Owl be darned!

[mikesim]

Another first for me and Traveller. Today was beautifully sunny with temps in the upper 40's so I took advantage of a break in the snow and went on about an 80 mile putt. It's been about two weeks so I was ready for my two wheeled fix. I was about three miles from home on an old country road when I spotted a barn owl on the shoulder just taking off about 25 yards in front of me. I was doing about 40 mph and he was coming right at me. I thought that surely he would gain enough altitude to fly over me or at least veer off at the last moment. Not so. Either he was intent on suicide or in the attack mode as he hit the fairing between the windshield and the left mirror. It was quite a thwack and feathers flew everywhere. I looked in the mirror and he was cartwheeling in the road behind me. There was no traffic so I stopped and watched him in my mirror for a minute or two and he never moved. I suspect he had broken his neck. When I got home I checked Traveller over for damage but other than the feathers stuffed into the base of the mirror we were unscathed.

Mike

 

[junglejim]

Another first for me and Traveller. Today was beautifully sunny with temps in the upper 40's so I took advantage of a break in the snow and went on about an 80 mile putt. It's been about two weeks so I was ready for my two wheeled fix. I was about three miles from home on an old country road when I spotted a barn owl on the shoulder just taking off about 25 yards in front of me. I was doing about 40 mph and he was coming right at me. I thought that surely he would gain enough altitude to fly over me or at least veer off at the last moment. Not so. Either he was intent on suicide or in the attack mode as he hit the fairing between the windshield and the left mirror. It was quite a thwack and feathers flew everywhere. I looked in the mirror and he was cartwheeling in the road behind me. There was no traffic so I stopped and watched him in my mirror for a minute or two and he never moved. I suspect he had broken his neck. When I got home I checked Traveller over for damage but other than the feathers stuffed into the base of the mirror we were unscathed.

Mike

Nice miss Mike. Good thing it wasn't a turkey.

I had a close encounter with a turkey in Arkensaw or maybe Mizzourah with a low flying trukey when on my way back from Gulf Shores. He crossed in front of me at a low height and I felt his feet or wings on my helmet as I was tucked as low as my head would go. No major contact and no turkey doo either.

 

[Fieroguy]

A member of this forum, Rob Maynard from Massachusetts was riding two up with his wife IIRC. He could see the bird perform a graceful circle ahead of him, however, as he got closer it became clear they were on a collision course and sure enough, the big bird (can't remember the type) hit them broadside and knocked them over. I get a reminder of his misfortune because I bought his GIVI top box from him which has a pretty good scrape down one side from that slide.
Had my own birdy encounter years ago. First ride of the season, doing 45 up a hill and got whacked in the helmet by a smallish bird. Still at that it jarred my head pretty good, but I was able to maintain control. I was thankful to be wearing a helmet that day!

 

[ARKNT]

Glad no damage to you or the bike Mike.
Even small birds can hurt. I once long ago got thumped in the chest by what I think was a sparrow. At speed it will get your attention.

Arknt

 

[Phil Tarman]

I've been barely missed by a turkey in Nebraska, but other than the two deer I've never been hit by a critter whilst riding a motorcycle. I have been hit by birds while driving a car, and both times they took out the grill. A buzzard got my '64 Plymouth Valiant, and a roadrunner took the grill out of my company '67 Impala. I would not want to hit a big bird on a motorcycle.

 

[dnktng]

A raven flew into the side of the NT's front wheel doing 50-60 mph years ago. Just a little thud. The black feather cloud burst was large enough to eclipse the sun in the local area.

 

[DirtFlier]

I've had several encounters over the years with birds and luckily without injury to myself or my faithful NT.

Several times I've surprised turkey buzzards that were eating roadkill in the middle of the road as I came over a rise. Their sheer size is astounding - especially when viewed from 10 ft! The same can be said for the larger hawks. One time I surprised a large flock of birds and instead of heading for the trees as did the others, one bird followed the road on my path of travel and decorated my windshield. Traveling across the Plains one day, a large swarm of birds, perhaps Starlings, left the ground and one flew right into the cateye slit on the right side of my NT's fairing!

 

[coaster]

Glad no damage to you or the bike Mike.
Even small birds can hurt. I once long ago got thumped in the chest by what I think was a sparrow. At speed it will get your attention.

Arknt

I once got hit on the right knee by a small bird while doing around 70, no damage to me or the bike other than a nasty welt on the knee .

 

[silshooter]

My worst bird strike was one coming into the truck cab. Feathers, blood and parts took hours to clean out.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Yuck! When I was 13, we lived on an Air Force primary training base in the Florida panhandle. Students started in Beech T-34s and then transitioned to North American T-28s. One day in the summer, a student was on his first solo flight in a T-28, flying with the cockpit canopy open (the T-28 didn't have air conditioning). He was at about 10,000 feet and just happened to be almost directly over the field. He hit a buzzard. It bent one blade of the propellor about 60 degrees and the other about 40 degrees. It shattered the "bird-proof" thick section of the un-moving part of the cockpit, bent the metal bow of the cockpit frame, and then hit the pilot's helmet and shattered it. The pilot had an engine that was about to shake itself out of the plane and blood, guts, and feathers all over his face, He thought he was the source of the blood at first, but still manage to shut down the engine and establish a glide. Then he called the tower and told them what was going on. By then he had realized that he was not bleeding. All traffic near the field was diverted and he managed to land on the main runway.

I had a paper route that and delivered papers to the T-28 maintenance hangar. The plane was parked outside and the crowd checking it out had mostly gone back to work. The amount of damage was incredible. I wish I could have looked into the plane, but paper boys weren't getting that experience. IIRC, the T-28 cruised at about 170-180mph. Ya' don't wanna' hit a buzzard at that speed!

 

[DirtFlier]

It's not uncommon for Turkey Buzzards to have a windspan approaching 6-feet. One thing I've noticed when coming upon them at speed is that they have a lumbering, slow takeoff so they stay close to the ground for a long time before they finally gain altitude.

Turkey vulture - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Some people dislike the Turkey Buzzards but they do wonderful cleanup of roadkill!

 

[mikesim]

I don't know if Phil will remember this, but several years ago on US 50 in Illinois or Indiana we were riding together to the East NT Rally when we came across a Turkey Vulture in the middle of the road who wouldn't yield as we approached. Phil and I slowed and gave him a wide berth as we went around him. I was puzzled as to his behavior but Phil surmised that he had been wounded by traffic earlier and could no longer fly. A big fella he was.

Mike

 

[The Matlock Biker]

Another first for me and Traveller. Today was beautifully sunny with temps in the upper 40's so I took advantage of a break in the snow and went on about an 80 mile putt. It's been about two weeks so I was ready for my two wheeled fix. I was about three miles from home on an old country road when I spotted a barn owl on the shoulder just taking off about 25 yards in front of me. I was doing about 40 mph and he was coming right at me. I thought that surely he would gain enough altitude to fly over me or at least veer off at the last moment. Not so. Either he was intent on suicide or in the attack mode as he hit the fairing between the windshield and the left mirror. It was quite a thwack and feathers flew everywhere. I looked in the mirror and he was cartwheeling in the road behind me. There was no traffic so I stopped and watched him in my mirror for a minute or two and he never moved. I suspect he had broken his neck. When I got home I checked Traveller over for damage but other than the feathers stuffed into the base of the mirror we were unscathed.

Mike

A local biker to me here in Derbyshire UK was riding his bike through the Peak District when he was struck on the side of the head by a grouse flying at full speed. Witnesses said he was probably dead before his bike crashed through a Dry Stone wall

I would say you were very lucky

Cheers
#TheMatlockBiker

 

[ST1100Y]

I was about three miles from home on an old country road when I spotted a barn owl on the shoulder just taking off about 25 yards in front of me. I was doing about 40 mph and he was coming right at me. I thought that surely he would gain enough altitude to fly over me or at least veer off at the last moment. Not so. Either he was intent on suicide or in the attack mode as he hit the fairing between the windshield and the left mirror.

Quite a lucky episode...
Most bird strikes by "poultry" of that size end with shattered fairing pieces, leaking radiators and even riders loosing control, coming off the road...

While cleaning after a ride last summer I found the corpse of a great tit caught in my ST's front intake, poor critter entangled above the radiator...
Couple of years ago a partridge taking off out a ditch aside the shoulder, struggling to gain altitude almost struck my helmet... quite under-powered, bad flyers...
Besides this (and a gazillion bug splashes) no wildlife encounters yet... knock-knock...

 

[junglejim]

Eagles seem to me to be the worst at taking off. Many times I’ve encountered an eagle lunching on a dead roadside deer. They remain low and slow for a long time. You must give them lots of time and space. One nearly got with an eagle sized load he dropped from his back door as he was trying to gain altitude. Don’t want to get hit with that either.

 

[DirtFlier]

I would guess that any bird with a massive windspan takes lots of time to get airborne. At the other end of the spectrum are the hummingbirds whose flight patterns are more akin to an insect!

 

[Phil Tarman]

I don't know if Phil will remember this, but several years ago on US 50 in Illinois or Indiana we were riding together to the East NT Rally when we came across a Turkey Vulture in the middle of the road who wouldn't yield as we approached. Phil and I slowed and gave him a wide berth as we went around him. I was puzzled as to his behavior but Phil surmised that he had been wounded by traffic earlier and could no longer fly. A big fella he was.

Mike

Mike, I had forgotten that, but now that you remind me, I remember it.

 

[WVRider]

I would guess that any bird with a massive windspan takes lots of time to get airborne. At the other end of the spectrum are the hummingbirds whose flight patterns are more akin to an insect!

I came within inches of taking out a Blue Heron last year. The guys behind me actually thought I hit it but not contact, thank goodness. Like DirtFlier, the Turkey Buzzards are by far out worst enemy in the bird category. Too many close calls there. There are at least 7 in this photo, on or near the ground.

 

[Coyote Chris]

In the 1970s in Illinois, I didnt have a wind screen and I hit a pheasant which ended up in my lap, dazed but alive. I road 10 miles to an animal shelter and dropped him off. Dont know if he made it. Lots of turkeys here now....definately a concern...population has exploaded. On the winding back roads here in the hills, I flash my braked lights, turn on my turn signal, and pull over and let the tail gaiters go by. Never had a close encounter with a vulture or crow or raven feeding off of road kill.....but they are varients of concern for sure. Some close calls with great horned owls but not since I stopped riding at night. Deer are still the biggest killers. Coyotes are too smart.

 

[karl]

Rob is from New Hampshire, the young lady riding pillion was his girlfriend at the time, they are married today in spite of the crash and have a lovely little girl. Rob is still riding a big Trumpet. One of the good guys we don't hear from much here.