I've been out (and down) for awhile, but with the recent fabulous arrival of spring, I am now bursting with energy and more than ready to get outdoors. This last weekend, for instance, I spent a lot of hours and put a lot of miles in on my road bike. I have yet to master the art of riding a bike and looking through a binocular simultaneously and I have also spent enough time on a bike to know that is not a skill to pursue.

On the other hand, I have used my mountain bike for birding in the local forest preserves and praires. For those new to birding on a bicycle, the trick is to know your area well and bicycle from one hot spot to the next. I have not had much success searching and spotting while the bike is in motion. The bike does allow you to cover more territory in areas not accessible to vehicles, though, and this is a real advantage in areas that are large and extensive. Yes, I do carry my Kowa 663 spotting scope, too. While traveling, the scope is in a shoulder bag (close to my heart in more ways than one)and the little Nikon 848 tripod is strapped to the carrier on my mountain bike. Needless to say, my Nikon 8x32 Premier SE binocular is always around my neck. (No, I don't sleep with it, depsite rumors to the contrary).