Wild shape bird mount

[Rozberry]

I have a party with very limited effectiveness vs. flying enemies, and my question is twofold:

1) If my druid wild shapes into a large bird, can one of them ride me into combat while I cast spells? I have natural spell and know I'd have to cast defensively while in melee range.

2) What option(s) is/are there for wild shaping into a large bird?

Alternatively: is there a bird I can summon with summon nature's ally (I can cast up to SNA 5) that could be used to this end?

[Atalius]

Bumperooni

[Wolventad]

In terms of summoned creatures, there's the option to summon 1d4+1 Dire Bats, and once you get 6th level spells there's the spells Summon Flight of Eagles (for combat-trained eagle mounts for 10 minutes per level) or Eagle Aerie (Not as good for in combat, but better for out-of-combat travel since it lasts hours per, reduced to minutes per in combat)

For Wild Shape, there's the Dire Bat and Pteranodon as your best options for a flying mount.

There's also always the option of Communal Air Walk (5th level Druid spell) if none of these other options appeal.

[Avoron]

Rozberry wrote:

1) If my druid wild shapes into a large bird, can one of them ride me into combat while I cast spells? I have natural spell and know I'd have to cast defensively while in melee range.

Yes.

Rozberry wrote:

2) What option(s) is/are there for wild shaping into a large bird?

Large flying forms, available at 6th level: dire bat, enchanter heron, giant vulture, gliding turtle, impaler shrike, pteranodon,

Huge flying forms, available at 8th level: quetzalcoatlus, yolubilis heron

You can also turn into a Large air elemental at 10th level or a Huge air elemental at 12th.

Rozberry wrote:

Alternatively: is there a bird I can summon with summon nature's ally (I can cast up to SNA 5) that could be used to this end?

summon nature's ally III: dire bat

summon nature's ally IV: giant wasp, griffon, pteranodon, [alternate: giant vulture]

summon nature's ally V: large aether elemental, large air elemental, large lighting elemental, [alternate: giant owl]