Tag Archives: MN South: Medicine Lake

Birding via your Bicycle!

Background, Year 2, ,

I like to occasionally revisit this topic … birding by bicycle. Although a car gets one much faster to a desired location, taking a bike ride with camera gear in tow is a great way to exercise both the body and the mind. This morning I biked a little over 22 miles in the Sax-Zim Bog. Aside from a great ride through a beautiful rural landscape, I found two locations where I saw a bird I had never seen before in my life, a bobolink!

This was actually the second such bird biking trip I rode in the last seven days. This past weekend I biked the Luce Line Trail in suburban Minneapolis. This trail not accessible by car allowed me to find and photograph some bluebirds shortly after sunrise. Thus, birding by biking has another advantage … access to locations not available by car.

My final BIG birding while biking was my wife’s and my Spring North Tour. This spring we rode 1,500 miles through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri. My camera was always available and ready for bird photography.

Thus, do you bird and bike?

My new lifer, a Bobolink by bike!
Y2-M06-Bobolink-1 Y2-M06-Bobolink-2

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The Bluebirds and Tree Swallows from last weekend’s ride
Y2-M06-bluebird-3 Y2-M06-bluebird-2 Y2-M06-bluebird-4 Y2-M06-bluebird-1 Y2-M06-bluebird-5

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Scissor-Tailed Flycatchers, and an “action” shot of me taken by my wife … same birds!
24-Taking-Bird-Photos-1 24-Scissortail-Flycatchers_wm

Spring North Bike Tour … Working our way South! (Apr. 1-3)

Year 2,

Molly and I are working our way south to start our bike tour. We will reach our starting point southwest of Dallas soon and start our 1,500 to 2,000 mile self-supported bicycle tour by swinging farther south by bike to the Texas Hill Country. During our travels southward I am taking a few training bike rides. These two birds were photographed along the Luce Line Trail in Minnesota.

I just discovered that a well known birder / ornithologist will be starting a similar trip to ours in a few days, but using a car and camping. Bruce Beehler will follow spring north over the course of 100 days while chasing the bird migration up the Mississippi River. It will be fun to learn what he sees via car vs Molly and me on bicycles. His efforts may be followed via the American Bird Conservancy at http://www.abcbirds.org/nwts/index.html

My trip diary may be found via this URL:

Red-Tailed Hawk

DB-01-Hawk_wm

Challenging One’s Own Reflection!

DB-01-Red-Winged-Blackbird_wm

 

Days 170 to 172: Minneapolis Meanderings

Year 1, ,

The family went down to Minneapolis for the weekend to cheer on my wife’s first time competing in a triathlon. However, the bird project must go on! Time was brief for getting outside to hike and bird, but I still found some neat photo opportunities.

Day 170: Wood Ducks at Dusk
170-Birds-365-Wood-Ducks-at-Dusk_wm

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Day 171: Great Egret
171-Birds-365-Great-Egret_wm

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Day 172: Barn Swallows
172-Birds-365-Barn-Swallow-Landing 172-Birds-365-Barn-Swallow-Chirping

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The Finisher!
Molly-Tri-08