Why Don't More Birders Cycle ? (1 Viewer)

[Karl J]

Been thinking of posting this for a while now but finally done it today after seeing, for the first time this year, another cycling birder.

I've often wondered, something i'm prone to be doing while pedalling along, how is it that the vast majority of birders i see are sitting in or arriving somewhere by car, after all none of the places i visit are really what you'd call underwatched so there are plenty of birders around & thats coupled with there being mostly very little traffic. Surely not everyone's driven hundreds of miles to get there and so needed a car ? Even at Minsmere when the place has been absolutely jam packed i've very rarely seen more than 4 or 5 bikes there, often there's only one,

Now before anyone shouts troll or mind your own business or anything like that, i do realise there are those who do go birding by bike and there are people who aren't able to bike etc, and i'm not suggesting every motorist should go and torch their car tonight and head to the bike shop tomorrow (interesting idea though it is ). In fact i'm not suggesting anyone should do anything but i do find it a little curious that in this day and age with global warming, the oil situation, traffic congestion etc etc why more birders, who i'd have thought were possibly more "environmentally aware" than some sections of society, don't often seem to be on a bike

Maybe wildlife & environmental organisations etc could do a little more ? . Certainly i can't recall, though i'm happy to stand corrected, any secure cycle parking at Cley NWT, which is why i've been known to wheel mine into the hides (with varying degrees of response from fellow hide-ers) and though in fairness a nature reserve on the north Norfolk coast is probably not a hotbed of cycle-crime i really wouldn't be too happy if mine was outside & got nicked. And i suppose too that in fairness to the RSPB & National Trust they do do a little bit to highlight the benefits & incentives to anyone thinking of visiting by bike, and only have limited budgets etc

But then again maybe i've got it all wrong and its completely different in other parts of the country (?)

I dunno, any thoughts ?

(wotcha if you're reading this btw - about 8am riding a flat-barred black Giant, along Horsey Rd towards Somerton, with bin's on and scope & tripod on the back rack)

 

[Tero]

Well, the frequent stops. So it is more like Why don't cyclists BIRD? They are too busy. Canoeing lends itself more to birding. Being close to birds.

I almost ran over a grouse on a bike trail this month.

 

[David FG]

The trouble is, it is like eating sensibly and taking exercise generally, I know all the arguments, but it is just so much EASIER to use a car.

I am not proud of myself, but that is the honest answer.

(By the way, the last time I rode a bike - many years ago now - I could hardly walk for a week afterwards.)

 

[London Birder]

just bought a bike, excellent for getting around town, either for birds or other stuff ... bloody sore thighs at the mo, spose that'll get better

 

[Collster]

No Des it doesn't, ouch!

 

[London Birder]

I'll end up looking like a prize weightlifter, still, it's a good value being able to nip down the patch in 5 mins flat, see nothing, and home again in another 5

 

[Andrew]

On a similar vein, apart from my mate who joins me sometimes, I have never seen any birders on public transport.

 

[London Birder]

I was the only one ... prior to the bike

 

[Krispo]

MORE BIRDERS don't cycle 'cause MORE BIRDERS are lazy buggers.

 

[hornet]

It's a good point, and I'd love to be able to cycle - unfortunately I've got knees that are 40 years older than me and refuse to share my enthusiasm. I used to cycle a lot before I birded and it seems an ideal combination to me - I loved reading http://birderonabike.blogspot.com throughout last year.

Since I can't cycle, however, I try to walk as much as I can - focusing on the 10 miles around my home.

The real frustration is if I try to go further afield by public transport - as a bit of a 'greeny' I'd really love to use more public transport, but I keep coming up against poor service, poor information, a total collapse of the entire system on Sunday (normally my only chance to go birding), not to mention the high prices.

So the end result is a guilty, fat, weak-kneed birder in a car!

 

[Adey Baker]

Certainly i can't recall, though i'm happy to stand corrected, any secure cycle parking at Cley NWT...a nature reserve on the north Norfolk coast is probably not a hotbed of cycle-crime i really wouldn't be too happy if mine was outside & got nicked.

This must be a major factor, you'd never feel really happy about leaving your cycle out of sight and it'd be hard work pushing it up to Blakeney Point, for instance!

I didn't get my first car until well into my 20s and cycled regularly beforehand but I rarely combined cycling with birdwatching - the two just didn't seem compatible. Anything more than a pair of binoculars (scope, tripod, camera lenses, etc.) and it becomes a juggling act!

And, despite not having an engine, a cycle is essentially a road vehicle so you're sort of restricted to where you can go

 

[Colin]

I used to do a lot of cycling, even racing in fact but I don't have a bike anymore because it is no fun battling with the traffic and I live in an apartment and there is nowhere to keep one. However, my local patch is within walking distance - 5 mins - so I do a lot of my birding by walking from my base. I do go to WWT Slimbridge which is about 6 miles away in a straight line but unfortunately by road it is 35 miles or 70 miles round trip. I used to work there so I know the distance and time it takes - problem is there is a dirty great river in the way so a bike would not be an option.

 

[Atricapilla]

And, despite not having an engine, a cycle is essentially a road vehicle so you're sort of restricted to where you can go

You are right Adey,my friends donkey would be more appropriate here on parts of my patch

 

[Jos Stratford]

I'm afraid I firmly go in the camp of birders that never ride a bicycle and can't see it changing - good on you if you enjoy bicycles, but the simple reason I don't ride one is nothing to do with laziness, it is simply I don't like them - for me, when birding, they are uncomfortable, inconvenient (where to put optics, etc) and either too fast (compared to walking when you see a lot more) or too slow (to go anywhere).

I am quite happy to walk many kilometres a day, and frequently do, but put me on a bike and soon it'll be enough. Stayed at Bharatpur for six or seven days earlier this year - one day with bike and kept wishing I didn't have it ...would see a bird, stop, unload the camera or scope, have to park the bike and, by then, half the time the bird was gone! rest of the days walked!

Here, thanks to a birthday (!), I became the proud owner of a bicycle about a year ago - very nice it is too, standing in the house, but I have not yet ridden it once (unless you include a couple of laps of the living room!).

 

[dbradnum]

I don't cycle at the moment, simply because I have nowhere at all to store one sensibly... but that will be changing soon, and I will be birding from the bike around Epping Forest and the Lee Valley - two large areas, difficult to cover completely on foot.

Back in Norfolk, I used to cycle the south wall of Breydon Water frequently - only sensible way to do Breydon, IMHO.

 

[deborah4]

Hi Karl

We've probably had this conversation on conservation before so you probably know I cycle or walk (within a 15 mile radius otherwise use public trans.) - keeps you fit, more likely to spot something on route by hearing a call, less likely to squash what you were looking for by the wheels of your tyres, cheaper to park, cheaper to run, don't have to return the way you came can just push bike along tracks and country paths, much quieter and less likely to disturb wildlife, and of course much better for the environment too! It's just a shame the fresh smell of the country is often tainted with the smell of exhaust fumes from the nearest bypass.

 

[Tannin]

With all those optics to carry, the thought of falling off or running into something is downright terrifying!

 

[Jos Stratford]

Ah forgot two other reasons I don't ride a bike -
1. half the year it's minus 20 or so, snow up to your knees, rest of the time either baking hot or raining
2. ask Tim Allwood about the state of the so-called roads that I take my car, then ask him how long he thinks I would survive on a bike

Na, car or foot for me - see much more by either

 

[christineredgate]

It's a good point, and I'd love to be able to cycle - unfortunately I've got knees that are 40 years older than me and refuse to share my enthusiasm. I used to cycle a lot before I birded and it seems an ideal combination to me - I loved reading http://birderonabike.blogspot.com throughout last year.

Since I can't cycle, however, I try to walk as much as I can - focusing on the 10 miles around my home.

The real frustration is if I try to go further afield by public transport - as a bit of a 'greeny' I'd really love to use more public transport, but I keep coming up against poor service, poor information, a total collapse of the entire system on Sunday (normally my only chance to go birding), not to mention the high prices.

So the end result is a guilty, fat, weak-kneed birder in a car!

It sounds as my birding"trike" would suit you,Marc.3 wheels,a small motor,large basket on the rear which holds all birding bits,scope,tripod,couple of cam bags,also a spare battery.a large Loweprow bag fitted to the front,so if one spots a likely photo subject,or hears one,just lean forward,lift the cam complete with lens out of the bag and just sit and shoot,or patiently wait.
only downside ,is it can be a tad noisy,esp on rough stones esp when braking.But I am able to travel all over the village,up into the sand dunes(using a small road) and everywhere I need to go locally.Easy to pedal with the help of the motor,so exercise,fresh air,and being able to hear and see the birds quite closely.Even the local kids think it is "cool".

 

[matt green]

I sold my bike a few months ago because I got peeved with the idiot drivers here abouts,recently i've become more used to walking to my little patch
three miles down the road,could easily get some goodies on the way that I might miss even on a bicycle.

but...to be honest I have been drooling over some mountain bike catalogues
and my waistline seems to be telling me something

as far as public transport is concerned,i'd rather be trussed up by the nads
over a log fire,sharing a bus with several dozen beavis and butt heads fresh from city college is not how I want to end a day birding.

matt