I was driving on a 2 lane highway today and came upon some birds dining on something in the middle of the road....I slowed down, but apparently not enough because when the birds took off one of them hit my car. It sounded like it hit my roof in the rear or somewhere in the rear. And it really sounded loud . When I got out of my car, I couldn't see any damage, but I don't even know where the bird hit me. I do hope the bird is okay. Did anyone ever have a run in with a bird and their MINI? If so, did you have any damage?

 

Yep - we hit a HUGE crow shortly after we bought the car. Poor birdie didn't make it....no damage to the car - it hit the lower grill. We were just left with lots of feathers to pluck out - LOL!!!

Donna
02' CR/W MCS (gone to MINI heaven)
05' Cool Blue MCSC

 

Yes, but nothing big and never in the MINI...

Was also riding in a motocoach up in the Cotswalds area of England on a narrow two lane road when we hit a pheasant on the windscreen.

My first thought was that a rock hit the windscreen... A BIG rock. bits of safety glass flew back 3 rows into the coach... The thing hit the windscreen right in front of the driver, and he was like a rock! Didn't curse, didn't swerve, kept driving without missing a beat... We later learned he almost crapped his pants!

 

Hit a bird doing about 80 many years ago. Cant remember what car it was, but I do remember bits and pieces in the radiator grill. And then there was a pigeon that just wouldn't fly. They make a very curious poping sound when run over.

 

I unfortunately nail a few a week during this time of year. I live in a rural area... I'm guessing that many baby birds/juveniles are still learning the ropes of flight, and the ways of the world during the "Spring time." I actually have some paint damage, but nothing major...

 

I was doing about .... I was going fast through Wyoming and a bird flew into the a-piller and left a long white skid mark along the passenger side windows - no dents, no cracks, no feathers ... just a ghostofabird ...

 

In high school, I was riding with one of my friends when we hit a bird. It was pretty much stuck to the windsheild right in front of me for 20 miles until we could get somewhere to wash the poor thing off.

A couple months ago, some friends were over playing with cars. When we lifted the hood of someone's Outback, there was a whole bird dead in the engine bay. They said they had heard some noises after hitting what they thought was a rock a few days before, but thought it was an old problem so they never looked.

Of course, haven't hit any poor birdies yet in the MINI. Of course, I've only had him a few weeks, so I better go around and knock on alot of wood!

 

Whoa (popping sound)... I only hope this thread about birdicide is not as long-lived as the one about the mints!

My old (67) VW microbus survived a few close encounters with some good sized but poorly trained Canada geese, and I can say from experience that they do not go "pop".

This thread is for the birds ,
Tatt

 

I hit a pigeon on the 101 freeway here in the LA Basin. Doing 75 in the fast lane, I saw it but it didn't get out of the way in time. After hear a loud thump, all I saw in my rear view was a tumbling mass of feathers.

Another time, I was on Los Gatos Road in Central Cal when a jack rabbit was a bit too slow in getting out of my way. It too suffered the same fate as the bird, except it was messier.

 

ONE week after I got my Mini...not even broken in yet (...although by the time I was home she was...) I am heading back from SV coming around a nice sweeper about 110 and I see two birds eating something...one took off the other waited...and well it waited too long...ofcourse at 110 I was like ..."oh no look it a SPLAT!!!" LOL ....since then we have a running tally on our AZ board..."the bird tally" which isn't limited to birds....





here's another story from MLE...this is the best explination of why it happens I have heard:

Well,well, well...looks like Mr.Chris has done it again! We can add Grilled rabbit to the tally. Chris was driving my car (just call me Daisy) at the unbelievable speed of 35 when the bugger headed strait for my babies' front end.
I think it's odd how every thing the minis run over they never use the tires, it's always the grill...must be that space technology that went into creating the dynamics of the car. Some guy in a white Hazmat suit is sitting comfortably behind his desk with arms crossed and feet up going "Damn I'm good!"

 

IT's not a bird, but I do have a pic of a dessicated frog that jumped to his death and clung unsuccessfully for his life on the lower grill of my MCS. All dried out and spread out, he looks like some sort of larval alien. . . .

Once I get out of class, I will find and post that pic!

 

Ive hit numerous birds on my hobbie cars over the years, biggest being a
canadian goose hitting the top edge of my winshield. Not sure what he
was thinking...just glided side by side around 45mph and suddenly decided
to cut me off. It lost balance and fell into a ditch, but it looked like
it survived.

Ive driven over 2 birds, hit 4 watched it land on the road in my rear
view mirror and one got stuck in the intake resonator area of one of
my previous cars and an opposum pulled it out for me at night while
parked at a parking structure. feathers everywhere under the car. :smile:

 

My mom ran over a pigeon in her VW Thing one day when I was a kid. I think the sound freaked her out a little bit.

 

I've killed 5 birds in my 1973 Mini.

 

I hit a bird flying across the freeway on the way back from Las Vegas a couple years ago. It hit the top edge of my windshield as it tried to fly across. I don't really consider it a case of me hitting a bird, more like a bird hitting me!

 

My wife was driving in Wyoming when we hit a Western Meadowlark. Damn near went directly into the s/c intake in the hood. Pulled two-thirds of it out and continued. Upon further inspection I found the fasteners for the scoop to be broken or missing. Better than a headlight I guess.
Nayone hit a deer yet? (in a Mini)

 

On fine Saturday night after spending the afternoon at the Scottsdale Pavillions, my wife and I headed up to "the secret base camp". Nice dark night and running with the lights on high beam...not another car in sight. Then out of the left corner of my eye, the lights picked up a fuzzy blur on a collisions course with my car. I didn't swerve because everyone know that when you swerve, that is precisely the time when the animal decides to do the same. So I held my course steady. My wife, at this point is oblivious, until THUMPPPP!! Yep, hit a bunny. Poor guy was thinking the same thing as me, "ever time I swerve, so does the car...so this time I wont swerve". But alas, this instinct should have been there this time for that lil' guy to swerve. My wife, jolted to reality, started bawling immediately.

 

Hehehe.... you killed Thumper....

Forgot about this one:

A buddy of mine and I were going fishing in the backwoods around Ft. Stewart, GA. They got a Red Headed Woodpecker there that is on the endangered list... Let's just say that species became a little more endangered on that particular morning....

 

Not in my MCS, but yes I have. In fact I was know as the Great White Hunter in my White Probe I drove for 12 years here in the states and 6 years in Europe.

I killed everything driving down the road, Birds were nothing, dusting off two to three both back and forth to work a day.

Not a joke either. In the UK I must have killed 15 pheasnt a week alone.

Bagged a dear about 3 years ago. I'll tell you, I'd hit a bird anyday than a dear.

 

I've missed deer numerous times on my very early ride to work(one just this morning) I must say,I'm really alert for the critters,not looking forward to being known as the guy who killed Bambi's mom

years ago I was driving to Cambridge from maine, as a passenger in a vintage Volvo 544.Hit a **** pheasant square in the windscreen and even though it was a glancing blow ,the entire windscreen came into our laps in a million small pieces.The driver , a lady who was my wife's best friend, was so shaken up that she couldn't continue to drive, so I took over.A state cop noticed right away that I was driving with no windscreen and pulled us over .When he saw all the glass and the pheasant in the back seat he roared with laughter and just told me to wear glasses and get it fixed as soon as possible and let us continue on our way.

 

Almost

 

Yup, Ive got birds. Hit a raven last year, cracked the black backing behind the slats on the grill, and a small dent in the hood. Numerous rabbits (i think 4) They have caused the most damage, cracked bumper cover (both sides) and a turn signal light, and a fog light. I dont know how many times I have taken the bumper cover off to re-attach the lower grill. Unfortunaly I dont think any of the creatures I have hit survived. (except for cats, they can survive anything.)


The funiest bird I hit was when I was in high school and still riding motercycles. I had and enduro at the time (on and off road) and I hit a birt just above the headlight. I looked back and it was falling (in a tail spin) from about 35 feet up. Poor bird. One of my friends was doing about 60 on a bike and took one in the chest. Knocked him off the bike again poor bird . Friend was fine.

Nik

 

oh yeah I almost forgot ,I caught a starling in my leather jacket while riding my bike,I don't know who was more startled.I slowly unzipped the jacket and he peeled out sideways and flew away,I went home to change my underwear...........

 

Twice back in England, but never in the MINI, the first time I was driving my 1988 Ford Escort RS Turbo on a Sunday morning on my way to work. A flock of smaller birds, Starlings I think, flew across my path, two hit my windshield cracking it. I didn't think a smaller bird would do that . The second time in my company car (Rover Montego wagon, anybody know what they are?). I was driving home through the Cambridshire countryside when I came across a group of five or six pheasant. As I got closer they flew directly at me. One hit the front of the car cracking hte bumper smashing the headlight and putting a small dent in the bonnet , the next day I informed my boss he laughed his *** off . Looked at me funny and informed me that he had never heard that one before, this was the second incident in a matter of two weeks . After I should him the feathers he seemed a little more convinced.

 

I've hit many birds,non with my MINI.But I did hit a dead racoon last summer,I had no where to go to dodge it.After I checked for damage,there was none,my next stop was a wandwash to clean off the front cowling