The Big Year

A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession

By: Mark Obmascik

Narrated by: Del Roy

Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

A classic in the making - an account of the biggest year in birdwatching history.

In the USA, some 50 million people lay claim to being bird-watchers or “birders,” spending billions of dollars on birding-related travel and membership fees every year. A select, and utterly obsessed, few compete in one of the world’s quirkiest contests - the race to spot the most species in North America in a single year. And 1998 wasn’t just a big year. It was the biggest.

The Big Year is Pulitzer Prize-winner Mark Obmascik’s account of what was to become the greatest birding year of all time.

It was freak weather conditions that ensured all previous records were broken, but what becomes clear within the pages of this classic portrait of obsession is that while our feathered friends may be the objective of the Big Year competition, it’s the curious activities and behavioral patterns of the pursuing “homo sapiens” that are the real cause for concern. It is a contest that reveals much of the human character in extremes.

Such are the author’s powers of observation that he brilliantly brings to life and gets under the skin of these extraordinary, eccentric and obsessive birders while empathizing with and eventually succumbing to the all-consuming nature of their obsession. The result is a wonderfully funny, acutely observed classic to rank alongside the best of Bill Bryson.

©2004 Mark Obmascik (P)2004 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A fun account of a whirlwind pursuit of birding fame." (Publishers Weekly)
"With a blend of humor and awe, Obmascik takes the reader into the heart of competitive birding, and in the process turns everyone into birders. " (Booklist)
"Charming, engrossing, and educational even for people who can't tell a mudhen from a magpie." (Washington Post)
"A rollicking, feather-ruffler of a read, this uproarious adventure...will have you cawing with laughter." (Jeff Corwin)

Fascinating, Exciting

Once the groundwork has been laid, the main characters take over and the Big Year finishes with high drama. I rooted for the underdog and am still astonished at the sheer physical endurance of the three men in pursuit of the Holy Grail of birding. A fun, interesting, sometimes heart-stopping "read."

excellent

read it in a day! Found no problems. all in all, an ecellent book of birds for those interested.

Not a birder - Loved the book

I bought this book with some skepticism, but after I got into it, I loved it. There is a lot of name dropping about birds - bird names - but it didn't really get in the way of enjoying the book. I even looked up some of the birds on the internet to see what they were talking about. It's a play by play of 3 people who set out to see how many birds they could see and identify in a year. I had no idea people did this. I had heard about the Christmas bird counts, but didn't know that people did this year round. I found it a very interesting and informative book. I didn't know Audobon killed all those birds that he drew pictures of. They would have kicked him out of the Audobon Society today! I was rooting for the guys who were competing, and thought some of the stories were hilarious about one guy who would leave a "hello" message for the other two birders just for fun. There are some Audible books that leave me wanting more when they finish and this was one of them. It would be fun to count how many birds are named in the book - to see if it coincides with the number of birds viewed that year by the winner. Try it and let me know!

Competitive Birding !!??

I'm an avid birder, but not an avid lister- meaning I like to identify birds, but wouldn't drive 100 miles just to get a new one. So it was very interesting to read about these three men who would fly to Alaska, and stay in primitive conditions in terrible weather - at great expense - just to add some new birds to their lists.
It's a great story...

A fantastic account of travel and birds.

This book is fascinating and told with humor, exploring the passion and humanity of three birders on a journey of discovery.

Great listen

This is a very entertaining story well presented parts are hilarious, my wife and I are birders and can relate.

My new New Year’s tradition

Great story and well-paced performance. Every year I listen around New Year’s Day (and also watch the movie) to encourage me to get out and look for birds no matter what the weather. I don’t chase rarities much but have picked up a couple of tips from this nice adventurous true tale.

Best for Birders, interesting look at a subculture

I'm a birder, so I thoroughly enjoyed this look into competitive listing and the vast opportunity of habitat in the U.S. The narrative was a little slow, but it was a good story.

loved it

As an avid birder, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. very entertaining my dream one day. a big year

Not for the Birds

I like to watch the birds in my yard, that's why I picked up this book. But you don't have to care about birds or know anything about them to enjoy it. The obsession the characters had was amazing and the whole experience pointed out to what lengths people will go when they feel they are in a competition.
I usually give up on unabridged books (short attention span) but I listened to every word of this one and was disappointed when it ended.