Comments on: Worst. Big Year. Ever.

By: slybird

slybird — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:30:00 +0000

299? Ouch. You should go back and ax a questionable species or two from your list. 298 or 297 just doesn’t have that ouch factor of 299.

Great job, and I look forward to reading your new year’s adventures.

~ Nick

By: N8

N8 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:00:00 +0000

@Owlman - I don't want to give the impression that it wasn't fun. Most of it was a blast, I just didn't like the driving and the pressure to find new birds. But you're right, birding should always be fun.

@Mike- Thanks for the kind words. Perhaps this is as good a time as any to announce that with the Big Year over, I don't see a reason for this blog to go on anymore. I'm going on hiatus.

No, just kidding, I'll be back in 09.

By: noflickster

noflickster — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 04:10:00 +0000

I agree with the above comments and with what some manly guy (Clint? John Wayne?) once said, "You done good, kid."

While you may not have reached the high goal you set you did well by any standard. Best of all you maintained a marriage, entertained your audience, pushed NC blue, became and expectant father, found time to travel outside the state, and did some other stuff (refer to your blog to see a nice write up) while doing it. Nicely played, sir, nicely played.

Jochen, the Great McKinney was a drummer in Spinal Tap, yes? Oder bin ich verrückt?

Looking forward to Drinking Birds in 2009!
-Mike

By: Owlman

Owlman — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:17:00 +0000

I agree with Jochen – birding should be fun regardless of how you get your kicks. You’ve done the Big Year and survived. Counting birds is fun, but if it defeats the purpose of actually seeing and enjoying the birds then I say No thanks.

By: N8

N8 — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:45:00 +0000

@patrick- Without a blog to fill I don't know that I would have done it. It certainly helped me push through those times I didn't feel like driving those two hours before dawn. So thank you for that, all of you really, even those that don't comment.

@Jochen - my 7 extra birds I've seen in NC but that I didn't get this year were: Sedge Wren, Lark Sparrow, Parasitic Jaeger, Wilson's Warbler, Buff-bellied Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, and Harlequin Duck.

@Mike- Thanks. You may want to take it all with an appropriate sized grain of salt, though... : )

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:49:00 +0000

Great epilogue! I’m not the Big Year type but were I ever to embark on such a mad marathon, I’d find your insights invaluable.

By: Jochen

Jochen — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:23:00 +0000

As the Great McKinney put it:

"Have a good time all the time"

Birding ought to be fun, that's the first and foremost, the single most important rule. The rest (238 or 299 or 300 or 353) is just the byproduct of having fun and thus not important.
I always had fun reading your Big Year birding tales, so THANKS for the miles driven and bushwhacked and spent on boats fighting sea-sickness.
What are the 7 state birds on your list you didn't see during your Big Year?

By: Patrick Belardo

Patrick Belardo — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:10:00 +0000

Well I enjoyed reading about your adventures regardless.