort of sad really.Anybody ever have something like this happen to them?

I have rolled over my share of snakes and tarantulas and once... couldn't avoid a squirrel getting caught in the wheel (ugh ruined my ride). But a bird... that would wreck my day!!! :(

I think a squirrel would be worse, more chance to wreck.

Not yet on a bicycle, I've had a few go to their demise over the 30 years the wife and I were "Touring Motorcyclist's":eek: Now I too have run over a snake or two and have had joust's with many a kamakaize squirel on the singletrack riding the MTB.

Bummer... I agree, a squirrel would be much worse. You can repair your karma by putting up a bird feeder perhaps?

sorry about the bird... have done my share of snakes and lizards... a couple close calls on squirrels...

last winter i was on the MUP, cruising through squirrel country... about five miles into a normal 20-miler, and feeling slightly congested that day, i hacked up a chunk of phlegm and expectorated off to the right side of bike...

at that very moment, a poorly timed tree rat crossed my path...

and got nailed right in the head with a big green lung oyster...

(i felt bad, but i knew there was no way i'd ever be able to do that again)

So there I am on a night ride offroad- just crested the hill and starting to pick up speed and all I saw were feathers. A pheasnt got under the front wheel and scared the Cr*p out of me. No dinner though- Stopped and all I found were the tail feathers.

A couple years ago riding on a MUP, spotted quail up ahead. They are not too common around here, BTW. I fully expected it to fly off, but it didn't. Yuck.

At least you didn't end up in the Hudson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbmwv-0cUTw

Anybody ever have something like this happen to them?

I hit an armadillo broadside at night. That was nothing.

The one that really hurt was hitting two huge wild boars broadside at night. It wrecked my bike and me.

Bob

At least you didn't end up in the Hudson.

Ratz. I was gonna say this.

at that very moment, a poorly timed tree rat crossed my path...

and got nailed right in the head with a big green lung oyster...


My god, man. It's bad enough being a tree rat, now he has to live with this too.:cry:

:D

I can attest that while riding down a steep hill in the drops, while trying to go as fast as possible, that hitting two or more wild turkeys at the same time hurts.

I had a duck near a fence leap into flight as I rode past. Having few choices in direction due to the fence, if flew across my path.
Duck strike to chest region.
Startled rider and duck, no serious damage to either.

Fork crackers (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/6/76039319_f5e81e4f93.jpg?v=0).

that is strange. I have never hit a bird, but my daughter had the same thing happen to her on her first long ride. I had a squirrel jump right at my rear wheel last fall. Scared the crap out of me, fortunately he missed. I suspect that would have been a very nasty fall. There is a picture floating around of a squirrel that totaled a bike.

One time I was riding in a double paceline in the swamps out by Tallahassee and the guy in front of me hit a snake. That was a little exciting.

I had a duck near a fence leap into flight as I rode past. Having few choices in direction due to the fence, if flew across my path.
Duck strike to chest region.
Startled rider and duck, no serious damage to either.

When I hit the bird this morning there had been several ponds that have ducks and geese all around them. When I ride past they scare and takeoff and I have wondered what would happen, now I know. That would scare me a lot having a duck or goose fly into me. This morning it was just a tiny songbird and I didn't really even feel it. I looked back and saw feathers and small bird laid out.

Yeah, I nearly had a bird strike this morning. It swerved when it was about half a metre away. I was already ducking and bracing for impact. Then I got knocked off my bike by some half witted twit in a car. I know, I've read the "rude motorist" thread too... nevertheless, I vented like a madman. He's sitting in his car about 40 metres away going "you alright... I just didn't seen you mate, I just didn't seen you". With language like that, I figured he was brain dead already. I let fly and got back on my bike. Can't believe that I didn't get a scratch on me. Just a nice bruise on my thigh to match the one I got falling of my MTB.

I bought some lotto tickets today too.

Yep. Hit a bird before. Sad. I'm a bird man.:( That's why I don't like domestic cats.

I've had two bird strikes on my motorcycle. Both the same scanario: he's perched on the right side of the road facing left across the road, it's raining, he hears me coming ~45mph, startles and takes off, BLAMMO. One sparrow to the chest, one crow to the headlight. I was glad the crow was not to the chest.

Haven't had any bird strikes on bike but I almost ran down a goose once. Silly thing took off running directly away from me, Looney Tunes style, instead of going left or right like normal. Come to think of it it was also raining then. I think rain makes them slow, or worse at flying or something?

I ran over the tail of a road runner when I was going down hill.
I stopped and went back and all I could find were a hand full of tail feathers.
I wondered how he balanced until he grew new ones!

I've had a sea gull fly right into the spokes of my front wheel once, a couple of years ago. I stopped, but it flew away. Not too much you can do about birds, since they come out of nowhere and they do it fast. On a number of occasions, I've had gulls fly straight for my head, head on, but I've been able to avoid the collision.

Ah, man another case of bird SBB (suicide by bike). The economy has everyone down, but you really do hate to see this happen.

HI,
When I ride out to the country there's a spot where someone has about 12 guiena fowl and they let them roam, for some reason they like crossing the road to feed along the side of the road.
They are very organized when they see someone coming they all get in a line and march across the road..
so you must slow or stop or run the risk of a crash , they usally make it but they are easily spooked and usally wait till your close to jump and run .
Jeeze they are dumb...
doug
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/poultry/other/guineafowl/GUINEA2.jpg

They can be a block away and if they see you coming they run towards you to cross the road and head for home..

Yep. 30-ish years ago, when I was in college. Pedaling across campus on my way to work, a sparrow evidently mistook my front wheel for empty space. Twang! Rather weirdly unsettling for me, much worse for the bird.

SP
Bend, OR

A few years back I was riding in a pack of 5-6 recumbents. I was second in the line and we were cruising pretty good down one of those ubiquitous chip-sealed roads with no fog line or shoulder. The leader flushed a bird out of the weeds at the side of the road, and as it rose, it swerved right into our line. I hit it with my helmet at about 22 mph, it went arcing over the heads of everyone behind me and plopped in the road, dead.

I've run over one snake, had a squirrel jump through my frame (left tail hair on cage), and missed a skunk. I have close calls with rabbits, cats, birds, raccoons, and other squirrels.