Driving to Grafton today, saw a magpie killed on M1 - 110kph. Luckily, it went behind the vehicle in front. I thought it was lucky because I wasn't close enough to hit it. However, just as it came out from behind the front vehicle, it exploded into a whole lot of feathers and slammed into the ground. It hadn't made contact with the front vehicle, but the wind (slipstream) that hit it as it emerged from behind must have been the equivalent of a physical strike. Probably the saddest thing was seeing, in the rear-vision mirror, another magpie fly down to it. So, speed kills - even without contact.
Peter Morgan
The conservation battle is never finally won; the development battle is. | 