SpacemanSpiff is correct. This happens all the time. Wishful thinking or not.
I've personally seen it with ducks (6,500' on my first cross-country solo), hawks, vultures (or buzzards - can't tell the difference), seagulls, and those swarms of birds that like to fly close to the ground around airports.
The birds that are a greater hazard to small piston-powered planes are those that curl up into a ball when they sense a predator as they can drop right into you.
I've personally seen it with ducks (6,500' on my first cross-country solo), hawks, vultures (or buzzards - can't tell the difference), seagulls, and those swarms of birds that like to fly close to the ground around airports.
The birds that are a greater hazard to small piston-powered planes are those that curl up into a ball when they sense a predator as they can drop right into you.