driving and birding= bad driving (3 Viewers)

[caroleanne]

I surveyed for golden plover using my car as a bird hide. Stopping in gateways to look into the fields, if they weren't there I'd just move on. When I did eventually find them they weren't at all bothered until I got out of the car and set up my scope to count them, they then moved away slightly. Made a nice change to annoy farmer on tractors because I was driving so slowly with my hazzards on!!!

 

[OK_Scissortail]

Even though I am from the United States it is the same here. Driving + Birding = Bad.
I find it is looking for hawks and owls in the sky and driving is the trickiest. I usually have my teenagers look for birds while I drive to be safe but this doesn't work very well. Yesterday a Red Tailed Hawk on Electric wire in plain view and they both missed it. My husband will offer to drive while I look but when I say Bird he keeps on driving down the road. Bird=Stop or pull over to side of road.

Day before yesterday saw some vultures on a fence by the road. SO I stopped, birds just 12 feet from me, great for flight shots as they would fly up then back down to fence. I had my daughter watch for traffic for cars coming behind me. Look in mirror to just double check after taking a few great shots and I see a truck speeding upon us! Yikes so I put my car in drive and take off to not get hit from behind. Meanwhile trying to drive and hand my daughter the rather large camera because of the zoom lens, seeing her grab it in a so so way..lens heading for window..AHHHH watch the lens...still looking at truck, camera, and road, amazing we all made it safe including the camera lens.

Another incident same day..I come up to area, see hawks flying, train is coming across road so have to stop. Great I can get out for a few while train is crossing(old back road) and get a few shots right? I get out, get the bird in focus and end of train starts coming plus a car is coming up from behind. I just say forget it, jump back in car and move on.

Think I will stick to birding in the field.

 

[Mike Richardson]

Only this morning I nearly crashed into a brand new police BMW that had stopped at traffic lights in front of me. I was watching flyover geese...

My girlfriend could tell you some other tales.

 

[Stephen C]

what road?

My clients often ask me how I manage to spot tiny specks such as mile-high raptors or cryptic Little Bittern/Stone-curlew, etc. whilst I'm driving. 'How do you divide your attention?' they ask. 'I don't', I usually reply, 'I give 100% to looking for birds'. And I'm not joking...

 

[will@bill]

more tips

Some more driving tips while driving very early morning 5am over the moors stick the car in 3rd gear and at idle its goes its self being a diesel at about 15 mph up and down the hills no probs and then stop when you see something interesting

 

[Vectis Birder]

I am afraid I'm guilty of birding while driving. I nearly caused a pile up in Oxfordshire a couple of months back because I happened to see a flock of Red Kites - a lifer for me.
On my drives to and from work each day I try and concentrate on the road but when birds appear it gets distracting.

 

[Clive Watson]

I'm much worse with maps. Thank God for sat-nav.

 

[Xenospiza]

Reading maps while driving to a bird – now that's really dangerous!