Bird Strike...

[Jim]

This has become interesting...a few weeks ago, on my trip down to San Felipe, a large pigeon sized bird made a mistake and bashed right into the middle of my passenger side windshield. While I was traveling at 55 MPH.

It left a mark, but not in my line of sight so I didn't worry about it then. Plus it's not all that obvious, sort of a baseball sized ghostly mark. A few days later, tried washing it with soapy water. The mark wasn't impressed and stayed put. It's kind of sticky. Hmmm. Next I tried Awesome. Nothing. Still the same mark.

OK, brought out the big guns; WD40, Goo Be Gone, Carb cleaner Spray, no change. What is this bird made of??

Anyone have any idea what kind of bird leaves a sticky mark when it flies into your windshield?

At this point, not even sure I want to clean it off. Makes a conversation starter. I'm not even all that disappointed in those cleaning products, I'm impressed by the birds physiology.

[BigSkyBob]

Spray it with oven cleaner, wait 30 minutes and wipe off with a rag. Don't allow it to run down onto the painted surface.

[Passin_Thru]

I gave a bird a Coke. Didn't clean my windshield, flew away instead.

[Bill_Satellite]

Just FYI, it was a big A$$ Turkey Vulture in Titusville, FL. We stopped at a local campground and then drove back to make sure that SOB was DEAD, DEAD, DEAD. The wife was sitting in the pax seat and wanted to see the carcass!

[bigred1cav]

If birds go on strike what will eat the bugs?

[10forty2]

Coca-Cola......that's some strong stuff! Or, you can try some Tang...yeah, the same orange drink that NASA sent up with their astronauts. When my wife and I were first married, we lived in a small rental house that had very hard well-water...stained everything! Couldn't wash clothes in it, and barely could stand to bathe in it. DEFINITELY didn't drink it! We had a small, portable dishwasher that hooked up to the kitchen faucet. After several uses with the hard water, it became extremely stained inside...the white lining was practically muddy looking. We tried everything to clean it,, even tried scraping with a razor, but the inside was more like it was permanently stained. We had someone recommend putting Tang in, instead of dishwashing powder and running it without dishes. So, we poured us a couple of adult beverages, pulled up a couple chairs, put in the Tang, turned it on and watched it run for the next hour or so. When it finished, it was just as clean and sparkling inside as the day we bought it! I do not drink that stuff anymore.......

[4x4van]

Perhaps the bird was a female with an egg inside? Egg, if left on paint, will damage/etch into the finish; perhaps egg "etched" into the glass?

[zigzagrv]

Dampen a cloth with lacquer thinner. That stuff removes anything.

[Jim]

"Bird be gone". Buhahahah.

Jeese, Bill, that looks a bit dangerous. Just think if it had made it through the window.

Microscratches? Hmm, did not think of that. I will look into it.

A big a## pheasant? And no damage? Whoa. Interesting. (See Bill.Satellite's post above - and it was a sparrow, pretty sure). Consider yourself lucky.

[T18skyguy]

I was in my class C and a pheasant flew directly into the round over area above the windshield. It fell dead to the ground without even a wiggle. I thought there would be damage but it took it just fine.

[ArchHoagland]

It was an Epoxy bird. Seldom seen but hard to forget.

There are Epoxy bugs too, they are a little more common.

[Passin_Thru]

IDK but I had a hen Turkey fly through my Peterbilt windshield in Provo Ut, a month later a big Owl flew through same windshield on I59 in Ms just as I crossed the line. Stopped at a truckstop and told the lady what I needed. I ate supper and went out to wait and the guy had already put a new one in. $99.00 at 100 at night too. I could never get the glass out of the carpet on that truck but sure found it with my feet. The Gulls in Edgewater Fl ate my windshield wipers too.

[EdTheEdge]

Are sure they are not microscratches? If the bird just took a dirt bath it may have had dirt on it that could etch your windshield.... Just a thought.

[Bill_Satellite]

good luck with your stain. This is what my last bird encounter looked like.

[SidecarFlip]

old guy wrote:
now you know why pigeons are not game birds, too greasy and not tasty at all

Pigeons are only good for leaving deposits on you hood that eat into the paint... and greasy marks on windshields...