“The Big Year ” opened in theatres this weekend. It’s a comedy about competitive birders starring Owen Wilson, Jack Black, and Steve Martin. If you enjoy birding or bird photography, ignore the mixed reviews and go see it – it’s good. Lynn went with me and we both liked it. A lot.
The movie is based on a book by Mark Obmascik about the competition to sight the most bird species in a single year. In the movie, the winner (played by Owen Wilson) sacrifices everything else in his life to set the record at 745.
There are 924 species of bird in North America. 362 are common in Florida, 341 in Alaska, and 444 in California, so to reach 745 requires a lot of dedication, knowledge, and travel across the country. I have a long way to go. In my Lightroom catalog, I have photos of 67 different bird species. I’ve probably seen about 20 more that I’ve identified. 745 is a big number.
More info:
- Trailer:
- Soundtrack:
- Article about the possible impact on Florida birding:
http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2011/10/16/big-year-big-movie-big-boost-to-florida-birding/#ixzz1aziemeTk(sorry – no longer available)
Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go make some photos!
©2011, Ed Rosack. All rights reserved