Has anyone else noticed animals and birds not getting out of the way of cars like they used to?
Posted by KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 51 comments
I keep noticing lately that I’m having to brake for birds and rabbits and squirrels etc much more than I used to. It’s started becoming really noticeable to me that they just don’t seem to have the same awareness as birds rabbits and squirrels of yesteryear.
Used to be you’re driving along and there are some birds or creatures on the road ahead and they pretty much spot you as soon as you spot them and get out of the way so you rarely had to reduce speed. But now they seem to just not notice until I’m much closer and I have to brake. The other day I slowed down a bit approaching a pigeon assuming he’d fly off as I loomed near but he just sat there and I had to fully stop and wait for him to fly off. It wasn’t that he was injured none of these creatures seem unwell just unobservant.
I don’t have an electric vehicle so it’s not quieter than usual and I’ve had the same car for 7 years so it’s not the cars colour or shape or anything. It’s probably been a few months in total since I’ve noticed this. Anyone else? Any idea why this might happen? It’s mainly birds I’ve noticed it with.
No-Photograph3463@reddit
Fucking pheasants are a nightmare, they seem to actively be attracted to a moving vehicle, the faster and on more of a blind corner the better!
Any other creature I find is generally fine, at this time of year there are lots of young animals about that aren't as aware as they maybe should be though.
The fact we have more EVs and modern cars are being made quieter and quieter may also be a reason as animals just can't hear a vehicle or aren't aware that's what a car sounds like now.
AngrySaltire@reddit
I swear pheasants are magnetically attracted to front bumpers. They can successfully cross a road only to then pull a u-turn and risk it all again ! How I've never hit one I'll never know.
CowDontMeow@reddit
I read a study saying that all the birds smart enough to avoid danger were also the ones that would jump up away from dogs and into the line of site of “hunters”, the ones that survived and bred were the ones with zero survival instinct.
Psjthekid@reddit
They are bloody suicidal! I have 2 on the same road near Malton just stare at me driving
spoo4brains@reddit
Early morning pidgeons on road seem to be half asleep and you have to slow down a bit to give them time to react.
Only fatality I have had was with two pigeons in my way, it looked like both of them were thinking of flying off as I approached, but at the last second one took exception to the other one and started a fight. Only one survived. Dumb birds.
AirlineSevere7456@reddit
Now that you mention, yeah. I'll see Magpies eating roadkill, and they fly at the last second now, instead of a while before.
SnooHesitations6727@reddit
I was having an argument with my mum delivering my parents to chapel. Was so distracted I didn’t wait for my dad to put his seat belt on. 15 seconds later a fkn rabbit being chased by a crow runs in front of the car. They live in a built up area in Glasgow where a wild rabbit has no place being. Dad almost broke his nose hitting the chair in front.
I remember when the Covid restrictions were lifted it was a blood bath. Saw countless foxes, badgers, deer all over the roads
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit (OP)
I was wondering if it could be a knock on effect of lockdowns.
Sugarlips_80@reddit
Yes, i followed a rabbit down a lane at the weekend. It just ran along in the middle of the road. I kept waiting for it to jump into the verge as they do. It did not, just kept running with me following it behind. I thought it might be unwell but then a second one popped out and followed it!! Ten minutes of following 2 rabbits at 5 mph, unable to over take as they were all over the road, but no sign of running away from the car. Eventually they ran into a field.
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit (OP)
Yes! That’s one of the things that happened to me too! Rabbit just hopping along in front of me instead of darting to the side. Maybe it’s covid lockdown related? Like animals born then didn’t learn about cars and so they’ve not taught their descendants?
AllThatIHaveDone@reddit
It's just confirmation bias at work.
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit (OP)
I don’t think so, I didn’t have any pre-existing belief about birds being slow avoiding cars and the first few times I chalked it up to coincidence but it’s almost every time I drive.
AllThatIHaveDone@reddit
This is classic confirmation bias 😅
Slobbadobbavich@reddit
I honestly think it is down to the fact that we drive much more slowly nowadays. If you drove faster I promise you they'd move. You have to put it into the birds perspective. When we are driving towards them we are like a really slow lurching box moving towards them. To give you a frame of reference, slowly flap your arms up and down. That's how birds fly, they aren't flapping like mad, to them they are just casually moving their wings a bit and it allows them to fly. It's not hard work, it's just a casual walk. They experience time at a much slower speed so we see it as a huge effort to them but in reality it's not. The problem is that when distracted they can still be hit.
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit (OP)
Maybe that’s it, although I haven’t noticed that I’ve been driving more slowly, there’s one 20 mph zone near me but not many birds on it as it’s a large residential road. But maybe I am just unconsciously driving more slowly.
thorn312@reddit
Touch wood I've never hit an animal in the car, but it might be the time of year if this is recent because there are young animals still learning the ropes. We are also constantly building and expanding in to wild areas and animals' homes, there's only so many places they can go and if they need to get across many roads to get there then it's obviously harder.
Except pheasants. They have always aimed for cars.
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit (OP)
No not pheasants there aren’t any near where I live now, but there were loads found where I used to live and yeah they are so slow and stupid! In fact that pheasant type behaviour is what I’m seeing in other birds, it’s so weird!
SaltyName8341@reddit
Came here to ask if it was a pheasant
thorn312@reddit
My father one spotted one waiting to ambush him at the side of the motorway so he moved over both lanes and the thing ran with him. They're daft birds. Beautiful, but daft.
My mother once hit one also on the motorway and it went through the bumper, it was like a scene from looney tunes, there was a distinct pheasant shaped hole.
CreativeAdeptness477@reddit
Literally just hit a sheep.
TheGreenPangolin@reddit
I noticed it a lot when I was in wales at the beginning of the month. I think because everyone is driving at 20 now. I've also moved to an estate that 20mph and keep seeing roadkill.
My theory is either:
they don't run from 20mph cars the same that they do with 30mph cars.
OR more are surviving because we aren't driving as fast, and that increased population makes it seem like they are in the way more, plus the slower speed means the roadkill that does happen is visible for longer/takes longer to get squished to nothing.
these_metal_hands@reddit
I just kill em
smellyfeet25@reddit
I don’t drive but I would slow down or stop if safe to do so.I I wouldn’t swerve or put myself or other people in danger for a pigeon though. I am more important.End of story
Dry_Action1734@reddit
If you mean pheasants, they are born to die as soon as possible.
Existing_Doughnut985@reddit
Worms have changed since I was a kid too. They used to wriggle like crazy when you picked one up and now it’s like they just play dead
External-Praline-451@reddit
The worms have turned!
AnythingKey@reddit
A lot of people think that if you cut a worm in half, two worms will grow, but no, what happens is, if you cut the head end slightly nearer the tail than the head, the tail will die but the worm with the head will be ok
EyeAware3519@reddit
Do they still taste the same?
tcpukl@reddit
Are you now electric? So a silent dangerous car?
Ok-Ebb5960@reddit
Have you read Zoo by James Patterson? 🙀
sonicated@reddit
This is a great read:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/speeding-towards-birds-in-a-car-for-science
Square-Ad1434@reddit
I have also noticed this, had to brake for a few of them also
Tumeni1959@reddit
Some breeds are definitely playing "chicken" with the traffic to impress their friends.
A few years ago, I had a blackbird swoop down in front of my car, missing the front by inches, then to land on the fencing to the nearside, and squawk declaratively, as if to say "LOOK what I Just did !!!!!"
Zealousideal-Sail893@reddit
Saw a dead fox at the side of the road yesterday, a few feet away, lay a dead badger, a few feet further, lay a dead deer.😭.
I am seeing more and more each week, unfortunately, especially deer.
GlitchingGecko@reddit
I've noticed it with pigeons, yes.
Pheasants too, but then they've always been particularly suicidal. I swear they run AT you more times than not.
PlantainPractical928@reddit
Pigeons always being stupid. I ran over one during my first driving lesson and thats already several years ago
GlitchingGecko@reddit
I hit a pheasant the first time I went into 3rd gear. Instructor said it was unavoidable.
Nearly hit a dog on another driving lesson, but did an emergency stop. Instructor said she'd never even seen the dog and I'd scared the hell out of her. 😆
I did get a dressing down though, because I immediately put the car into park and jumped out to chase the dog, leaving my instructor and the car in the middle of the road.
PomPomBumblebee@reddit
Pheasants, pigeons and many younger seagulls have a death wish with roads and cars.
banwe11@reddit
It's got much worse since covid. The current generation of wild animals is so entitled. They seem to think they have priority use of the roads even though they don't pay tax. I think we should ban them.
yesbutnobutokay@reddit
I think the hot weather has made a lot of creatures a bit dozy, possibly due to a lack of water. The same happens later in the year when they've been bingeing on fermented berries I've honked and flashed at pigeons and seagulls and still had to come to a stop before they move.
Funicular-@reddit
Pidgeons all seems to have a death wish at the moment....
ThinkSuccotash@reddit
Yes I’ve definitely noticed the same! Compared to 15-20 years ago, pigeons seem way more reluctant to move or fly away when approached by people or a car, to the point I’ve had to stop and beep to get them to move.
I wonder what it is - I can’t imagine natural selection favouring this trait given it’s more likely to get them killed. Wonder if it’s more of a change in air quality or something that’s changing their behavioural instincts
Brakiss78@reddit
It's not new. When I was learning to drive over 20 years ago I saw a pigeon get splatted by a truck on a dual carriageway outside Wolverhampton.
The other day my pupil was approaching a roundabout and two little birds were clearly having some sort of disagreement on the side of the road. They suddenly took off and started scrapping right as we drove into them. Not a lot we could've done. I'm curious to know if it settled their little disagreement thogh.
Ok-Hovercraft9348@reddit
It's a power move. Foxes are the same
Lassitude1001@reddit
Hit a pheasant for the first time like 2 weeks ago on the morning school run.
It walked across my lane into the oncoming lane, realised there was a car coming, and flew back on itself, directly into my front bumper. Instead of just the way it was already going. Stupid fucking thing deserved to end its gene pool there and then.
I didn't have the heart to tell my son when he asked if it was dead though. I said it bounced off the plastic and flew away.
sconebore@reddit
Yes! A crow and a blackbird just yesterday! Crow sat in the road eating roadkill and then a blackbird flying towards the road and landing as we approached. Had to stop fully for this one. As you say, they'd normally be off before you'd be near.
EyeAware3519@reddit
I find that the crows get out of the way for cars but not lorries. That's because they are to shout "CAR, CAR" but not "LORRY, LORRY".
Long-Ad-6536@reddit
pheasants are more intelligent than birds I’m sure, I was hand feeding 2 pheasants Tuesday at Nans house and I’m sure it’s the same one that’s been coming back each morning for the past 10 years.. Grandad who isn’t here anymore named the pair of them Charlie and Kirk before he passed in March..
Pretend_Panda@reddit
So weird you should post this, as I’ve been wondering this too. I have a 19 year old diesel that I would guess is loud enough to be heard. I’ve hit two small birds recently that flew right in front of me, and had a crow fly into the passenger window a week and a half ago.
Abwettar@reddit
Are you sure you haven't been just mowing them down and not realising ? Had a recent eye test or anything ?
No but in all fairness, I imagine a lot of people do now slow down for them, so perhaps they are willing to take their time about getting out of the way for this reason. I know birds in car parks tend to just stand in front of the car til you are literally on top of them because very few people will actually run them over - so they've learnt the danger is minimal and behave as such.
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