Birders and other folks closely in tune with the natural world get a bonus with a free calendar. No, not the type of calendar you get by sending money or ordering from a website. It's a calendar you get from seeing the seasons change in front of your eyes by the birds you see in your
birding binoculars. Earlier this week was a great example. On my way home from work, I pedaled by a small lake and had the pleasure of watching a male Northern Shoveler (a duck) in my
Nikon Premier LX10x25 binocular. I would have known it was March, even if I had never looked at a calendar this year. You never see a male Shoveler in full breeding plumage in the fall when they migrate through and March is typically when I see this species of duck. Also, the Shovelers told me it was St. Patricks Day, as well. How? They were wearing green, of course.