The weather was unseasonably warm this weekend, as many folks heard on the news about our Chicago marathon race. It was so warm, in fact, that insect activity was intense and the birds were out in good numbers to take advantage of the abundance. For the most part, my birding was a matter of stopping on the forest trails as I rode my bike. I normally use a
compact binocular for this work, but since I was riding in the forest, I opted instead to save even more weight by carrying a small
monocular even though a binocular is always a better choice for
birding. The frequent stops also helped me to keep fresh and well hydrated. As a long distance biker, I know the importance of both saving weight and carrying enough water.
