How many birders don't own a car (1 Viewer)

[Disneynut1973]

I don't drive, never learnt and now I shut my eyes as a passenger going round roundabouts so never will learn! I use buses a lot and hubby does drive so I do have use of a car with a chauffer if need be! Part of me would like to travel to various reserves more often without having to drag the family along as I know hubby does get bored after so long but it's not bothered me enough to want to learn.

Pam

 

[Peewit]

I cannot drive, but my OH can so I exploit his licence.

Now I am older, I think the fear has set in as there are so many 'idiots' on the roads now. 'Road rage' is part of the normal way of life.

To me if I was a man I would feel more comfortable with driving. As a woman there are too many issues attached and I prefer peace in my life to be honest. :gh:

Not to be 'stereotyped' because I am a female driver :C

To be told how to behave whilst driving by a man half my age does nothing for me! :C

 

[Vectis Birder]

To me if I was a man I would feel more comfortable with driving. As a woman there are too many issues attached and I prefer peace in my life to be honest. :gh:

What issues would they be? I am a woman and I am very comfortable with driving. I don't always enjoy it, and it's a real pain sometimes, but overall it does not bother me one iota.

Not to be 'stereotyped' because I am a female driver :C

Look at it this way - the people, usually male, who 'stereotype' do it because they are no great shakes themselves and need to cover up their own inadequacies somehow.

 

[calenso]

It's funny reading some of these comments re car ownership. Here in Australia most of us think that it is a God given right to have a license and own a car. Unless your a dole bludger and then you might still have a car and live in it as well.

I live in the outback where a car is totally necessary but most city people have them and couples usually have two. cheers Calenso

 

[username]

I'd echo the comments of Username.

When I lived in Britain I never had a car - did a 'big year' which knocked up 405 species (not bad in pre-pager days) and hitch-hiked all over the place. Also did all my early trips purely by public transport - even got from the UK to South Africa (via Norway) without either driving or stepping upon a plane. I agree with the earlier posters that a car is not needed to get to all the best places ...

...but it sure makes it easier Now, I'm probably amongst the worst sinners when it comes to cars - usually do about 1000 km a week, this year more.

405 in a year....pre pager days?! Excellent stuff Jos....that's wot i like...committed [and a lot of us should be]...birding...! Still don't know if there's a 'committed' twitchy/hitchy bunch of birders in blighty at the mo' tho...am guessing, that as times get harder, [financially], there might well soon be! Birding on a budget

ps...remember twitching to Kessingland for the WC black wheatear looong time ago...in a mates car.....we saw this hitcher at the roadside [where else]...so we give him a lift...and ask him 'where you goin mate'?....he seemed reluctant to tell us...then we said 'well...we're goin for a rare bird'....and boy...did his face light up!...he couldn't believe his luck! For he was 'one of us'...twas a sheer pleasure........!

 

[HH75]

Hi all,
While I usually manage alright when it comes to lifts where twitches for megas are concerned, I do find that my lack of a car is a real hinderance to my attempts to find rare birds of my own: getting to any promising migrant spot is tough, and I am often left with having to get a bus and then to thumb the rest of the way, or else to travel to a spot late in the morning and have to leave again by 5pm. I used to get a lot more lifts around 2002-2005, but a lot of friends of mine seem to have become tied up in the last few years, and nobody else has come along locally to take their place as keen dawn to dusk birders. I would personally stay out all day if I could!

 

[chowchilla]

It's funny reading some of these comments re car ownership. Here in Australia most of us think that it is a God given right to have a license and own a car. Unless your a dole bludger and then you might still have a car and live in it as well.

I live in the outback where a car is totally necessary but most city people have them and couples usually have two. cheers Calenso

Whilst I agree with your comments (apart from the fact that I'm not a doley ), I think you'll find that most folks in the UK also view car ownership as a God given right, despite the fact that driving there must be very stressful at times with the sheer volume of traffic on many roads and infrastructure that has failed to keep pace.

In most of Aus, you simply wouldn't be able to get anywhere without a car. Fortunately I have fantastic birding sites within a short walk of my home, though there's no question that being able to drive would be very useful. Perhaps if there weren't so many maniacs on the road here in Cairns I'd be keener to learn.

 

[Vectis Birder]

Whilst I agree with your comments (apart from the fact that I'm not a doley ), I think you'll find that most folks in the UK also view car ownership as a God given right, despite the fact that driving there must be very stressful at times with the sheer volume of traffic on many roads and infrastructure that has failed to keep pace.

It is stressful and there are too many cretins who drive with their front bumper (fender for US viewers!) practically glued to the rear of the car in front.

The UK has too many people and too much traffic...yeah, I know I contribute to the latter.

 

[chowchilla]

It is stressful and there are too many cretins who drive with their front bumper (fender for US viewers!) practically glued to the rear of the car in front.

The UK has too many people and too much traffic...yeah, I know I contribute to the latter.

How're you doing VB? Hope the weather's better for you when you get here; it's been very wet in the last week!:storm:

 

[Vectis Birder]

How're you doing VB? Hope the weather's better for you when you get here; it's been very wet in the last week!:storm:

I'm fine thanks. And you?

As for the weather, hopefully it'll clear up in the next couple of weeks. I heard that Queensland has had a wet summer. Now autumn has arrived down under maybe it'll be drier.

 

[Ben Nevis]

I dont own a car but then again,I dont really twitch anything.I prefer to visit areas and enjoy,what is going around.Thankfully,I live in a city that has good transport links to the places I like to visit.I also sometimes go out birding with BF Member Ken Hall and he takes his car with him,if we visit areas off the beaten track and for that,I am grateful.

 

[chowchilla]

I'm fine thanks. And you?

As for the weather, hopefully it'll clear up in the next couple of weeks. I heard that Queensland has had a wet summer. Now autumn has arrived down under maybe it'll be drier.

I'm on hols so I wouldn't mind getting out more. I tried for Red-necked Crake and Bush Hen at Centenary Lakes a couple of mornings ago and got soaked! Oh, and I didn't see either bird... Still, at least I can get to this site without a car so I'll keep on trying.:t:

Our Wet season has been no wetter than usual (being the Wet tropics), but other, usually much drier parts of Qld have had tons more than usual and flooding has been very widespread.

 

[Jaff]

Do quite well as I have a fleet of drivers to ferry me around. They're called family! :-O

Otherwise I get by. Living within 5 mins walking distance from Mere Sands Woods does tend to help somewhat and with plenty more places to explore on foot in the area it's not so bad.
Well if you take into account the massive amounts of walking involved and a gammy leg in tow then it does start to look less and less idyllic! However this year I intend to do a lot more birding at places close to train stations, always nice to explore a new area and I already have some in mind.

 

[christineredgate]

I am a car owner,but do all my local birding on my battery powered trike.Great to be out and about in the fresh air,much easier to spot the birds,and be able to stop on the turn of a sixpence to take an immediate shot.
But I do need the car to travel to locations eg Leighton Moss,as our area is very rural,no train services on Sundays,and no bus services to take to the local station at weekends.

 

[visitkans]

Living in London, i never felt the need for a car, but am part of a Car club "Streetcar" and i find it pretty easy and awesome to drive it when required and with no hassle of owning one.

 

[ovenbird43]

Getting around in the US can be hard without a car, particularly away from major metropolitan areas. Rail systems that go between major cities are sparse and almost as expensive as flying. Unfortunately many people here feel they can't make it a half mile without driving... for me, I walk and cycle most places around town, but I'm happy to have my car to take me across state lines. Most of my yearly mileage is racked up during our annual trip to South Florida and other road trips. I enjoy driving, as long as I'm not forced to depend on it for daily life.

 

[Disneynut1973]

One thing I've realised being a passenger is that I get to spot birds whilst hubby does the driving. Like the Lapwings and Pheasants in the fields and the Kestrels hovering above the motorways, Herons on the waterways. There is no way i'd see these as the driver, it's the only way I see certain birds, like Lapwings.

Pam

 

[lmans66]

No Car?....In Western US? No way....things are way to spread out.... I know when I go back to Eastern US such as NYC or Philly...public transportation takes me where I want to go or I just rent a car...but in the west it is a totally different story. You need a car.

I walk as much as I can, ride my bike or even use a scooter but one still needs a car---so sad to say....

 

[s. james]

Can't remember if I've replied here before but...

Can't drive but have been using a 100cc scooter for a couple of years. Handy enough for local patches.

I only really do local patch birding, it's what I like best studying the population trends, behaviour etc. of the commoner species.

Don't like twitching and don't even get much excitement from seeing rare birds locally that other people have found first, so there's no need for a car really.

The scooter can get me about 30miles and back before it claps out so I can sometimes go a wee bit further!

Learning to drive though and hope to pass by June so I'm planning to do a tour of all the good birding spots and nature reserves in NI this summer.

 

[G Anderson]

Out of interest....do any of the 'young-bloods' out there 'hitch' lifts these days? Twitching cost me buger all in 'them old days'...great fun....! No car [of yer own...required]...
Saw my first Bluethroat back in the seventies....left leicester early morning....got me thumb out...got 'me bird' in Norfolk...and was back home for lunch....'piece of p--s' as they say....

Excellent from username and Jos,

used to hitch in the 80's to Norfolk from Scotland etc, was one of many (twiching, hitchers), now gone.:-C