Biking For Birds And Avoiding Cars

 I found my old bike buried in the garage and decided to pump up the tires and take it for a ride. Of course, I had to bring my binoculars and camera too! It's amazing how much ground you can cover in a short time when you're on a bike!

I know that these days they say bikes have the right of way versus cars but I'm not buying it. A car doesn't care what the law is and a bike is no match for a car. I ride like I did in my younger years.  Avoid cars and give pedestrians the right of way. I get off the bike and walk whenever necessary.

 When you're on a bike it seems you can sort of sneak up on birds and catch them off guard.

You can check out hidden areas that you can't reach with a car and  are too out of the way to bother walking to.

This one reminds me of that girl in the movie Titanic riding on the front of the ship!

 I can't seem to avoid vultures though. I hope they're not following me.

Like A Bird In A Well-lit Haystack

 I went to look for a single White-faced Ibis last week and picked the perfect morning. Often Ibises look sort of black but with the sun shining on them just right the subtle colors in their feathers really show like on this one particular Glossy Ibis.

 It took me a while to sift through the large groups of Ibis to find that one pink-eyed White-faced Ibis but finally found him. I believe it is in this photo. Can you find it?

Funny how sayings are. Who would waste their time looking for a needle in a haystack? I'd much rather look for a bird in a haystack.

Return Of Osprey And More

It's a good indicator that spring migration is picking up when the Osprey return to their nesting platforms.

 An early morning walk through the forest was the perfect place to practice social distancing. The fresh air filtered by the White Pines was a relaxing way to leave behind all the bad news we've been exposed to lately. I saw my first Palm Warblers and Louisiana Waterthrush during my walk around the reservoir.

 Doesn't look like a good place for birds here.What bird would be interested in a man-made cement landscape?

Rough-winged Swallows nest in the holes in the cement walls of the dam every year. Terrible photo but a new first of year species for me. Every weekend between now and the end of May should bring new surprises.