The Big Year movie

Thanks for the link! With a few months left in the year, he just might break the previous record.

Are vagrant birds and introduced species counted in a 'Big Year'?

He may do, but what happens with year lists is that you start out strong because all the birds are new, but the further you get into the year the harder it becomes. In New Zealand (many fewer birds than in Australia!!!) I generally get about 40-50 species in January, 10-20 in February, and then it just trails off with usually only one or two species a month unless I make a trip somewhere (like a pelagic trip will net about 20 more species). The same is true, but on a larger scale, for Australia or the USA.

Vagrants certainly count in a Big Year (they are what bulk the list up above the norm - if a Big Yearer doesn't go after the vagrants then he'll be beaten in numbers by someone who does, because both of them will be getting almost all of the same "regular" birds). In the movie the great spotted woodpecker and the pink-footed goose were both vagrants.

Introduced birds also count because where-ever in the world you are, the Big Year list is based on the official checklist for that country. Established populations of introduced birds such as common mynah or tree sparrow are on the Australian list so they count. If you see a canary flying round in your garden, though, that doesn't count because its just an escaped bird not part of a recognised established population. [For personal year/life/etc lists, you can list whatever you want and organise them however you want. Some people don't count introduced birds on their personal lists. It's all just for fun really].

Usually the area covered in a Big Year is either the geographical area "owned" by the country (eg, an Australian Big Year can include the Cocos-Keeling Islands, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, etc), or a multi-nation geographical unit (as used by the ABA which counts the USA, Canada, etc -- but not Hawaii, Guam, etc, even though they are owned by the USA).
 
I should also mention the biggest of all Big Years, when Alan Davies and Ruth Miller set off on a round-the-world twitchathon in 2008. They were aiming to beat the previous year record of 3662 species, and ended up with 4341.

This is their site but it sucks: The Biggest Twitch World Record Breakers

This is their book, which sucks even worse: [ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Biggest-Twitch-Around-World-Birds/dp/1408123878]The Biggest Twitch: Around the World in 4,000 Birds: Amazon.co.uk: Alan Davies, Ruth Miller: Books[/ame] -- I couldn't even get halfway through it before I gave up. It was so incredibly boring. Basically a list of "we went here, we saw this, then we went here and saw this".
 
I should also mention the biggest of all Big Years, when Alan Davies and Ruth Miller set off on a round-the-world twitchathon in 2008. They were aiming to beat the previous year record of 3662 species, and ended up with 4341.

This is their site but it sucks: The Biggest Twitch World Record Breakers

This is their book, which sucks even worse: The Biggest Twitch: Around the World in 4,000 Birds: Amazon.co.uk: Alan Davies, Ruth Miller: Books -- I couldn't even get halfway through it before I gave up. It was so incredibly boring. Basically a list of "we went here, we saw this, then we went here and saw this".

Thanks for the first post. It was comprehensive, and now I realise that I should probably stick to a 'Big Life'. :D I was wondering about introduced birds, because I see common starlings, Indian mynahs, song thrushes, pigeons, and Eurasian blackbirds in my yard daily, so I am already on 5. :D

I put your comment in bold above, because I cannot imagine what a book on a 'Big Year' could possibly be about other than that.:confused:
 
Thanks for the first post. It was comprehensive, and now I realise that I should probably stick to a 'Big Life'. :D I was wondering about introduced birds, because I see common starlings, Indian mynahs, song thrushes, pigeons, and Eurasian blackbirds in my yard daily, so I am already on 5. :D

I put your comment in bold above, because I cannot imagine what a book on a 'Big Year' could possibly be about other than that.:confused:
well a good birding book is like "The Big Year" or Sean Dooley's "The Big Twitch" -they are funny and well-written, full of anecdotes about not just the birds but also about the exploits of actually finding the birds, people met along the way, all that sort of stuff: basically, to put it in movie terms because you don't read books, the difference between the acting of Greta Garbo and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. If you haven't read any birding tales then it is probably difficult to get what I'm trying to say though. I really do suggest you read at least The Big Twitch as it is an Australian one.
 
The book is excellent, also called The Big Year. If you read that, I would suggest the book "Kingbird Highway" about Kenn Kaufman's 1973 Big Year.

Thanks for the suggestion. I absolutely loved Kingbird Highway.
 
Hi Chlidonias, what was the biggest NZ Big Year?
the number of birders in NZ is quite low (perhaps surprisingly given that it is famously known as a land of birds). The only "proper" Big Year in NZ that I ever heard of was done by Brent Stephenson (of birding company Wrybill Tours) in 2006. He got 206 species.

His list here: http://www.wrybill-tours.com/Assets/brents_2006_bigyear_list.pdf

Obviously owning a birding company (catering to international birders visiting NZ) means that he and the co-owner Sav always get relatively high year lists anyway because they do several NZ-wide trips per year. I usually get between 75 and 95 in a year in NZ.
 
well a good birding book is like "The Big Year" or Sean Dooley's "The Big Twitch" -they are funny and well-written, full of anecdotes about not just the birds but also about the exploits of actually finding the birds, people met along the way, all that sort of stuff: basically, to put it in movie terms because you don't read books, the difference between the acting of Greta Garbo and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. If you haven't read any birding tales then it is probably difficult to get what I'm trying to say though. I really do suggest you read at least The Big Twitch as it is an Australian one.

Yeah, I have never read a wildlife or zoo book before. I'll give The Big Twitch a try some time.
 
nanoboy, I should have mentioned there is a current Australian "Big Year" being undertaken by John Weigel (of the Australian Reptile Park). I think he's on 670-odd at the moment.

See here for his progress: Birding for Devils
Chlidonias said:
.....what happens with year lists is that you start out strong because all the birds are new, but the further you get into the year the harder it becomes.

up to 685 now: Birding for Devils: Number of the beast - the list so far

(the list is dated by bird so you can see how the number of new birds diminishes as the year progresses)
 
up to 685 now: Birding for Devils: Number of the beast - the list so far

(the list is dated by bird so you can see how the number of new birds diminishes as the year progresses)

This is a fantastic list. He has photos of almost every bird, and he gives the location too. He started the year by spotting a palm cockatoo - if it were me, I would have been contented with just that and ended my 'big year' there and then. :D
 
John Weigel is up to 700 as of today, with scarlet-chested parrot at Gluepot. Still a lot of the year to go, so its looking very good for him to break the Australian record.
 
John Weigel is up to 700 as of today, with scarlet-chested parrot at Gluepot. Still a lot of the year to go, so its looking very good for him to break the Australian record.

700 is insane! Is he doing this big year as a part-time thing, or he isn't working a job at all this year?
 
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I found it to be inspirational, moving, funny and it portrayed some really beautiful bird species. I'd rate it 10/10
 
John Weigel is up to 700 as of today, with scarlet-chested parrot at Gluepot. Still a lot of the year to go, so its looking very good for him to break the Australian record.
he has now broken the Australian record with a semi-palmated plover at Simpson's Beach in Broome on 28 October (#721 on his Big Year list). Then he went to Lord Howe Island and added white-bellied storm petrel and Lord Howe woodhen, and today got a vagrant Franklin's gull at Paynesville for number 724. Still two months of the year left as well.
 
he has now broken the Australian record with a semi-palmated plover at Simpson's Beach in Broome on 28 October (#721 on his Big Year list). Then he went to Lord Howe Island and added white-bellied storm petrel and Lord Howe woodhen, and today got a vagrant Franklin's gull at Paynesville for number 724. Still two months of the year left as well.

Fantastic! Let's see how long the record will stand, and indeed, what the actual record will be!
 
hey nanoboy, are you working this weekend? The Victoria Twitchathon (i.e. a 24 hour or 8 hour bird race) is on and you could enter it!! There's still time to enter, and it's all in good fun. You could have a husband and wife team!! Rules etc here (scroll down to Downloads): All Victoria Statewide | BirdLife Australia
 
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