Loons and lager, ducks on draft: Birders, brewers form flock

In the worlds of birders and craft beer lovers, the new paradigm is to enjoy an ale along with the eagles.

Tours and events aimed at attracting beer lovers and bird enthusiasts are popping up across the country. They attract bearded microbrew lovers, field-guide-wielding bird buffs and folks with a passion for both suds and sparrows.

Beer and bird hobbyists say they are united by their mutual love of minutiae, rarity and variety. Bird-and-beer happenings have taken place in locales as disparate as Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Hampton, New Hampshire.

Typically, they begin with a hike and end at a brewery. One of the more successful tours is "Birds On Tap Roadtrip," located in beer-loving, bird-rich Maine.

Loyalists agree there's no harm in having a lager among the loons.