Big year
Encyclopedia
A Big Year is an informal competition among birders
to see who can see or hear the largest number of species of bird
s within a single calendar year and within a specific geographical area. A Big Year may be done within a single US state, a Canadian province, within the lower 48 continental U.S. states, or within the American Birding Association
area (i.e. the 49 continental U.S. states (including Alaska), Canada
and the French islands St. Pierre and Miquelon, plus adjacent waters to a distance of 200 miles from land or half the distance to a neighboring country, whichever is less. Excluded by these boundaries are Bermuda, the Bahamas, Hawaii, and Greenland.).
revolutionized birding. However, in that era, most birders did not travel widely. The earliest known continent wide Big Year record was compiled by Guy Emerson, a traveling businessman, who timed his business trips to coincide with the best birding seasons for different areas in North America. His best year was in 1939 when he saw 497 species. In 1952, Emerson's record was broken by Bob Smart, who saw 510 species.
In 1953, Roger Tory Peterson
and James Fisher
took a 30,000 mile road trip visiting the wild places of North America
. In 1955, they told the story of their travels in a book and a documentary film, both called Wild America. In one of the footnotes to the book Peterson said "My year's list at the end of 1953 was 572 species." In 1956 the bar was raised when a 25-year-old Englishman
named Stuart Keith
, following Peterson and Fisher's route, compiled a list of 598 species
.
Keith's record stood for 15 years. In 1971, 18-year-old Ted Parker, in his last semester of high school in southeastern Pennsylvania
, birded the eastern seaboard of North America extensively. That September, Parker enrolled in the University of Arizona
in Tucson
and found dozens of Southwestern U.S. and Pacific coast specialities. He ended the year with a list of 626 species. (Before his death in 1993, Parker went on to become one of the world's most renowned field ornithologists, and the acknowledged leading expert on the birds of the American tropics.)
In 1973 Kenn Kaufman
and another birder, Floyd Murdoch, went after Parker's record. As recounted in the book Kingbird Highway, both broke the old record by a wide margin. Murdoch finished with 669 in the newly-described ABA area (North America north of Mexico, essentially) and Kaufman had 666. Kaufman set a North American record of 671 species, with the addition of five species that he had seen in Baja California. Murdoch's record was broken in 1979 by James M. Vardaman, as recorded in his book Call Collect, Ask for Birdman. Vardaman saw 699 species that year and travelled 161,332 miles (137,145 by airplane; 20,305 by car; 3,337 by boat; 160 by bicycle; and 385 by foot). Benton Basham, in 1983, topped that with a total of 710. 1987 marked the second time that there was a competition during a single year, with Steve Perry ending up with 711 and Sandy Komito setting a new standard with 721. In 1992 Bill Rydell made a serious attempt at the record and ended with 714 species for the year.
The Big Year of 1998 was the subject of a book of the same name by Mark Obmascik. In that year three birders, Sandy Komito, Al Levantin and Greg Miller, chased Komito's record of 721 birds. In the end Sandy Komito kept the record, listing 745 birds. The book was adapted for the 2011 20th Century Fox
film The Big Year
.
Starting in the summer of 2007, Wendy and Malkolm Boothroyd and their teenage son Ken Madsen attempted a Big Year without the use of fossil fuels by planning to bicycle over 10,000 miles to get over 400 species for the year. They started in their home province of the Yukon Territory, rode down the Pacific Coast, looping back around Arkansas to catch the Texas spring migration, then eastward to Florida. They dubbed this attempt a "Bird Year," rather than a Big Year. In the end, they covered more than 13,000 miles by bicycle and tallied 548 species, raising more than $25,000 for bird conservation in the process.
In 2010, Chapel Hill, North Carolina birder Chris Hitt set out to try to find as many different species of birds as he could in the lower 48 states (excluding Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada) while enjoying good food and the company of friends. He became the first birder to see 700+ species in the lower 48 in a single year, finishing with 704. In the same year, Virginia birder Bob Ake generated the second highest total for a continental Big Year, ending the year with 731 species, an extraordinary total achieved without the benefit of the relatively unique weather effects of 1998. Also in 2010, John Spahr finished his ABA area Big Year with 704 species.
As of 2011, Colorado birder John Vanderpoel is completing a big year. He keeps a blog following his progress, and as of 16th November has seen 734 species, the latest being Rose-throated Becard . Vanderpoel is considered a threat to Sandy Komito's big year record of 745 species, and was reportedly the fastest birder on record to reach 700 species in a year.
Birdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
to see who can see or hear the largest number of species of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s within a single calendar year and within a specific geographical area. A Big Year may be done within a single US state, a Canadian province, within the lower 48 continental U.S. states, or within the American Birding Association
American Birding Association
The American Birding Association is a non-profit organization of people interested in birding. Begun in 1968, the ABA is the only organization in North America that specifically caters to recreational birders. Membership is open to all...
area (i.e. the 49 continental U.S. states (including Alaska), Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the French islands St. Pierre and Miquelon, plus adjacent waters to a distance of 200 miles from land or half the distance to a neighboring country, whichever is less. Excluded by these boundaries are Bermuda, the Bahamas, Hawaii, and Greenland.).
History
The publication in 1934 of the first modern field guide by Roger Tory PetersonRoger Tory Peterson
Roger Tory Peterson , was an American naturalist, ornithologist, artist, and educator, and held to be one of the founding inspirations for the 20th century environmental movement.-Background:...
revolutionized birding. However, in that era, most birders did not travel widely. The earliest known continent wide Big Year record was compiled by Guy Emerson, a traveling businessman, who timed his business trips to coincide with the best birding seasons for different areas in North America. His best year was in 1939 when he saw 497 species. In 1952, Emerson's record was broken by Bob Smart, who saw 510 species.
In 1953, Roger Tory Peterson
Roger Tory Peterson
Roger Tory Peterson , was an American naturalist, ornithologist, artist, and educator, and held to be one of the founding inspirations for the 20th century environmental movement.-Background:...
and James Fisher
James Fisher
James Maxwell McConnell Fisher was a British author, editor, broadcaster, naturalist and ornithologist...
took a 30,000 mile road trip visiting the wild places of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. In 1955, they told the story of their travels in a book and a documentary film, both called Wild America. In one of the footnotes to the book Peterson said "My year's list at the end of 1953 was 572 species." In 1956 the bar was raised when a 25-year-old Englishman
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
named Stuart Keith
Stuart Keith
George Stuart Keith was an English ornithologist. He was a founder and first president of the American Birding Association, and a coeditor of The Birds of Africa series.-References:*...
, following Peterson and Fisher's route, compiled a list of 598 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
.
Keith's record stood for 15 years. In 1971, 18-year-old Ted Parker, in his last semester of high school in southeastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, birded the eastern seaboard of North America extensively. That September, Parker enrolled in the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
in Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
and found dozens of Southwestern U.S. and Pacific coast specialities. He ended the year with a list of 626 species. (Before his death in 1993, Parker went on to become one of the world's most renowned field ornithologists, and the acknowledged leading expert on the birds of the American tropics.)
In 1973 Kenn Kaufman
Kenn Kaufman
Kenn Kaufman is an American author, artist, naturalist, and conservationist, known for his work on several popular field guides of birds and butterflies in North America....
and another birder, Floyd Murdoch, went after Parker's record. As recounted in the book Kingbird Highway, both broke the old record by a wide margin. Murdoch finished with 669 in the newly-described ABA area (North America north of Mexico, essentially) and Kaufman had 666. Kaufman set a North American record of 671 species, with the addition of five species that he had seen in Baja California. Murdoch's record was broken in 1979 by James M. Vardaman, as recorded in his book Call Collect, Ask for Birdman. Vardaman saw 699 species that year and travelled 161,332 miles (137,145 by airplane; 20,305 by car; 3,337 by boat; 160 by bicycle; and 385 by foot). Benton Basham, in 1983, topped that with a total of 710. 1987 marked the second time that there was a competition during a single year, with Steve Perry ending up with 711 and Sandy Komito setting a new standard with 721. In 1992 Bill Rydell made a serious attempt at the record and ended with 714 species for the year.
The Big Year of 1998 was the subject of a book of the same name by Mark Obmascik. In that year three birders, Sandy Komito, Al Levantin and Greg Miller, chased Komito's record of 721 birds. In the end Sandy Komito kept the record, listing 745 birds. The book was adapted for the 2011 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
film The Big Year
The Big Year
The Big Year is a 2011 comedy film starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Jim Parsons, Rashida Jones, Anjelica Huston, Dianne Wiest, JoBeth Williams, Brian Dennehy, Rosamund Pike and Tim Blake Nelson. The Big Year was directed by David Frankel and written by Howard Franklin...
.
2000s
In 2005, Lynn Barber did a Big Year in the state of Texas and saw a record 522 bird species. In 2008, she did a Big Year in the ABA area (see above) and finished with 723 bird species.Starting in the summer of 2007, Wendy and Malkolm Boothroyd and their teenage son Ken Madsen attempted a Big Year without the use of fossil fuels by planning to bicycle over 10,000 miles to get over 400 species for the year. They started in their home province of the Yukon Territory, rode down the Pacific Coast, looping back around Arkansas to catch the Texas spring migration, then eastward to Florida. They dubbed this attempt a "Bird Year," rather than a Big Year. In the end, they covered more than 13,000 miles by bicycle and tallied 548 species, raising more than $25,000 for bird conservation in the process.
In 2010, Chapel Hill, North Carolina birder Chris Hitt set out to try to find as many different species of birds as he could in the lower 48 states (excluding Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada) while enjoying good food and the company of friends. He became the first birder to see 700+ species in the lower 48 in a single year, finishing with 704. In the same year, Virginia birder Bob Ake generated the second highest total for a continental Big Year, ending the year with 731 species, an extraordinary total achieved without the benefit of the relatively unique weather effects of 1998. Also in 2010, John Spahr finished his ABA area Big Year with 704 species.
As of 2011, Colorado birder John Vanderpoel is completing a big year. He keeps a blog following his progress, and as of 16th November has seen 734 species, the latest being Rose-throated Becard . Vanderpoel is considered a threat to Sandy Komito's big year record of 745 species, and was reportedly the fastest birder on record to reach 700 species in a year.
Published big year books
- Wild America (1955) by Roger Tory PetersonRoger Tory PetersonRoger Tory Peterson , was an American naturalist, ornithologist, artist, and educator, and held to be one of the founding inspirations for the 20th century environmental movement.-Background:...
& James FisherJames FisherJames Maxwell McConnell Fisher was a British author, editor, broadcaster, naturalist and ornithologist... - Call Collect, Ask for Birdman (1980) by James M. Vardaman
- Looking for the Wild (1986) by Lyn Hancock
- The Loonatic Journals (1987) by Steven Perry
- Birding's Indiana Jones: A Chaser's Diary (1990) by Sandy Komito
- The Feather Quest (1992) by Pete DunnePete DunnePete Dunne is an American author, famous for his writings on natural history and birding. He is also the founder of the World Series of Birding, as well as the current director of the Cape May Bird Observatory, Vice President of Natural History for the New Jersey Audubon Society, and publisher of...
- A Year for the Birds (1995) by William B. Rydell, Jr.
- Kingbird Highway: The Story of a Natural Obsession That Got a Little Out of Hand (1997) by Kenn KaufmanKenn KaufmanKenn Kaufman is an American author, artist, naturalist, and conservationist, known for his work on several popular field guides of birds and butterflies in North America....
- I Came, I Saw, I Counted (1999) by Sandy Komito
- Chasing Birds Across Texas: A Birding Big Year (2003) by Mark T. Adams
- The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession (2004) by Mark Obmascik
- Return to Wild America: A Yearlong Search for the Continent's Natural Soul (2005) by Scott WeidensaulScott WeidensaulScott Weidensaul is a Pennsylvania-based naturalist and author. He has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in the non-fiction category for his book Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere With Migratory Birds.-Profile and works:...
- The Big Twitch (2005) by Sean Dooley (an Australian "Big Year")
- The Biggest Twitch: Around the World in 4,000 Birds (2010) by Alan Davies and Ruth Miller
- Extreme Birder: One Woman's Big Year (2011) by Lynn E. Barber