Trail Ramblings: Birding by Bike, by Andrea Faas

“I unfortunately do not have any photos of birds because I don’t have a good camera. Instead, I rely on mental photos.”

I find riding my bicycle is a wonderful way to disconnect from devices and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. During May, I celebrated Bird Month by going on birding bike rides, which were either rides specifically to bird watch or biking where I paid close attention to the birds along the route.
Bike rides to bird watch were casual trail rides with my binoculars and frequent stops to look and listen for birds. I wore lightweight binoculars around my neck or carried my full-sized binoculars in my bike bag or backpack. These rides were slow, and when being safe, I would entirely dismount from my bike before searching for birds. (Most of my falls from my bike have been while stopping or simply standing over my bike, resulting in mostly a skinned knee and hurt pride.)

Biking the Cowboy Trail in late May, I traveled about 4 miles along the Elkhorn River, stopping near bridges and other interesting places. Staying quiet and still, I would wait a while for the birds to resume calling and moving nearby. Soon, a brown thrasher, red-eyed vireo, gray catbird, and yellow warblers started flying and singing. While biking along, mourning doves, wrens, swallows, catbirds, and pheasants were easily heard or seen from the trail. At one point, I stopped and used the Merlin Bird ID app to help me identify birds by their calls. The app picked up the call of the bobolink, and I was able to confirm the bird in my binoculars. Soon after, I realized that there were several of them, and together they sounded like a group of R2D2s chattering away in the field.

My other type of birding ride was to ride gravel roads through the country, sometimes to a State Recreation Area or Wildlife Management Area. On these longer, more challenging rides, I stopped occasionally and couldn’t identify or count every bird I saw. Instead, long, slow climbs were an opportunity to look around and listen carefully. I’m often rewarded with sights and sounds of red-headed woodpeckers, dickcissels, red-winged blackbirds, and vultures. The occasional kestrel or harrier made my day. When biking like this, it was important to know some common bird calls and key ID traits. When I finally made it to a park or natural area, I liked to stop for a snack break and scan the area for rose-breasted grosbeaks, swallows, and meadowlarks.
For me, birds add to the enjoyment and freedom of riding my bicycle. Their songs, presence, and habits make bike rides and life more interesting. So the next time you are out for a trail ride and you take a break, look around and listen for the birds. You might experience something unexpected that adds to your ride.

Courtesy of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission