Malkolm's photo of Brown Pelicans (and one Brandt's Cormorant.
In September, 2006, I began sweating through three high school grades in two years. When my extra schoolwork seemed too much to manage, I thought of the payoff, my “Big Year.” A big year is a 365-day, birding marathon across North America. Mark Obmascik documented a race between three birders to break the record in The Big Year. Big Year birders “turn into maniacs” said Obmascik. Will I be an exception?
From June 2007 to June 2008 my dad and I will cycle around North America searching for as many bird species as possible. My mom will cycle with us—she wants to see birds, but she doesn't want to count how species. In September when students are heading back to school, I’ll be on a boat looking for seabirds in Monterey Bay. When my classmates are writing midterms, I’ll be at Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge watching thousands of Sandhill Cranes. When they’re starting their second semester I’ll be squelching through a Florida swamp in search of Limpkins and Rails.
Our trip will not just be a vacation to see as many birds as possible; it will also be an environmental project. We hope that people will sponsor us; the money raised will go for protecting wild birds. To raise publicity, we’ll do interviews and speak at Bird Festivals. We’ll do our bit for greenhouse gas reduction by burning no fossil fuels for transportation. We’re encouraging other people who want to get a taste of self-propelled birding to take part in fossil-fuel-free big days of their own.
We will start in late June as soon as school is out. Our fifteen thousand kilometer route will take us from the Yukon to California, east to Florida and west to southern Texas. Finally we will cycle through the scorching desert to the mountains in central Texas. We hope to end our Big Year with Black Capped Vireos and Golden Cheeked Warblers – I hope these birds will put our year’s total at well over 400 species.
I hope to meet many people as we cycle across the continent. And I hope many more will take part by becoming involved with the things we are promoting on this website.
Home Our Project Protect Birds Sponsor Us Arctic Refuge Blog Contact Us
