Readers flock to the adventures of a birding Big Year

As 2021 draws to a close, we look ahead to 2022 with hopes for a big (and better) year. However, few people likely have the same definition of a Big Year as local author and birding expert, John Vanderpoel.

In May, Vanderpoel published his book "Full Chase Mode: Big Year of Birding in North America" which follows the 365 days he spent chasing a birding record in 2011, in an endeavor known in the birding world as a "Big Year."

For birders, doing a Big Year is a kind of bucket list project. For one calendar year, they will try to spot and chronicle as many bird species as they can find. Some choose to do their Big Year locally while others spend big bucks traveling the globe to try to spot as many birds as possible.

Vanderpoel opted to narrow his focus to the North American continent, focusing on what is defined by the American Birding Association as a North American Big Year. This geographic focus allows birders to spot their species in 49 states (excluding Hawaii), all of Canada, and the French island San Pierre Miquelon off the coast of Newfoundland.

Vanderpoel found his love for birding while growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, thanks in part to a wildlife and nature-loving father and an uncle who were birders. He later turned his passion for avian species into part of his professional career. After founding Peregrine Video Productions in the 1990s and teaching himself the ins and outs of video production, Vanderpoel collaborated with birding icon Jon Dunn to produce a series of bird identification videos.

"At the time, I could see the quality of the video improving. I thought it was detailed enough to be able to let the viewer actually see on the video what we were trying to identify as far as the field marks of the birds. And I've always been interested in the identification of birds," said Vanderpoel.

So when after 15 years of professionally filming birds, Vanderpoel settled on doing his own Big Year, he had a solid foundation of knowledge to draw on to plan his trip. A glance at the two spreadsheets Vanderpoel kept while tracking his year attest to the logistical complexity of the project.

"It requires a lot of planning. From my experience working on the bird identification videos over the years, I had developed my idea of how I was going to do this Big Year," said Vanderpoel.

As luck would have it, that year Vanderpoel's son, Scott, who was finishing his MBA at Rice University, earned a paid summer internship with Continental/United Airlines which opened up the skies to Vanderpoel with a parent's fly free pass.

"At the beginning, I was planning on a budget. Then all of the sudden in the middle of my Big Year, Scott says, 'Hey dad, you're able to fly free.' That changed everything, that changed the whole dynamic of the Big Year because I could go anywhere, and I didn't have to worry about the cost," said Vanderpoel.

Cost became especially critical in Vanderpoel's attempt to see what birders call "rarities" or extremely rare sightings of bird species, oftentimes in unusual or unexpected places. As he tells in one chapter of his book titled "The Russian Storm," chasing rarities requires a willingness to travel to the far reaches of the continent on very short notice.

"In October [of 2011], a big weather system in Siberia moved east toward Alaska. Asian birds migrating from the Kamchatka Peninsula to Hokkaidō, which is the northern part of Japan, they go over about 600 miles of water. And they got blown east into the Bering Sea. And some of them landed on the Pribilof Islands in St. Paul [Alaska]," said Vanderpoel.

In these cases, Vanderpoel had friends on the ground and other local contacts who let him know either if they had a rarity sighting or if there was the potential chance to spot a bird on his list so he could hop on a plane and jet off to chase the rarity.

Another part of his year included spending significant time in the "big five" states - Alaska, California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida as well as making multiple trips to Canada.

"The reason you're going [to those states] is you want rarities from Mexico, the Bahamas, and Asia. And that's what adds to your list. And that requires chasing - it's not just planning. You've got to be adaptable, and you got to be willing and able to chase rarities," he said.

Of these rarities, Vanderpoel noted several that were particularly memorable including seeing a Fork-tailed Flycatcher which is the topic of his first chapter and which also makes a cameo on the cover of his book. Another memorable rarity was spotting a Greylag Goose outside of Montreal.

"That's only been seen three times in North America. It's common in the Netherlands, Scandinavia and the British Isles, but to have one there was amazing. And I missed it the first time, but I had a second opportunity," said Vanderpoel.

He recalled following the Russian Storm with his brother and another friend, spending days exploring St. Paul Island in Alaska on foot.

"We just walked mile after mile and on the last day, we got a Bullfinch, which is a really handsome finch with a salmon-colored breast from Asia and Europe," he said.

As his Big Year progressed, Vanderpoel found himself on track and vying for Sandy Komito's 1998 all-time record. He started an online blog that amassed 10,000 followers where he recorded sightings and kept people apprised of his progress.

"I had a lot of people following my Big Year and each day as I got closer and closer to the record. And once I got going, I got information from people I didn't even know that was really helpful. I met a lot of really cool people along the way," said Vanderpoel.

And he wasn't just checking off species on a list. Along the way, Vanderpoel was amassing stories, too. His book chronicles much more than just his Big Year, an attempt that he conceded might, to an outside observer, seem a bit self-centered.

"The book is about the Big Year, and people like that aspect of it. But what I like about the book is, because I had worked with a lot of the legends and icons of birding, there are stories about them as well," said Vanderpoel.

All-in-all, Vanderpoel saw a staggering 744 bird species in 2011. His list includes many rarities as well as a host of birds he spotted here in Colorado. In fact, Vanderpoel said there are many great spots right around Niwot to head out bird watching even if you're a beginner, such as Walden Ponds, Union Reservoir, and Lagerman Reservoir.

As to whether he was able to secure the record - well, you can read his book to find out.

"That was part of the adventure too - going to the ends of the continent. That's where you get to see a lot of really cool stuff," said Vanderpoel. "I'll have these memories for the rest of my life."

For community members who would like to learn more about Vanderpoel's book and his Big Year experiences, Inkberry Books in Cottonwood Square in Niwot will be hosting an author reading on December 17 at 7 p.m. followed by a reception with refreshments.

Vanderpoel's book is available for purchase at Inkberry or online through Buteo Books.