Why is Cole Road Covered in Dead Birds?

Boise.  The only place where traffic stops to let geese cross the road. 

By now most of you know that I live in Southeast Boise, not far from the river and Park Center Pond. With the exception of random lane closures, do you know what the number one cause of traffic jams in my neighborhood is? Geese.  Geese crossing the road.  People literally come to a complete stop to let these feathered jerks cross, even if it means sitting there for over five minutes.  I'm not saying you should hit the geese, but blow your horn and try to scare them or something! (Note: I also hate geese because I constantly have goose poop on my running shoes and they hiss at me while I'm running the greenbelts.)

Unfortunately, people don't treat the birds near a meat packing plant on Cole Road, just outside Kuna, as well as they treat the geese in my neighborhood.  According to Channel 2, a section of Cole Road has been covered with the bodies of hundreds of young gulls who've been hit by drivers.  The gulls' parents decided to nest close to a pond on the meat packing plant's property.  It's a great location for the young birds to grow and thrive since it's completely blocked off from the public.  Unfortunately, as the gulls are getting older, they're wandering away from the nests to try to master flying...which they're not so good at.

As they're trying out their wings, they're getting too close to the road and are being hit by oncoming cars because they can't fly away quite yet.  They're so small that drivers really don't see them in time to stop for them like they do for the geese.

A biologist from Fish and Game tells Channel 2 that while it's sad, they don't recommend trying to swerve in order to avoid hitting a gull it the last second. Trying to save the gulls isn't worth a potential head on crash that could claim a human life.