Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

The only thing I've (knowingly) killed with the car since being over here was a turkey. No grief because no choice. Came out of long grass on a country road. I was more concerned over the damage to the bumper.

In our back yard it is (metaphorically) dog-eat-dog. Lots of wildlife, some hunter some prey. Lots of instances of hawks taking prey, occasionally right in front of the big windows just as DD is admiring the pretty little bird... :ohmy:

When a corpse appears on the property I generally clear it away into the woods at the back of the property. Nature can take care of the remains, just not in the middle of the lawn or on the patio.

Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

I wish there was a way of killing mosquitoes with my car. Other than playing the long game of contributing to climate change, of course, but the little shits would probably survive that anyway.

Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

I even relocate cockroaches.
They're quite harmless.
Like Black Widows. Bad PR.

Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

Harmless or not, critters that have "too many legs" (™ Nutek) and are neither satient nor endangered are not welcome indoors at Pulaski Manor. Some arthropods may be lucky enough to be transported outside, but most are doomed to be swatted and swept.

In terms of the "cycle of life news", last month we suffered from a recurring incursion of a stupid starling into the roof of the porch. I have no idea where it was getting in, but it seemed to be the same one which was ejected twice but came back - I caught it once in a small animal carry cage, Mrs P caught it in a blanket, and released it. From the roof void over the porch it was able to get into the attic space over the garage, behind the walls in the finished bonus room, and also into the void above the ceiling of our ground floor. We could hear it tap, tap, tapping, in the places it went, and we did our utmost to repeatedly get it out, including tearing out a patch in the ceiling where I had fixed a leak under the shower, but at some point about two weeks ago the wretched bird died, apparently in the ceiling void. :rolleyes:

Nature being what it is, of course flies soon found the corpse, and when we came home after a weekend away, we found the living room littered with almost a hundred large black flies, thankfully dead, and a few in other rooms. In the following days there were more appearing, at the rate of about 20/day, they seem to buzz around for an hour or two, usually near the windows, then die. A week later the numbers have at last tailed off, but there are still a couple each day. All because of a bloody starling! :frown:

Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

You let the leak go on so long?
Not like you...

Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

Not like me? You should ask Mrs P about that! :rofl: Just because I am always busy, and do a lot of things, doesn't mean that there aren't a lot more things to do or finish …. such as re-repairing the hole in the ceiling under the shower! :rolleyes:

The shower leak? …. It took a while to (i) get around to it, (ii) replace the drain seal, (iii) discover that the ceiling couldn't be patched because the plumbing was in the way, (iv) identify the actual cause of the problem, not just that there was a leak, but why the leak occurred, and (v) to plan and prepare a repair. I have reported this story previously I think, probably a couple of years ago, but, to cut a long story short, after the first attempt to fix the leak I was patching the ceiling when I discovered that the loop of the U-bend under the shower protruded down below the lower edge of the joists, meaning that the plasterboard ceiling panel has been pushing upwards against the shower drain, and that the patch "wobbled" and couldn't be screwed into place on all sides. So I had to start over and cut out more of the plumbing. I was then able to get just enough flex in the drain pipe to be able to shorten the U-bend and get it clear of the ceiling. I have since learned that I still need to go back from time-to-time to check that the shower drain piece hasn't worked loose, as the leak did recur again. So the fact that I pulled down the patch to try to rescue a bird isn't all bad as the plasterboard patch was damaged from the recent leak and needed to be replaced anyway.

My goal in life is to leave my home is a better state of repair than when I bought it ….. but in the US that is quite a challenge! :(

Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

First world problems..

Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

As I have posted frequently, in the US my home isn't just a place to live, it's a hobby too. :unsure:

Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

I ran over an armadillo in Costa Rica a few years ago... still remember the crunching sound it made.

Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

I have never hit anything larger then insects, and I don't feel bad for them, would feel a bit bad if it was a bird, or mammal or pet though.

Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

That can't have been great for your tyres.

Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

Having just got home and driven back past the animal (which rather miraculously was still identifiable) I can confirm it was a Possum. I probably killed it outright at 60mph.

Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

Not much you could have done at 60 anyway. Dangerous to try to avoid it at those speeds (though for deer-sized animals and up it's probably worth a try).

I was going less than 20 when I hit the squirrel, but as I said before, the daft sod got itself under my back wheel when it suddenly changed direction out of my view. I'd have slowed/stopped for it if it was still in front of me, like I always have to do for the suicidal robins who like to fly out in front of me as I head up my road.

Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

When confronted by a deer on the road, hit your brakes and your horn. Don't mess around, don't swerve, hit your brakes for all you're worth and then your horn. If you do hit it, at least you won't be going as fast. If there are more than 1 deer the horn may keep the others from entering the equation. People are frequently killed because they don't think fast enough. I was going about 55mph when I totalled a car on a deer. If it had been jumping it would have come right through the windshield. The last close call I had was in Montana and I left a twin trail of smoke from my tires for 50 yds behind the car. I stopped just inches from the deer.

Re: Roadkill Guilt
 

A former colleague hit a deer on the autobahn, IIRC said he was doing about 80. …. Spun out, with substantial damage to the front. He said it made a mighty bang, made me think that whenever you hear anyone who says that "they didn't realize that they had hit a person" is talking utter bo11öcks.