It's been a typical spring, so far, in this suburb north of Chicago - cold, wet, windy, blustery with a rare break of nice weather, now and then. For an avid
birder like me, this does present challenges, but also surprises. Rough weather tends to blow migrating birds here and there, so I never know from one day to the next what I will see in my binocular or spotting scope. Regardless of the weather, though, I always carry a
compact binocular or, at least a
monocular, as I pedal back and forth to work each day. On days off, I tend to pack a
spotting scope in my backpack and strap a
tripod to my bike rack and head to one of our suburban lakes. Hey, just because I don't own a car doesn't mean I am not serious about my birding. By exploring my own area a bit more closely on my bicycle, I have been able to keep the number of birds seen each year about the same as when I had a car. I think a lot of birders might be surprised and just what their local neighborhood might have in the way of habitat and, hence, bird diversity.