Preventing Bird Strikes

[D W]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

That $80,000 per year would purchase over 160,000 shotgun shells and more than a few bird hunters in the country would provide their services for free.

Probably wouldn't need but a fraction of that many shot shells to get the job done.


Locally my wife and I were walking on the waterfront and saw a seagull land on a restaurant patrons table, grabbed their sandwich, then flew off. If the patron had been quicker she could have buried a fork in the bird.

Years ago at USCG Station Kodiak, I watched a crew of Coast Guardsmen doing "seagull abatement" on the airfield. The work party was feeding the seagulls Alka-Seltzer tablets. Ever see a seagull explode?

[mjones12]

Originally Posted by flosmith

Oh! Sure I have! I thought that was an HOA meeting or political rally, the way they yell so loudly!
I didn’t realize it was a union meeting! I stand corrected!

Looks more like a Hitchcock movie to me.

[JWood422]

Ok, y’all. This thread has really struck a nerve with me. Although I can’t help you with how to keep the birds from actually hitting or hurting your vehicle I can tell you what a HUGE cause of the problem is. Do you remember when your mother told you it was ok to throw your apple core out the window? The birds will get it. And the mice. What you’re doing is setting them up to get killed. The mice eat the apple cores. The birds of prey swoop down to catch the mice - right into moving vehicles. Y’all this really is a big problem. I know this because I was a raptor rehabilitator for a number of years.

Don’t throw food out of your vehicle.

Ever.

I’m pretty sure Flybob will agree.

[onetonford]

I only had 1 bird strike scare the @#$% out of me. While sitting in my upstairs office a pheasant flew into the second story wall just a few inches from the window i was sitting behind made a loud kerthumph left a blood spot in the stucco and him down below on the grass dyeing with all the cats sitting around him waiting. (they had a good dinner that day) I also only had one bird hit a windshield while i was driving under a overpass but other then that I have only hit more ground squirrels so I need a cattle guard like on the locos I guess>

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by pappyg

Looking for any ideas to protect the front of TT from damage caused by bird strikes.

Don't tow it during the daytime. Then you just have to protect front of your truck from deer. In which case, you will want to avoid driving at night.

[Flywithlloyd]

My favorite bird strike was when I got a flock of Canadian Geese - one right through the #2 engine! Different kind of vehicle, though.

[NJKris]

Fortunately most of us don't tow that fast, lol. And can pull over if needed!

[Flywithlloyd]

Truth!

Originally Posted by NJKris

Fortunately most of us don't tow that fast, lol. And can pull over if needed!

[D W]

Originally Posted by JWood422

Ok, y’all. This thread has really struck a nerve with me. Although I can’t help you with how to keep the birds from actually hitting or hurting your vehicle I can tell you what a HUGE cause of the problem is. Do you remember when your mother told you it was ok to throw your apple core out the window? The birds will get it. And the mice. What you’re doing is setting them up to get killed. The mice eat the apple cores. The birds of prey swoop down to catch the mice - right into moving vehicles. Y’all this really is a big problem. I know this because I was a raptor rehabilitator for a number of years.

Don’t throw food out of your vehicle.

Ever.

I’m pretty sure Flybob will agree.

Attachment 219282

Call me ol' fashioned, but I was brought up NEVER to throw anything the car window. We had "litter bags". They used to hand them out free at the gas stations.

[tugboat369]

Had a seagull hit the windshield of me boat years ago did not break it. Had one hit the CB antenna on the causway. Funny watching him spin out. Have had many hit trucks I was driving no damage.
The only bird that I never want to hit head on because of the damage it would cause is a Firebird.

[NMWildcat]

I never thought bird strikes were anything to worry about when RVing! Might as well worry about flying road rocks, hail, lightning, meteors, and alien spaceship refuse.
We have one window in our home that birds fly into regularly, to their demise. I figure it's Darwin's Law at work......

[Iwannacamp]

Originally Posted by mxtreme30

Guess you could always just zip tie one of those fake plastic owls to your grill to see if it helps. I've got Elmer Fudd on my grill and haven't hit a rabbit one!

That’s funny

[DaGrinch]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

I never thought bird strikes were anything to worry about when RVing! Might as well worry about flying road rocks, hail, lightning, meteors, and alien spaceship refuse.
We have one window in our home that birds fly into regularly, to their demise. I figure it's Darwin's Law at work......

I lnow what you mean.... I was driving my house around the neighborhood and had a morning dove fly right into a dining room window. I tried to swerve, but to no avail.

[crinteastwood]

Originally Posted by dward51

Not in the RV/trailer, but I was front passenger/spotter in a Bell Ranger helicopter one time doing about 140mph on a CAMP recon flight and we hit a blackbird dead on. That was LOUD!!!! Pilot said they usually come through the windshield at that speed. You see a black blur just about time you hear the "BANG", no time for the pilot to react.

Some of the ex-LE will know what CAMP is....

If you were from Cali and not GA, I would say it (CAMP) stands for, http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionar...juana+Planting.

[BandJCarm]

Avoid bird strikes???

Uh........pay them more.

[HappyGuy]

I've unfortunately processed two gulls a goose and a turkey in my travels. An air foil will redirect them over your trailer if they attempt to fly over your truck. Let the air currents do the work for you.


https://www.raneystruckparts.com/universal-whale-tail-for-flat-top-roof/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAq97uBRCwARIsADTziybys9RTH8vfsGZcoG2 hwhCd9g-Cr5k79LtZYl7vUEwVUf9LLVsccxEaAgMBEALw_wcB



Avoid the tilting plastic walls. The birds hit those and they splinter. The fully curved aluminum ones force all the air over them and give the birds a fighting chance to get over your vehicle.

[sadiemack]

Drive only at night when birds are roosters. Just kidding, but never had a problem. I have had bugs hit that were as big as birds

[BBC Cobra]

An air dam on the roof of the tow vehicle might prevent strikes to the travel trailer...

[Feba]

Originally Posted by Scheinin

Really? Unless you are in an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

I have been RVing full time for 4 years, all over the Country, and never had a bird strike me.

Have it happy every other month or more when parked. It's nuts. The birds just fly into the windows like they don't see them.

[Pipeman]

I can't say I've ever had a bird strike in the manner you are all talking about but....I drove under a flock of geese one time and for some odd reason they decided to make themselves lighter. What they dropped hit the hood and windshield of my truck. Not only did it splatter all over the place, it hit with such a loud noise I thought we had been hit with a bunch of rocks. Scared the crap out of me. Now my wife says "don't look up" when a flock of geese fly overhead. I love listening to geese when they're flying nearby but not overhead.