The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession

Very entertaining and well-written; sure to appeal to casual birders as well as driven, competitive individuals who look for new ways to win at anything. I was intrigued by the concept of a “Big Year,” in which otherwise sensible folks drop nearly everything else in their lives to ricochet around the continent for 365 days, trying to find and identify as many bird species as possible. The author weaves together the progress of three men attempting a North American Big Year in 1998, initially unbeknownst to each other.Although there are few rules and no referees, personal integrity keeps the competitors in check.The players include Sandy Komito (New Jersey, married), attempting a second Big Year; Al Levantin (Colorado, married); and Greg Miller (Maryland, single).The year sails by through Obmascik’s colorful prose and you will want to start it all over again. But a splendid bibliography offers other possibilities…