I noticed this happening about a little over two weeks ago.

On my walks I started to notice a rather high amount of dead birds along the roadside. My thoughts were either West Nile or some other disease.

However, while driving I have seen many birds around my area dive down right in front of cars (no roadkill). I've seen this happen to cars in front of me and many times they end up getting hit. I myself had several birds do this to me this past week including a hawk that I would have hit if I didn't slam on the brakes. The birds range in sizes from small birds to, as a I mentioned, hawks.

I just thought it seemed kinda odd and thought I should post it here.

It's probably not all that odd actually, you've just never noticed it before.

Keep in mine that it's spring, it's not uncommon to find a higher number of birds, mainly hens, who die of natural causes. Spring is egg laying time, and hens get what's called egg bound and it frequently kills them, a hen who's carrying eggs right prior to laying is also an unstable flyer sometimes which might explain your low flying hawk. Or, you have a hawk pair that's protecting their nest and already hatched young. Honestly, hawks are not the brightest of all birds and will try to defend their nests and young from cars.

Additionally, spring is also when molds start to pop up in their natural habitat, and birds are highly sensitive to molds, which can and frequently do cause respitory failure.

Spring is a rather dangerous time for our feathered friends.

Hopefully that helps some.

MissMelsWell.. UM's crazy bird lady.

Good conclusions MMW. Either way it has me interested. Many regions if not all have bird societies and bird watching clubs so contact one and offer them your inquiry and let us know their opinion as well. Most likely it will be what MMW offered. Also letting us know what region you are in might help. Well it will only help my curiosity so I can do some net searches and such since this topic fascinates me.

Yeah, I figured it is something simple, just freaked me out a bit. I'll contact a bird watch group around here (Georgia, about 30 minutes west of Atlanta) and see what they have to say on it.

Are there any fruit trees and/or berry bushes in the area? Fruit or berries that are left on the tree/bush over the winter will ferment. Birds eat the fermented berries or fruit and literally become intoxicated. A drunken bird can become mezmerized by vehicle headlights, or sunlight glinting off shiny cars, which in turn causes them to dive-bomb the vehicles. I've seen this happen around here more than a few times.

It's probably too early in the season for overripe fruit. That happens later in summer, but most birds will naturally avoid fruit that's turned anyway. What will happen is if food is in short supply in the area, birds will turn to eating stone bearing fruit like plums, apricots, peaches, avacados, which ARE toxic to them. Generally they will avoid them, but stone fruits have a small amount of naturally occuring arsnic in the stone and in the meat close to the stone. Birds do die from eating them. But again, typically, they'll avoid those fruits if there's other food a-plenty available.

What it comes down to is that this is spring, momma and pappa birds are insanely defending nests, you have fledgling inexperienced young flying into windows and cars, egg bound momma birds (which happens more frequently in years where the weather has not been very sunny, or there's a short supply of calcuim rich foods available), parent birds searching for food for the young, so they're out doing double duty feeding themselves and their chicks which causes them to risk their health working so hard...

Spring is just a hard time for birds in general. I know, they LOOK cheerful in spring, but they are workin' their little tail feathers off, sometimes at the expense of their health.

BTW, I used to run an aviary out of my home, I've bred/raised 1000+ pet birds, from cockatiels to macaws. Hence the reason I'm the crazy bird lady around here. LOL

You've also got the sickos who could be putting baits out.

This is interesting and it bought something to mind...Usually when driving, birds will fly and land in front of my car but go into flight before I get near them...The past few days, I have actually had to stop a few time because the birds (small ones) were just walking in front of the car, rather slowly...Fortunately there has been noone behind me, because I either had to swerve or stop short...When I looked in the rear view mirror they would still be in the street....

In late summer the fruit is simply over-ripe. What doesn't fall to the ground ferments over the winter as it hangs on the trees/bushes here (like grapes used in ice-wine) and is highly intoxicating by spring. I've seen birds swarm the fermented fruit and devour it....most especially blackbirds and bluejays, but other varieties too. Cedar Waxwings are notorious for eating fermented fruit, and will often succumb to alcohol poisoning because of it (though not always)Not all birds will avoid fermented fruit. Though I haven't raised birds in captivity, I have been an avid bird watcher for more than 25 years.




That does sound like fledging behaviour.

A link with bird news instate.

http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/h...Gwild_0504.html

I think that birds are simply desensitized to cars, these days.I see it all the time, like with crows who will just land in the street for no other reason then to just hang out.Alot of the time they will wait till the last second to move and even then they act like it's no big deal, like they will take there time in getting out of the way.

Birds do that to me as well, I think they know I'll swerve rather then hit them.

Here's the reply I got:

Thank you for sending in your bird question.

I don't believe there is probably anything "unusual" going on. It might just be very bad luck right now. They estimate that each year over 1 billion birds are killed by collisions. That includes running into buildings (usually at night) and with vehicles. Like I said, it might just be a bad time - especially since it is the height of the breeding season.

Thanks!

Catharine Kuchar
Executive Director
Atlanta Audubon Society


So it seems that I just tend to be at the right place, at the right time, to see something go wrong for them.

Still freaky to see.

The Audubon Society is awesome. Totally. It's nice their director got back to you in good time.

I think it's mostly because it's breeding season.

I find it odd that she said birds fly into buildings at night. Are they owls? Most birds, except nocternal ones, sleep or "roost" at night just like we do unless their perch or roost is attacked by a night crawlin' predator.

I used to live next door to a Blue Heron Rookery. The barn owls would attack their nests at night trying to get at their eggs and young. It was tough to sleep at night with all that ruckus goin' on. Heron's are suprisingly loud when they scream. A bit unnerving. But they never actually left their nesting area, they'd defend 'em to the death againt the owls. They never flew into the side of my house. More likely, birds would fly into my livingroom windows during the day. And at work, they fly into the mirrored windows, during the day. It happens less as the young mature and by fall, it's rare to see them flying into windows.

Kind of funny to read this.

My roommate was driving in to meet me at Starbucks one morning (I work the night shift and just got off work). It was just before dawn (that still dark enough to need your headlights on for oncoming drivers, but light enough to not really need them to see). She said a big bird flew down out of the sky and hit the front of the ford ranger (mine) she was driving. Almost took out the radiator. When she got to town she found a feather in the grill and googled it.....a wild turkey feather....can you imagine a bird the size of a turkey hitting a little bitty ford ranger...I am surprised it didn't total the truck. lol Anyway, poor bird didn't make it. Right after that I read a story on the internet about some postal workers being attacked by wild turkeys while trying to deliver mail. lol So watch out for the turkeys!

We have loads of pigeons down here at the shore, and like most birds will fly away at the slightest noise...Last week I drove my grandson to his friends, and when he got out of the car he told me there was a pigeon on my roof...I got out and looked and sure enough it was there...Got back in, slammed the door and the pigeon stayed Told my grandson to watch as I drove away and let me know if it was still there or gone...About 10 feet away, my grandson called and said the pigeon had just flown off... I sometimes forget to take a gallon of milk off the roof and drive off, but first time for a pigeon...

LOL OMG Thats just strangely funny!!!

LMAO Well at least you didnt leave your Grandson on the roof, so count your blessings..JN