I am perplexed by a question that I would love to have an answer to. I have this one customer (I deliver newspapers) who always cover both of their rearview mirrors with bags. They cover the truck with blue Giant Eagle grocery bags. The Sedan has specially made burlap covers with drawstrings that close onto the rearview mirrors. I’ve attached a picture for review. I would understand if they did this during the snowy season, but they seem to do it at a higher rate during nicer weather. They do have a carport, so it is not to keep rain out.
I have seen birds peck at the mirrors, they must see their reflection as another bird threatning their turf. They can scratch the paint and leave their droppings everywhere. I was amused by a bird when my family was eating lunch in the Smokey Mtns. The bird was pecking at the mirror, flew to the back side of the mirror and was preplexed that there was no bird to attack, back to the mirror, repeat. This went on for at least 10 minutes.
Here’s another vote for the birds. There’s a male cardinal in our neighborhood who does this to a truck across the street repeatedly, especially in the spring.
Automatic power folding mirrors would be very helpful in this situation.
This makes sense. I wish I would have asked sooner! You wouldn’t believe how many hours I’ve wiled away while driving, contemplating this mystery. This makes sense, though, because they are elderly folk predisposed to feeding and caring for birds. They’re terrible tippers, too, not that that means anything. Spending too much money on birdseed, maybe.
Being an elderly bird watcher, I can testify that I’ve had on more than one occasion birds fly into my kitchen window while I was watching from my kitchen table. They’re always sparrows in my case, usually chipping sparrows, occasionally white-throated sparrows. And I used to have an office with a tinted glass wall that looked onto a courtyard and birds flew into the reflective glass regularly, thinking they were flying into an open space.
Yeah I used to have a Robin that would be attacking the window in back. I’d be trying to get some work done and I’d hear bang, bang, bang. Actually happened two years in a row so don’t know if it was him again or his offspring but they can be irritating and damaging. I took the law in my own hands.
Pickups do, but not that many coupes and sedans.
It’s a good thought though. Perhaps folks with the problem can look to see of their model offers such an option.
Wait until you have a bluebird doing it- nonstop for weeks and cr@pping all over your mirrors and doors on top of it. Not sure why that particular bird was so territorial but it was a REAL problem for me and I almost got to the point of pellet therapy when he decided to go somewhere else. Lucky for him…
My chickens peck the dead bugs off my bumper. Probably not good for the paint but not much I can do about it other than get rid of the chickens. I have a 60 mile drive home from work so unless I wash my car each day there will always be bugs stuck to my bumper. I have the chickens for tick control at my house.
I’ve never had duck eggs…duck many times, not duck eggs. How do they taste? (and to keep it car related, if they taste any good, I wonder if they would be an option for cooking in the engine compartment…)
You can cook a lot of things in an engine compartment. Wrap them in foil, and find a nice secure spot where they won’t move (could consider making a “basket” out of something like Chicken Wire to hold them in place, make sure it won’t come in contact with moving parts!). When I worked 3rd shift years ago, I would heat up grilled cheese sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. on my way into work
My BIL used to drive truck cross country and when in the area we’d have coffee at the truck stop. He showed me his dinner being cooked-had a can of Spagetteos on the manifold being heated up. Said it worked fine and he could eat whenever he wanted. I don’t know if he did burgers and franks too.
I do that when I travel. I don’t like to waste time stopping to eat. I buy these little cans of beans and items that have pull-off lids. They’re quick and convenient and I think they’re made specifically for engine compartments! A Martha Stewart good thing. CSA
This sure beats my ingenuity of bringing a Black and Decker portable burner and cans of Progresso soup in my bag when I was a flight attendant! Of course this was pre-911.
Well maybe that’s why that guy was trying to light his shoe on fire? He was just trying to cook something in flight. Then again maybe trying to cook everyone in flight.
