A while ago I published an article about all the different types of hairy beasts that motorcyclists were likely to encounter while riding in Australia. While the list was not definitive it was certainly extensive and reminded me that it is not just the human of the species of which we need to be beware when we head out on the highway. You will have noted, by the way, that I omitted the infamous and rarely-seen drop bears and hide-behinds which only ever seem to bedevil the lives of tourists to our fine country.
Today I’d like to finish the list by looking at the various types of non-furry creatures that we might encounter. Because, great country that this is, it has a myriad of wildlife that is covered by all manner of other coverings and, unfortunately, they can also be a hazard to the motorcyclist.
Let’s start with feathered beasts. Since birds cannot be contained in paddocks but roam free, they can be anywhere and at any time. And they also seem to have a remarkably wide range of operation, since seeing seagulls, for example, when one is miles from the ocean is not uncommon. The birds that we most frequently encounter while riding are nearly all carnivores and are likely to be on “our” patch because they have been attracted there by road kill. Crows are large and evil-looking but are basically harmless unless you hit one. They are tenacious eaters of carrion and will wait till the last seconds before relinquishing the meal and getting out of your way. They do appear, however, to have very good road sense since I have never actually seen one as a road kill victim. They do, however, have a similar characteristic to most birds on the highway in that, when approached by a bike they will refuse to use their God-given wings to evacuate the scene but will stroll, unconcernedly, to the edge of the road until you have passed. I have never had a problem with any of the three types of black and white birds, magpies, currawongs and pee-wees, probably because their diet doesn’t include recently killed meat. Eagles and, to a lesser extent, hawks, rarely make it to the road, inhabiting the high skies from where they can spot live game for the table. However, I have had an eagle fly along beside me on the road which was a bit unnerving. I don’t want to think what might have happened should he have turned in my direction.
Close to the ocean shores there are the aforementioned seagulls which I have never seen as a problem (but Jorge Lorenzo certainly doesn’t like them), and water birds of other varieties as well. There are two varieties of birds who actually nest on the ground and they can be very spooky as they are also extremely territorial. The Spur Wing Plover will defend its nest with vicious zeal and is to be avoided at all costs. Likewise the Cape Barren Goose is a large and awkward bird which is also very territorial.
Ducks are cute and cuddly but possessed with little road sense and, if the pond they are heading for is on the other side of the road, they will cross to it, come what may. Again, despite being blessed with wings, the little suckers prefer to walk and the only answer is to stop and let them get on with it.
Further away from the city, emus can be a real problem as their road sense gene is apparently recessive rather than dominant. Avoid at all costs.
Then there are other animals. Along with the platypus, which you will never see anywhere near the road, its distant cousin, the echidna, is uniquely Australian. In similar fashion to the wombat, the echidna functions on the “shortest distance between two points is a straight line” mantra. If what he wants is on the other side of the road, he will cross that road, come what may. And, desite his spiny covering, he will always come off second best in an encounter with a vehicle. Slow-moving and focussed, there is only one way to treat an echidna. Stop the bike, get off, pick him up (motorcycle gloves help here) and carry him safely to his destination. A few seconds lost on the journey doesn’t even rate compared to the “feel good” factor of knowing that you have potentially saved the life of one of our national treasures.
Reptiles, being cold-blooded, ae attracted to the road because it is hot. In the summer when they are active, it is common to see snakes and various lizards either crossing roads or sunbaking on them. By and large they are more frightened of you than you are of them so they will flee rather than fight, but they are not as fast as a motorcycle and can be a hazard. The smaller lizards, blue tongues, bearded dragons and so forth, seem to be particularly over-represented in the road kill stats. Snakes will usually survive a hit if you run over them , but when you encounter one who is proceeding down the road in the same direction you are travelling, it can be quite unnerving. A large python on the tight approach to a bridge on the Oxley Highway once got my attention for all the wrong reasons. The bike was suddenly very unstable! Likewise goannas can grow to huge sizes and are pretty fearless as well. I encountered one on the outskirts of Gloucester a few years ago who must have been over two metes long. He stood in the road, straddling nearly all my lane and stared me down until I was almost on him before moving slightly towards the centreline and letting me squeeze by, sheesh!
As with all native wildlife, it is always best to avoid hitting them unless you have no choice. The possibility of causing you to be involved in a serious accident must always be in the back of your mind.
As I said at the beginning, this list is not meant to be exhaustive and I am sure that I have left out something vital but this should at least be some help in both identifying and trying to avoid a nasty incident with wildlife who are not factored in to your plans.
Finally, a picture has surfaced that I have never seen before. Thanks to Peter Minihan of Sunset Racing in Melbourne, who discovered a John Meara photo that I have never seen nor anybody else concerned with the Shadowfax project I am sure. It shows the wrecked remains of the bike being returned to the pits in the back of the pickup ute. This was after Kent’s huge accident at Macphillamy Park that saw him taken to hospital and the bike almost totalled.