What is it about a tiny creature that makes a grown mans mouth gape? Obmasick asked rhetorically. The best-known Big Year is 1998 when three birders Al Levantin, Greg Miller and Sandy Komito (who held the standing record from 1987) set out to break Komito's standing record of 722 species. Farther down the river, the trio counted two green-winged teals floating along with several mallard ducks and an elusive American dipper bobbing in and out of the frigid water. Will birding ever be the same? This is where the sheer size of the movie business sank in for me. Images and content protected and monitored. Mark I communicate with some regularity. That meant a Big Year on his own terms. Greg Miller, one of the men I wrote about, was hired as a consultant for the film, and he taught the main actors how to act like real birders and not some cartoonish pith-helmeted Miss Jane Hathaway from The Beverly Hillbillies. Contingency plans ahead of time just save time during the course of the year. They were tasked with covering several areas from Carbondale to Glenwood Springs, starting with the nearby nature park. There was a mockingbird in Arizona last year that I didnt chase. Here is the Bird Calls radio archive of Saturday, Oct 29, with guest Al Levantin, one of the three original birders about which "The Big Year" book was written. Every year around Christmas time, local residents join tens of thousands of people across the Western Hemisphere to record all the birds they see or hear within a 15-mile radius. To replicate a mountainous Aleutian isle with fantastic birdslike the great knot and yellow-throated buntingbut no trees, permanent human residents, or reliable plumbing, the director packed up the entire movie production into semi-trailers and trucked three days up the Alaskan Highway to Dawson City in the Yukon. I go to places most people havent heard of, Levantin said this week with a hearty laugh. Their goal: spotting the most species of birds in a single year.. There has been some online discussion among the birding community about the optics used in the movie. Aspen Glen resident Sibel Tekce welcomed the birders to her home along the Roaring Fork River. Al graciously agreed to answer some questions via email, so, 10,000 Birds readers, you get to hear all about The Big Year straight from the birders mouth. Translation: "I'm on to you, friend. Where Are You Birding This First Weekend of October 2008? Its a male hairy. Al Levantin, retired executive and Aspen resident, is unknown in the world of competitive birding, but he has the cash and has done the homework to catch Komito. The temperature was only 2 degrees, and the sun was just hitting the top of Mt. *Big Year numbers are listed as ABA birds + provisional. C: What bird have you not seen in North America that you really really think you should have seen by now? Levantin remains an avid birder, searching trees and hollows, landfills and even somewhere so mundane as a feeder, both here and in far-flung . Among Obmascik's many literary gifts resides a knack for presenting the essence of a bird in a single phrase. Weve been good friends ever since. The season also could have been chalked up to one of those rare events when the stars align and the moons converge. (By the way, have you recovered from the debts racked up during your big year?). Audubon Society has big expectations for boost in birder numbers from 'The Big Year': Aerial View A self-made man in business, he was determined to be a self-made man in birding. A: Bicknells Thrush was one of my misses. News and stories about birds and conservation in the Rockies. The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies ( ACES ), is a great resource for tours and info on finding juncos, sharp-shinned hawks, and other Aspen fliers. Learn more about our site, Mike, Corey, or our awesome team of Beat Writers. Two other birders, Sandy Komito and Al Levantin also did Big Years the same year as Greg and also broke the 700 mark. Self-starter, team oriented, Property Manager & Maintenance tech Pay DOE. Mark Fuller, who is with Roaring Fork Audubon, says Clark was an avid birder and naturalist. At least, that's what Sandy Komito, Al Levantin and Greg Miller would tell you. A: Im not 100% sure who will play my role but Im leaning toward Steve Martin. Two other birders, Sandy Komito and Al Levantin also did "Big Years" the same year as Greg and also broke the 700 mark. Mark Obmascik's popular book "The Big Year" chronicled the birding journey of Snowmass Village's Al Levantin and his birding competitors (it was adapted into a 2011 film with Steve Martin playing Levantin).. Katachadourian's installation is like the ultimate local "life list" and "county list" of birds . How old was Levantin. She has been doing the Christmas Bird Count in the valley for about 13 years now. The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. The day was far from over for these intrepid birders, but they headed back to compare notes with the rest of the group over lunch at the Village Smithy. They even had trained Norwegian rats scamper, on cue, through the barracks from one actor to another. These birdmen have much in common: ambitious, self- made winners from the Depression-era Bronx who probably birded together as children, having been rescued from the stultification of poverty by the Boy Scouts and their nature-focused field trips. Sandy Komito, Al Levantin, and Greg Miller were grown-up Tom Sawyersadventurous, joyful, and really . There, in a forsaken valley not far from the Arctic Circle, they built a striking replica of the ramshackle World War II barracks that birders in my book had relied upon in Attu. On Dec. 18, another group of birders with Roaring Fork Audubon gathered outside the Third Street Center in Carbondale for their annual count. Al Levantin, one of the birders about whom the movie and book The Big Year is based, will be the next guest on Bird Calls Radio. Type in your search and hit Enter on desktop or hit Go on mobile device. Later we confessed. In part, there were the physical conditions produced by an El Nino season. Greg is currently on many bird-related boards and committees and has been instrumental in decisions on listing and conservation. The book followed three men on a quest for a Big Year - a competition among birders to see who can see and identify the greatest number of species of birds in North America (north of Mexico) in a calendar year. Eventually, they persuaded the Garfield County Commissioners to keep the area protected, but the company can still reapply later. The author writes about what its like to have his book made into a major motion picture featuring some of Hollywoods biggest stars. This past December I had the opportunity to spend several delightful days in south Texas with most of the birders who have ever counted more than 700 birds while doing a North American "Big Year" notables like Benton Basham, Sandy Komito, John Vanderpoel, Bob Ake, Lynn Barber, Greg Miller, Dan Sanders, Al Levantin and Chris Hitt. Roaring Fork Audubon's downvalley count This holiday tradition was known as the Christmas Side Hunt, and whoever brought in the biggest bounty won, but on Christmas Day in 1900, a well-known ornithologist proposed a new holiday tradition: a "Christmas Bird Census." Aspen Public Radio | On a recent lunch break spent birding in Central Park rumors of both an early Blue-winged Warbler and an Al Levantin being present reached my ears. Anytime the ponds freeze up, the kingfishers move to the river, and when the river freezes up, they head south, Filby said. Excellent Benefits, Housekeeper needed 5 days per week (40+hrs) in a private home in Snowmass. How he manages to compete against two wealthy retirees with nothing but time makes up the book's most poignant and satisfying plotline. With which cast members did you forge any particular lasting friendships? Now these are very common birds, but there are 98 Canada geese there, Levantin said. For the first blissful 19 days of the year, he believes he is competing only against himself. No joke: On October 14, Fox 2000 will release the big-screen version of The Big Year. Which birding publications and websites do you read and recommend? Visit your local Audubon center, join a chapter, or help save birds with your state program. The bland but rare Baird's sparrow appears "as tall as a can of Coke but with none of the fizz." You start at 70 and it's hard!. Levantin's real-life big year started with watching birds from skis on the Snowmass Ski Area. A: Sandys record will be very, very difficult to best because of not having access to Attu. What is your favorite bird sighting and what is the story behind it? ), An interesting chat with Al here. Your support helps secure a future for birds at risk. Hes a great guy and, obviously, an incredible birder. . Please nominatethat person by sending me an, The Birders Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds, Birdfinder: A Birders Guide to Planning North American Birding Trips. Their competitive quests are documented in the 2004 non-fiction book, The Big Year, by Pulitzer Prize winning author Mark Obmascik. Provisional species were new to the ABA Area and so not on that years ABA checklist, and are still awaiting listing by the state records committee and ABA Checklist . And then The Big Year turned even wilder. After a quiet stop outside the house, the birders headed on to the nature park. April 13, 2004 12 AM PT. It wasn't just birds you know, deer, probably foxes. It looks like a great cast has been chosen to play the birders in the book. Client Information Form. Awesome interview with an equally awesome person. Fellow birder and wildlife biologist Ted Robertson keeps track of the total count using a birding app called eBird, which was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Like a lot of us I'll be going to see "The Big Year" this weekend, even though it veers pretty hard from the fabulous non-fiction book it's based on (written by Mark Obmascik), and even though it seems to be getting uniformly lukewarm reviews (at best). Many years later, I did what is called a big year, where you spend the whole year looking to find as many species as possible. Here is the Bird Calls radio archiveof Saturday, Oct 29, withguestAlLevantin, one of the three original birders about which The Big Year book was written. Swipe is only available in chrome dev tools mobile mode. the birder and anti-birder alike A humorous look at 50 common North American dumb birds: For those who have a disdain for birds or bird lovers with a sense of humor, this snarky, illustrated handbook is equal parts profane, funny, andlet's face ittrue. mso-page-orientation: portrait; A lot. But, according to Larson, the Christmas Bird Count was not always so peaceful. And, as in any good tale of adventure, each player has a potentially fatal flaw: Komito his ego, Levantin his chronic seasickness, Miller his empty pockets. Seeing the many species of ducks in the Roaring Fork River, especially the Common and Barrows Goldeneyes, ignited a spark in me to learn more about birds. $35+/hr. The fellow who saw the most at that time saw 742.. We only saw 2,725 individual birds and 61 species. Privacy Policy Sandy had 4 weeks on Attu in 1998. Full-time, year round. Sign up for Audubon emails on how you can help and enjoy birds in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. mso-footer: none; Youll still see him on a road bike grunting up steep hills with his gang, two or three times a week. Hes gone around the back. After my book was published, I got many calls and letters from people saying they had been inspired to try birding for the first time. I mean, you never quite know until you get the data, but we had a good group of people, he said. Local help is also desirable to maximize your time. By Bernadette Murphy. When he moved to southern Maryland before his Big Year, he looked up ABA members in the directory and Bell was the first one. 2, on a tour boat in Bodega Bay: Al Levantin, a retired Fortune 500 chief executive now living in a mansion near Aspen and itching for a challenge. I wish I got better photos.