There is no better book to end the year with than one that kicks off the next year. “The Big Year” is a masterfully written and fun read. Every January 1st, it begins – the race to see the most bird species within the calendar year.
The Big Year competition starts the moment the ball drops and the New Year begins. Unlike many challenges, there is no trophy or a cash reward – just bragging rights.
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The Big Year Beginning
The Big Year started in North America, including the United States and Canada. The American Birding Association (ABA) quickly gained popularity in other countries. This led to also having a Big Year World Record as well.
Andrew Pochonita of Southern California set the ABA big year record of 840 species in 2019. The big year world record of 6,852 species was set in 2016 by Arjan Dwarshuis of the Netherlands.
In North America, participants travel from coast to coast – often on a moment’s notice and with just a hint that the species they want will be where they are going. There is even a tip line to help participants find the birds they need to complete the ABA checklist.
Even though the competition can be expensive and occasionally outright brutal – it doesn’t stop people from taking up the challenge of a 365-day birdwatching marathon.
About The Big Year Book
One of my favorite writers is prizewinning journalist Mark Obmascik. In The Big Year he brings you along the quest of three obsessives as they fight to win “the greatest— or maybe worst—birding contest of all time.”
I loved being able to join in their journey as they traveled over 275,000 miles through deserts, frozen islands, storms, swamps, and some sketchy lodging. If you want to cheat, there is the movie but the book is better.
Here is a Excerpt from The Big Year
Chapter One: January 1, 1998
Sandy Komito
Sandy Komito was ready. It was an hour before sunrise, New Year’s Day, and he sat alone at an all-night Denny’s in Nogales, Arizona. He ordered ham and eggs. He stared into the black outside the window.
At this stage in his life, he knew men who lusted for a new wife or a Porsche or even a yacht. Komito had no interest.
What he wanted was birds.
For the coming year he would dedicate himself to a singular goal — spotting more species of birds in North America than any human in history. He knew it wouldn’t be easy. He expected to be away from home 270 of the next 365 days chasing winged creatures around the continent. There were ptarmigans to trail on the frozen spine of the Continental Divide in Colorado and hummingbirds to hunt in the heat of the Arizona desert. He would prowl the moonlight for owls in the North Woods of Minnesota and wade the beaches of South Florida at dawn for boobies. He planned to race after birds by boat in Nova Scotia, by bicycle in the Aleutian Islands, and by helicopter in Nevada. Sleep was not a priority, but when it came, he would be tossing in the army bunks of Alaska and turning on the rolling waves of the Dry Tortugas.
This was, after all, a competition, and Komito wanted to win.
He ordered his second thermos of coffee and spread paperwork across his place mat. One sheet was an Internet printout of a North American rare-bird alert from Houston. The other was a regional alert from Tucson. Komito smiled. There were more rare birds spotted last week in southeastern Arizona than anywhere else on the continent.
His gut told him that this chain restaurant was the right place to start. He’d eaten in so many Denny’s over the years that he didn’t have to waste time with a menu. Besides, other birders reported that the trees around this Denny’s were roosts for the great-tailed grackle and black vulture. Either of these fine local birds, Komito decided, would be a wonderful launch for his year.
From his window Komito watched the horizon lighten with the gray promise of dawn. Little moved.
Across from the restaurant, though, a freight train suddenly rammed through the quiet. All the ruckus made something take wing outside and land just beyond his window.
Komito’s heart raced: it was his first bird of the competition!
He lurched forward for the identification.
Plump…gray…head bobbing.
“It’s a damn pigeon,” he muttered.
Here is Offical The Big Year Description
Every year on January 1, hundreds of people abandon their day-to-day lives to join one of the world’s quirkiest contests. Their goal: spotting the most species of birds in a single year. Most contestants limit themselves to the birds of their home county. Others chase birds only within the borders of their home state. But the grandest birding competition of them all, the most grueling, the most expensive, and occasionally the most vicious, sprawls over an entire continent.
It is called the Big Year.
Why I Liked The Big Year
The storytelling is a masterpiece. You have the unique opportunity to see the same competition from three different vantage points. By showing you how these three birders approach The Big Year, competition, and home life, it is easy to see yourself in their shoes.
Parts of the story are bittersweet, and some are just plain hilarious, as only life can be.
Warning: Be prepared to read the book through. It is hard to put down.
You Can Join the Big Year
You don’t have to travel the North America continent to participate in a Big Year. You can make a list of all the birds you see in your own backyard, county, or state. Most state wildlife agencies will have a bird checklist that you can download and print out.
How to Identify Birds
Don’t know a Dark-Eyed Junco from a House Finch from Hour Sparrow?
No worries. Here are my top favorite easy-to-use bird identification guides: here, here, and here.
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