IS THAT A CARDINAL?

Austin nests top 10 spot in new rank of best U.S. cities for birdwatching

Austin is a great city for cardinals.

Calling all Austin ornithophiles: It's time to bust out the field guides and binoculars. Austin just placed No. 9 in a new national ranking of the best cities for birdwatching, and during Great Outdoors Month no less.

The 2023 report by Lawn Love ranked Austin highly based on the popularity of the activity in the city, and its accessibility. One of the biggest perks is the Travis Audubon, which has been in operation for 71 years to promote avian and environmental conservation. Their website says birding "appeals to all ages and provides a great family activity."

"Time spent in nature provides positive physical and mental benefits," they say. "Birding is a gateway activity to connect people with nature, building a deeper understanding of our relationship with the natural world and the role we all serve as stewards of the environment."

The Audubon also hosts several annual feathered festivities, including the Birdathon and Birding Brawl, where locals can spend time outdoors and compete to see as many birds as they can in a single trip.

Austin also earned high regard in the report for having the third highest number of Audubon centers and sanctuaries, in a three-way tie with Seattle, Washington and Columbus, Ohio.

Lawn Love's report analyzed 14 different metrics to rank 200 of the largest U.S. cities, including number of wildlife refuges, bird species, birdwatching groups, festivals, organizations, and more.

The only other Texas city to outrank Austin was Houston (No. 3), with New York (No. 1) and San Diego (No. 2) rounding out the top three best birding cities.

The top 10 American cities for birdwatching are:

No. 1 – New York City
No. 2 – San Diego
No. 3 – Houston
No. 4 – Seattle
No. 5 – Los Angeles
No. 6 – San Francisco
No. 7 – Philadelphia
No. 8 – Phoenix
No. 9 – Austin
No. 10 – Chicago

Dr. Dustin Reichard, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Ohio Wesleyan University, provided three tips for beginner birdwatchers in the report. He suggested tagging along with the local Audubon society for those first few birding trips, getting to know the basic birds around the area first, and always remember that it gets easier to identify birds over time with practice.

"It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of bird species and give up on trying to learn to identify them," Dr. Reichard said. "You will learn which birds to expect in different habitats and that will narrow the list of possible species substantially. Also, remember point one: go out with someone experienced who can help you with these identifications initially."

The full report and its methodology can be found on lawnlove.com.

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share the road

Texas races to the bottom in new list of best states for cyclists

Photo by Justin Wallace on Unsplash

If you've ridden your bicycle in Austin, you already know how true this is.

In what will come as no surprise to cyclists around Austin, the state of Texas is not a good place for bicycle riding. According to a new report of the "Most Cycling-Friendly States in the U.S.," Texas comes in at No. 47 — meaning that only three other states are worse.

The report, from Philadelphia personal injury law firm KaplunMarx, examines all 50 states based on six metrics: Air quality index, the number of cyclist deaths per one million residents, bike routes per square mile, local government actions supporting cycling, federal funding for cycling projects, and bicycle laws.

Texas musters a mere 31 points out of 100 for its "cycling friendly score."

The most cycling-friendly state in the U.S.: Minnesota, which earned 84 points to claim the title.

According to the report's findings, there have been 15 local government actions per capita in Texas that integrate pedestrians and cyclists in transportation projects. Texas' has a 41 air quality index value, and there are approximately 1.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles in the state.

On cyclist deaths, Texas does a little better, with three cyclist deaths per one million residents in Texas — about nine percent lower than the national average.

According to KaplunMarx founding partner Ted Kaplun, there is an average of 857 cyclist fatalities in the U.S. every year. He adds that every measure or community effort to improve cyclist-friendliness is beneficial for all Americans.

"It's crucial for all states to continually assess and enhance their cycling provisions, learning from both high-ranking peers and their own experiences," he says.

Top-ranking Minnesota has only one cyclist death per one million state residents. It also has about 27.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles.

After Minnesota, the remaining top five best states for cyclists are Massachusetts (No. 2), Rhode Island (No. 3), Washington (No. 4), and Iowa (No. 5).

At the bottom of the list are Nevada (No. 48), Arizona (No. 49), and Utah (No. 50) — all of which performed far worse than Texas to be declared the three least cycling-friendly states.

The entire country still has areas for improvement when it comes to creating a safer environment for cyclists, regardless of where each state landed on the list, according to Kaplun.

"With over 53 million Americans riding bicycles regularly, the importance of cycling-friendly infrastructure and safety measures cannot be overstated," said Kaplun in the report. "This isn't just about rankings – it's about enhancing the quality of life, promoting sustainable transportation, and most crucially, saving lives."

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