Bike Birding

Ok, lets get one thing straight. I am really good at bike birding. I was doing it before it was a thing. Before you could do virtue signalling hashtags, get all Greta and judgey on your lesser birding friends - the utter filth that use automobiles. Now we know that I am morally and physically superior I shall begin...

So, I feel my latest bike is the perfect machine for my bike-birding requirements. I still have a couple of amends to make - the pedals for example - they've performed well through the drought. Literally five months without any rain to speak of! In time I will probably get some platform pedals for it - with pins for grip once we finally get rain and the mucky, filth of the Suffolk winter sets it. Anyway, here's an introduction to my current steed and the modifications I've undertaken to allow for the highly elite level of birding I am able to operate at:

Front mudguard = essential. You do not want dog excrement or human remains splatting into your face as you cycle. Looking at that photo I also realise I need to clean my forks.

A bottle cage is bike-birding 101. Seriously, make sure you know you sweat rate and  ensure you have enough electrolyte on-board for the length of time you intend to be out and about.

A wee lock pays for itself. Yes, it's probably easily thwarted by a keen thief - but it's a deterrent. Plus, it might just give you the precious minutes or seconds to catch the perpetrator in the act and extinguish their thieving existence. Just a thought. 

Spare tube, gas canister, puncture repair kit. Over the top? I'll tell you what's over the top. People having no independence and resilience and relying on other people to lift them out of a predicament. Administrate your self. You are responsible for your own actions - including the occasional puncture. 

Hydration really is key. Once my binoculars and camera are taken out of my bike bag I can fit 8 beers in there. 8 beers should allow an adult human 4 - 5 hours of birding in the field, depending on time of year. Certainly in a late summer/ early autumn type situation. 

I use my camera case and binocular case as protection when I am cycling, albeit with the flaps open - so I can quickly get to my optics if I see something good from the saddle. 

Feast your beady little eyes on that. A BIRDING MACHINE. I live in Suffolk, so even 'off road' is bridleway and fire road in the forest. The front suspension and suspension seat - with that hybrid vibe are all I need. 

Say what? Yep, I cut up an old sleeping mat to add cushioning beneath my bike bag and pannier frame. Why? Because I move silently. You will not see or hear me coming - if I do not want you to. We should move through nature with respect. Leave nothing more than tyre tracks - take nothing more than (respectfully distant) photos and memories. 

You'd have to Google the model - but these Schwalbe tyres are absolutely nails. 10/10 would recommend.  

Hydration is key.