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

Mark Obmascik likes birds, but he likes birders even better. In Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession Obmascik chronicles a year of birding with several different hardcore birders and their quest for "the big year." The Big Year, as explained by Obmascik, is a birder's attempt to chronicle as many birds as possible within a solitary calendar year. There are many different strategies for obtaining the biggest "birds seen" list and competitors will stop at nothing to hone their strategies while sabotaging those of others. It's cutthroat, surprisingly so. All for the sake of something so small. Competing birders will spend thousands of dollars, millions of minutes, and countless miles to trek across North America looking for show more elusive, rare, and unusual birds. To see one is an accomplishment, but to photograph one is triumph. To be known as the biggest list is the best of all. Obmascik delivers humor and respect when sharing these birding tales. You will never look at a common sparrow the same way again. show less

I never would have thought that a story about obsessed men searching for birds for could be so engrossing. I couldn’t put this one down and only “adult” obligations kept me from reading it in one sitting. I found myself rooting for the underdog, who did not have the financial resources of the other two men to drop everything and fly cross-country to see a rare bird… while simultaneously acknowledging that I would do something extreme to my husband were he to run up tens of thousands of dollars of credit card debt to do the same.

Let's just say you probably have to be a birder, or at least live with a birder, to fully appreciate the lure of Life Lists and the temptations of competitive birding. But even in my sheltered slice of birding heaven here in Colorado, I know people like this. And, I have to admit, I sometimes admire them a great deal. They see and hear things (if they are not pulling my leg!) that I sometimes despair I will ever see or hear.

This book by Mark Obmascik, a fellow Colorado birder, describes the obsessive effort three men are willing to make to see the most North American birds in a single year. The book is about to be made into a movie featuring (I hear) Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson. It is entirely possible that this might be show more the first time a movie will be better than the book. In any case, I intend to see it the first week it is out. This book is a fun read for any serious birder. Anyone else already believes we are completely nuts. show less

Overall, I found this a bit dissapointing. I'm not all that interested in the competitive bird spotting aspects of the Big Year, I'm fine to just watch the birds in my backyard or out on a walk, so the drive to what seems like heights of misery was hard for me to understand. The birders themselves were a mixed bag as well, with Komito being someone I would probably not be able to stand for more than a few seconds. Miller and Levantin seemed more interested in the birding but I think my biggest complaint is it was very little about the joy of seeing a lovely bird and more about the joy of the hunt for it and the joy of success at finding it. I think it could have had a different approach and been a better book.

I randomly pulled this book off my shelf and don't recall how it got there or why. Kim clued me in that the Steve Martin-Jack Black movie treatment happened last year. Now, I look forward to seeing that when it comes my way on cable.

I am not much for birding (the serious step beyond bird watching, I have learned), or much of any outdoor activity beyond brief walks. However, I do enjoy hearing the details of obsessive subcultures and this book has all of that. The three, main peculiar hyper-hobbyists launched into their Big Year or birding in a very auspicious time. El Nino and other freakish weather conditions pushed many rare birds within bounds and made for more frantic chasing ands scoring.

In the book the three mostly know little to show more nothing of each other and don't meet all in person until the denoument. It'll be interesting to see how that is handled in the flick.

Pictures of the birds would have been nice, but I came away with my own hope to do a Big Year, but I think mine will be to see how many books I can read! show less

I never knew that birding (not bird watching - that's what amateurs do) could be so interesting or so competitive. This book opened up a whole new world for me, one I didn't know even existed. Obmascik tells the story of 3 men in 1998 who pledge to see the most birds in North America, called the Big Year. As you read, you'll learn about the men, the challenges, the birds, where people have to go, and even some bird facts in the process. I thought this book was well-written and interesting, especially for someone who is obviously a novice at all this stuff. Hint: If you've seen the movie, forget what you saw when you start this. If you haven't seen the movie, don't bother. The book is infinitely better! The movie is too Hollywood and show more deviates from the book in major ways. show less

Are birders unusual people? This book takes you squarely to the three top birders of 1998 to answer that question. During that year, Sandy Komito, Al Levantin, and Greg Miller all compete to determine who can see the most different species of birds in North America. Their adventures are not only costly, but exceedingly grueling. At first, the three birders start their individual quests not knowing that others are doing the same. Imagine their surprise when, well into their pursuit of a number to top the previous record, they find out that each is not alone!

Mark Obmascik brings this adventure alive by following the entire birding year of these three competitors. It is amazing to think that anyone has the fortitude to do this kind of show more birding. Although some may perceive part of the book as humorous, I had been too taken aback by the difficult situations in which the birders found themselves to do much laughing while reading this story. It may be an obsessive hobby, but as a faux-birder myself, I can see the lure and fun of doing this…albeit on a much smaller scale. show less