One Last Ride

Gloomy, wet, and dreary. Perfect day for a ride?

I hope that anyone reading this is having a peaceful and warm holiday season! Mine has been a good one so far. Mostly staying close to home and spending time with family and friends. Can't go wrong there. 

All that said, I've been hoping for one more chance to get on the bike before 2025 comes to a close. The warmer weather has cleared off the road shoulders enough to make things safe enough to ride. But there haven't been many birds around since the weather turned...until today! 

You may recall me mentioning a Eurasian Tree Sparrow that somebody found at their bird feeders earlier in the month, while the weather was totally inhospitable. It was seen by many for several days, but the reports stopped on Dec. 13th. As the holidays got closer and the weather became more bike-friendly, I posted on a birding chat group asking if anyone had seen it since the 13th. Several days passed with no response - until this morning. The bird returned on Christmas Day. A miracle? Probably not - but encouraging none the less, and all that I needed to wheel the bike out of the garage once more. 

The site of my first bike ride of 2025 in January. The Mallards are still here.

It wasn't a terribly scenic or pleasant ride, really. The weather reminded me a lot of the New England winters I grew up with - gray, slimy, and damp. But at least I wouldn't get cold - the layers I chose were comfortable for the high 30s that I biked through. 

It was a somewhat nostalgic trip. I rode by the spot where I first tried a bike ride for this whole adventure in early January. The temperatures that day were a lot colder - just over 10 degrees. Much warmer today, and I was heartened to find the same group of Mallards loafing and squabbling in the open water. A single Trumpeter Swan dozed on the ice, seemingly indifferent to the racket. I scanned through the flock to make sure there wasn't anything different mixed in - nada. Onward. 

It was as pleasant out as this looks! :)

I continued down the bikepath next to highway. I remembered riding this road before dawn during my first ride to Murphy-Hanrehan in May. I was having trouble seeing even with my headlight and hit a mini-pothole to jarring effect. Also, one of the many times where I thought about turning around, as I was feeling really tired and lethargic - but didn't. That ended up being a banner day - where I got several nice species, including a very unexpected Kentucky Warbler and a White-eyed Vireo, among many others. 

I wheeled into an empty elementary school which was the access point to the trail which would take me the last mile or so to the sparrow spot. It was snow and ice covered. A fitting obstacle that I'd seen before last winter. I remembered slipping and sliding trying to get to a Redpoll and deciding that caution was the better part of valor, turning around and choosing to be content with the species that I had found earlier in the day. This time, however, I'd lock up the bike and walk it. I was close.

Bike this with thin gravel tires? NOPE. 

The hike was a really nice one, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was actually through a neat little park. Seemed like a good place to visit again, maybe when spring warblers are passing through. It was quiet now, just a few chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers flitting around. A Brown Creeper was a nice addition, always love seeing those. It quickly became apparent that leaving the bike behind was the right choice. I could barely walk across the icy trail in a few spots and almost fell more than once. 

Sparrow Spot 

After about 20 minutes I arrived and found the feeders next to a little cattail marsh, exactly as described. The ETS was reported hanging around with a group of House Sparrows, mostly in the cattails. I'd start by trying to find them. It didn't take long - a noisy chirping in the cattails betrayed their location. Time to start sifting. 

The birds were close and I quickly found a candidate, although it kept it's back to me. The cap looked brown and the collar looked white, but it was hunched over and wouldn't move. After a minute or two staring at it, it finally turned and there was a black spot on the cheek. Green bird #241! That was nice - unfortunately, just after it turned, some parents walked by with two loud children, flushing the birds before I could get my camera out. The kids were having a blast in the snow though, so it was impossible to be angry. I smiled and said hello, and fished out my camera. I'd follow the flock and see if I could find the ETS again. 

Thankfully the flock hadn't gone far. They popped back up into some trees. I started sifting again. After about 30 seconds, they flew again at the approach of a Mourning Dove. Jumpy - I wondered if a neighborhood hawk had been pursuing them. I could see where they went though, so followed them, again. 

This time they were in a shrubby patch of grass and sumac near a trail. Several birds were feeding on the trail on some grit/seeds. All House Sparrows. I turned my attention to the birds in the sumac and trees. There it was again! I was ready this time and got some pictures. The light stunk, but I got some decent enough photos for documentation purposes. Here's my "best" one: 

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

It's hard to get too excited about an exotic species, but I felt a nice sense of accomplishment as the flock once again flew away, this time into a neighborhood where I didn't really want to follow. I walked back past the feeders again and paused there for a bit hoping for another glimpse, but it wasn't meant to be. Good enough though! Time to head home. 

The ride home went quickly as I found myself lost in reminiscence. While I'm not completely done yet, this would be my last ride, for certain. I thought about all of rides and where I'd gone over the year. While my strategy of staying close and hitting good spots over and over has definitely paid off, I wondered about what would have happened if I had tried one long ride as I'd originally planned - would I have got even more species, pushing or even breaking 250, or would I have just hurt myself? I ended up having pretty good luck overall - only one flat tire, and no real injuries, other than soreness and a few scrapes. I feel fortunate for that. 

I rode past frozen lakes, grasslands, and agricultural fields. Very quiet, other than some traffic here and there. One car got closer to me than I'd have liked. While I'd miss the adventure, I would not miss that stretch of road, where the shoulder was enough, barely, but not wide enough to make one feel like you could let your guard down completely. I found myself ready to be done. Satisfied, and grateful, but done. 

I wheeled into my neighborhood off the highway one last time. I coasted past my neighbors' houses and wondered what they thought of my brightly colored outfit, one last time. I wheeled into my driveway and saw the dogs looking down at me from the picture window, one last time. I peeled off my layers and unloaded my paneers, one last time. I backed my bike into its' corner, kicked down the stand, and hung my helmet up, one last time. I closed the garage door behind me, one last time. 

This bike served me well! A fun adventure. 

There may yet be one more walk in me - but the likelihood of finding anything new is low. Still, I look forward to sharing my end of year wrap-up with you soon. Thanks again for reading!