"What's A Big Year? I'll let this English guy tell you."

In 2011, the film 'The Big Year' was released in theaters. Starring Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson, with an amazing array of supporting players, it was loosely based on the true story of three men attempting to break the world record for seeing the greatest number of bird species in North America in a calendar year. I thought it was funny, heartwarming and a little bit inspirational. What a fun thought, being free to follow the birds and live your passion! My husband and I loved watching the birds at our backyard feeder, especially the occasional hummingbirds that would appear in Florida in February. 

Ruby Throated Hummingbird - February 2020 - Lutz, Florida

Two years later, I lost my husband unexpectedly in a car accident, and I found myself trying to reshape my life. We have so little time, and we never know what moment will be our last, shouldn't we be spending it doing what makes us feel happy and fulfilled? I didn't necessarily want to spend all my time watching birds, but I couldn't stand the idea of spending my days in a cubicle or on a phone, sending strangers to places I wanted to see myself. A friend suggested a career as a tour manager, leading groups on trips to various destinations around the world, and I ran with it. I quit my job as a travel agent, got certified as a Tour Manager through the International Tour Management Institute in San Francisco and one month later I was in Alaska, preparing for a summer  of leading cruise ship guests through The Last Frontier

Bald Eagle - June 2017 - Juneau, Alaska 

I started with two summers in Alaska and a few student tours, then got full time work with a major tour company and really started expanding my repertoire. America's National Parks, The Pacific Northwest, California, South Dakota, Iceland, Austria, Germany, Switzerland - I was working in places I had only dreamed of and loving my work. The pandemic upended everything for a couple of years, but I was back nearly full time in 2022, just entirely within the United States. 

As 2023 begins, I find myself more and more interested in the many species of birds I am able to see in my travels. With regular trips from coast to coast from March through December, I get to see a variety that most birders can only dream of. But I'm still very much a beginner, only able to identify the most obvious birds and struggling to see the subtle differences between similar species. So here I am, starting what I am calling A Beginner's Big Year. I hope to learn a lot this year, keep track of everything I can identify in my travels and hopefully spot something rare along the way. I hope you'll join me virtually in my quest to become an accomplished birder and perhaps meet me somewhere along the way. Who knows where the journey will take us!

Burrowing Owl - March 2020 - Wesley Chapel, Florida