Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[GPW]

SW, now that’s Funny !!! But I guess a real bird strike isn’t ... But at least we’ve been warned , and know how to fix it ... should it occur ...

[eaglesdare]

as god is my witness, i thought turkey's could fly. attack of the organized turkeys. roflmbo

but i must ask: does anyone else find the real photo of the turkey in the windshield a bit disgusting? i really feel bad for that turkey. should we keep that image on the forum?

[pete42]

I'm leaning toward removing it altho that would make the post following it not make much sense including this one.
your call I'll support you either way.

for what it's worth I once hit a bird while flying my airplane it only hit the wheel so no damage to plane
can't say about the bird but suspect it came out worst for the encounter.

sadly just two days ago I hit a dove since they mate for life makes it all that more sad.

Pete

[GPW]

Leave it !!! A reminder of what could happen !!! Makes me wonder how Fast that truck was going .... Lots of birds of all kinds out here in the wilderness... most are very good at avoiding vehicles ... but if you’re doing 70mph , and they’re doing 35mph , then that’s a potential problem ...

Being a “nature dude”, the thought is that , such cleanly acquired “road kill” might make a few potential meals ... That and we could recycle the wing feathers for fletching for our arrows...

[Wobbly Wheels]

Louella, I think what's disturbing about it is how it makes us empathize with the poor bird - it's not he content itself that's offensive at all (no guts and blood smeared all over the windshield, etc).
JMHO.

[eaglesdare]

ok, since most so far say to leave it, i will. but if anyone does find it offensive or wants it removed, let me know. i suppose real life can be disturbing at times. i just won't look at it anymore.

[droid_ca]

I just want to see a picture of a trailer with 500 pounds of beer...so is that bottles or cans and does the 500 pounds include the actual vessel that the elixir is in or is it the 500 pound of just the fluid itself

[droid_ca]

I was cruising the web and came across this link & I thought of this thread cause I know there are a few that might be into this sorta thing
https://campatthefort.com/terv/index.asp

[KCStudly]

GPW wrote

most (birds) are very good at avoiding vehicles

Most, yes, however, I let the wife drag me to an Audubon Society event where they gave talks about birds of prey (hunters…falcons, eagles, hawks and owls). they had several rescued live birds that they walked out into the seated crowd with. It was quite fascinating to get to see them up close.

Well, the thing is that there are actually a disproportionate number of these birds of prey that are getting hit by vehicles. It seems that their habitat (at least here on the heavily populated east coast) is shrinking leaving the roadways as a big portion of the open ground where they can hunt. Combine this with the higher rate of small ground animals that are attracted to the roadways due to the food waste and trash that people throw from their cars, and the odds start to stack up against the birds. They become singularly focused on that little mouse there by the side of the road eating that apple core (the one that you thought was perfectly fine to throw out, because it was biodegradable, and therefore not littering, and you were doing the squirrels and their friends a favor by feeding them). As the birds swoop down in their state of tunnel vision they don’t notice that car or truck bearing down on them, and, wham! The ones that survive are usually blinded on the side that they were hit, so they cannot be released back into the wild because their depth perception is compromised and they are unable to effectively hunt for themselves. Owls are especially susceptible because they are adapted to night hunting; their eyes and eye sockets are so big and located at the tops of their skulls that it leaves the bridge of bone at their brow very fragile (at least compared to a barreling automobile).

Beautiful birds, I would have to say awe inspiring. After learning this, the wife and I have never thrown another scrap of food from our cars.

Eagle, wild turkeys fly just fine. Although they tend to stay near the ground, they’re quite capable of flying up into trees (where they roost for the night) or onto my neighbors roof. It’s the domestic farm raised turkeys that don’t fly (the white ones). Not sure if this is because they clip their wing feathers, or are just bred that way.

[droid_ca]

two years ago we were going fishing and as we crested this back road hill we startled some rabbits and out of no where this hawk swoops down in front of the truck and snagged a bunny it was one of the coolest out door things I have ever seen so graceful it was like being apart of some nature show

[Wobbly Wheels]

That's funny...I have an barred owl and a hawk (not sure the species yet) in my freezer. I hit them with my truck and it didn't seem right to just throw the carcasses away - they'll keep until I can afford to get them mounted. I've hit lots of animals over lots of miles...but raptors are normally pretty smart birds.

similar to droid's fishing story...I was fly fishing a small lake with a buddy a few years ago. We were working the shallows towards one end, about 30 feet or so from the shoreline. I was facing the shore and my buddy was facing me (boat, not float tubes) and the rest of the lake. As I was watching, an osprey came down between us and the shoreline, grabbed a fish and took off again. He said he was startled by how loud the splash was and that he felt the air from its wing beats as it lifted itself back out of the water.
They're not a big bird, but that's some power to move that much air !

[GPW]

W2, we’ve had an osprey living in a tree right next to the house (in the deep woods) for like 7 months now .... comes at dusk and roosts on the same limb each night, leaves after the sun comes up , got this distinctive whistle like chirp to it ... Longest we’ve ever had one stay ... Fascinating to watch ... and he’s left me a few nice feathers ..
Looking at it through the binoculars , it’s a beautiful bird , not too big , but with HUGE Sharp Talons Ah , Nature !!!

[Ratkity]

BTW, most domestically raised turkeys are bred to be so fat, it's amazing they can stand. They are also usually in turkey houses with proper lighting and ventilation - predators would have a great time if they weren't protected. Turkeys are bred to hold so much meat, but their hearts and blood vessels haven't kept up with their weight. You can scare a turkey into aortic rupture (heart attack) easily. To fly would be hysterical at their highest weight, but they can get lift off if so motivated by a dog chasing it or a young researcher trying to get a vial of blood and accidentally leaving the turkey house door ajar... *sigh* Graduate school memories.. alas! My only solace was being able to eat the control group.

Hugs,
Ratkity

[wagondude]

W2, Just a heads up. I am not sure, but from what I have heard, possession of any part of a bird of prey (living or dead) is a violation of federal law without the proper permits. There are exceptions for Native American uses. Might want to check to be sure, though.

Bill

[droid_ca]

that's why most taxidermists staple the paper work on the back of the mounts so it is sold with all documentation