I wouldn't have thought I would ever be saying I was awe inspired by a buzzard, but I'm here to confess. It is one of the nice things about riding a bike where you can easily look out and around as you ride. Most of you probably would have zipped right by this buzzard, but my 12mph pace left me flying side by side for a good 200ft.
I was on a lane and a half road (where cars from opposite directions have to pull off the road a bit pass each other.) A dense treeline was just a couple feet off the opposite side of the road, separating a narrow ditch from the cut field beyond. The buzzard took off from the ditch as I approached and headed in the same direction as me along the tree line. As it gained altitude, to about 8 ft over the road and 5-6ft to my left, I overtook it. At greater distances I had perhaps not appreciated how large these birds are; it was flying as close to the treeline as it could but its near wing still reached out over the center of the road. For a moment I considered that I could just scoot over a couple feet to my left and I would probably be able to reach up and touch that massive wing on a down beat. Then again, I was also close enough to see that beady eye, and curved pointed beak. I decided it was best to just maintain my line along the road edge.
As the buzzard leveled off it gained a lead on me. The buzzard slowed to try to perch on a branch overhanging the road and I passed it. It decided not to perch and dropped down passing me. We alternated leads again as another perch was attempted and bypassed. We'd been side by side with less than 10 ft between us for a couple hundred feet before the treeline ended. Without the treeline confining us to this abnormal proximity, the buzzard veered off over the field, and we parted ways.
(Nothing like the inspiration from
Bud_Bent.)
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Pacing a Buzzard (Read 748 times)
