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

Joy and I just finished this book by Mark Obmascik. After an introduction and history of birding, the book covered the 1998 competition for the Big Year record number of bird species to be seen in North America (US and Canada). There men competed to break the record. The winner set the current record at 745 species. The book combines the fun of a travelogue, the drama of a sports competition, and stories about birds. Even Joy enjoyed the book, so being a birder is not a prerequisite to reading the book, although knowing a birder probably helps. It was amazing how much money and time these birders spent. The author does a good job explaining birding. Here are some reviews and other info about the book.