Q: What's black but turns red at 60 mph?

[SimonR]

A: about 5 blackbirds.

In 8 years of driving other cars I never hit a bird of any sort and only managed to cartwheel one rabbit along the road behind me once in Scotland.

In 14 months of XJ-S ownership I have now shuffled 5 blackbirds off their mortal coils without really trying. The last one was on the A82 on the way into Glasgow last week. It hit at the top of the passenger headlight, spread its guts all the way up the bonnet, onto the windscreen and then left what remained of itself on the back of the door mirror.

Has anyone else had similar experiences with their S?

[poprivet]

I have now shuffled 5 blackbirds off their mortal coils without really trying.
.......... no matter which way you look, you always see a huge bill in front of you.

I now see where you got the sig!
Pop

[Jon]

I must say I've hit one bird and a fox since XJ-S ownership, although that doesn't compare to your carnage, I don't remember hitting anything in any of my previous cars.

Maybe the little critters are just frozen in amazement at our cars' beauty!

[dhdove]

Sorry to be a total wimp but I have to admit I have a real thing about doing my best to avoid hitting animals, even to the point of nearly crashing my car!
I commute fifty miles each day through The Cotswolds which is jam-packed full of suicidal wildlife.
Every day I see poor things squashed by yesterdays inconsiderate drivers, I've even seen people go out of their way to hit things!
Please don't think I am accusing anyone on the BB of this but I do believe that the average driver just doesn't pay enough attention to wildlife and when confronted with a potential "kill" just carries on, ("well it's olny a rabbit") regardless.
Then I see their smashed bodies on the road and .....I get upset and annoyed...
Perhaps this is the place to ask everyone to have regard to this and HIT THE BRAKES AND TURN THE STEERING WHEEL !
Simon R- No offence intended
Regards
DH Dove

[Jon]

I quite agree. Its quite sickening if people will make no effort at all to prevent squishing a little critter, its always sad to see their guts splattered on the road. And the thought that some people will actually aim for them, I find horrific. (I'm always satisfied with aiming for an unflattened tin can!)

Sometimes of course though its just too late to brake and too dangerous to divert your course, and so the inevitable happens.

Just on a side note. I think the fox may have gotten away with a bit of a sore head as I didnt get the tell-tale 'thump thump'

[SimonR]

...
Simon R- No offence intended


None taken! I quite agree with you. Actually I got told off by my IAM observer for beeping my horn at a wagtail that didn't look like he was going to fly away... I have also been known to stop the car and assist frogs and toads across the road in the mating season! (Theirs, not mine, you understand).

The thing is that blackbirds seem to enjoy near-misses with XJs-S and intentinally fly out in front of me.

Rabbits don't concern me that much because there are so many of the little buggers around and they have no concept of self-preservation, but I've only hit one anyway. I also have a reputation for stopping to pick up pheasants when I see them knocked down. Well why not?! The best animal I ever managed to bag for the pot was a roe deer that got knocked down by a Land Rover. Free venison for quite some time