I've recently seen 6 dead pheasants on the roads around here.
Not unusual to see the odd one, here and there, but I suspect they've been lulled into a false sense of security, wandering on the very quiet roads
A separate matter, non-bird related: there's been a noticeble number of rubber gloves which have been flung from passing vehicles, now lying in the hedgerows or on the pavements.
Quite remarkable that I've picked-up on this thread, as my Father (who has NEVER, ever read this forum),
said EXACTLY the very same thing to me tonight (9th April), as we were heading out to go get some 'essential' shopping.
It's the sheer raised expression he gave, then, after midnight, reading this particular thread, stating same.
As for the dubious rubber-glove issue, I'll remark further down, below the Italian lad's post....
We live in an area where they're raised and released in huge numbers to be shot ; but it struck me there are more than usual.
Ditto ; We're the same, living right next to a rather well-known Royal estate.
This time last year, some 99-year old tw-t drove his 2-week old, armour-plated, bullet-proof
(& therefore, 'extra-powered'), Range Rover...STRAIGHT OUT from a leafy-lane side-turning.....
This, over an indicated 'Stop & Give Way' signed & marked road, and straight-out onto the major A.149.
Then, proceeded to 'T-bone' a woman-driver in her early 40's,
nearly killing her
(plus surrounding wildlife, munjac & pheasants !
Hit the woman's French-built MPV = SO HARD, it overturned....
Being the Queen's 99-yr-old-husband, of course, the idiot got away with it |^|
Was only last-month, I went down that exact same lane (by chance), saw FIVE wild deer (3 x Fallow deer),
so, did what HE failed to do & proceeded with immense caution & actually MANAGED to 'brake' at the other-end of junction, where the knob failed to.
(actually not TOO difficult, except for those inept and 'non-compus-mentus')
One year later (to the same month) & the world's papparazi are swarming around the exact-same lanes...
..... (
where pheasants usually roam, en-masse), to get a glimpse of the 'Harry & Meghan' lark !
Now all the fuss has died-down & everything is now 'back to normal' (NOT !!!!!)
Well, at least, IT IS, "if" you're a local pheasant & the tiny leafy lanes are NOW more reminiscent of early 1950's traffic.
(It's unusually deserted, traffic-wise, even down the 2-3 local main/major 'A'-roads)
But seemingly FAR more dead-animals (approx' 40-45% are pheasants), than is normal.
I had the same idea yesterday as I drove to my mum's and back: as Muppit says pheasants have a very poor road sense, but still yesterday I got at least three (all females) wandering in the road as I was approaching and the last one I had to hit the brakes hard and beep the horn twice before she decided to make a retreat.
Agree. I have seen people come out of the supermarket and toss their used gloves on the pavement:-C .
I've had to swerve violently AND brake hard, twice tonight (April 9th), doing EXACTLY the same....
Avoiding stray & jay-walking pheasants, who give no-warning that they're about to break-cover from the adjacent roadside 'ferns'....
Thereby leaving the heavily wooded & forrested-cover & just dash-out with no-warning.
wouldn't mind, but I was driving quite slow, by modern standards - (sub 40mph)
Now ; Reading both you guys referring to "Rubber Gloves".....
My elderly Father came-out (shopping), tonight & said "Bugger, forgot my latex-gloves" !
As luck would have it, we had ONE spare-pair in the glove-box (for Fuel-Pumps, not Corona'V)
Wouldn't dream of littering this so-called 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' & heavily-populated wildlife-area, with discarded Blue-Latex
However, it HASN'T (in past/previous years)...
..... stopped the 'Adventurous' & "Dogging Brigade" of littering many of the lanes & surrounding areas of "Used Condoms"
(P.S ; I'd consider the latter to be of FAR greater concern, than a discarded Covid.19 "Glove" 3
.
