When Sandy Komito (the cheery guy played by Owen Wilson in the movie The Big Year) saw 748 species in 1998, many thought his North American birding record would last forever. In fact, Komito鈥檚 number stood for 15 years鈥攗ntil Neil Hayward managed to log 749 species during his . Since then, birders have wondered when someone might go for the big 750.
Well, it happened this month鈥攖wice! On July 16, John Weigel on a boat trip from Half Moon Bay, California, marking his 750th sighting of 2016. Then, on July 18, Olaf Danielson while birding on Saint Paul Island, Alaska, notching his own Big Year triumph. It鈥檚 hard to tell which is more remarkable: that the North American Big Year record was smashed less than seven months in, or that two separate birders hit the mark within two days of each other.
For Weigel, an American ex-pat now living in Australia, this is just another drop in the birding bucket. He鈥檚 completed two previous Big Years Down Under, and his Australian record of 770 species still holds. Turning his attention to North America seemed like the natural thing to do. 鈥淎part from the obvious but hopefully avoidable risks of financial ruin and family dissolution, why not?鈥 he wrote before setting out this past January. He鈥檚 gunning to , an Australian marsupial鈥攚hile enjoying some raw adventure along the way.
Danielson is also a Big Year veteran, having set his own : In 2013, he saw 594 species of North American birds au naturel (in other words, the birds were wearing more than he was). He鈥檚 been tearing up the race this year (clothed), and was in the lead until Weigel pushed ahead in July. He's dedicating his Big Year to his grandmother, Lucille.
The two competitors are neck and neck right now, and it will be interesting to see how they fare for the remaining five months. On reaching 750 in California, Weigel coyly commented, 鈥淚鈥檒l keep my long-term goals to myself for the time being, but all can be assured that I鈥檓 not planning on going soft any time soon.鈥
Both Weigel and Danielson have benefited from a few recent splits in species taxonomy. This year, for instance, the Western Scrub-Jay was divided into the California and Woodhouse鈥檚 Scrub-Jays, adding on an extra tick. The also pushed a few rare birds into North American territory that normally wouldn't occur here; though as , all of Weigel's species in the past month have been regulars. Now the question looms: Could these guys reach 775 by December?
In the grandest sense, the Big Year is more than just a game. Though few mortals will ever tackle the endeavor, most of us can appreciate the decision to follow a passion to its outer limits. Dedicating a whole year to birds is an exhausting, exhilarating, occasionally demoralizing, and addictive pursuit, and anyone crazy enough to go the distance is in for a wild ride. A big hat tip to Weigel and Danielson for chasing their dreams鈥攁nd best of luck to both of them for the rest of 2016 and beyond.