The (Big) Year That Flew By: Twelve Months, Six Continents, and the Ultimate Birding Record

This entertaining debut by Dutch birdwatcher Dwarshuis recounts how he set the record for the most birds spotted in a year (6,852). He details the triumphs and setbacks of his 2016 globe-trotting quest, describing how he endured food poisoning while searching for white-bellied minivets in New Delhi, and how he hiked up a Guatemalan mountain to spot the rare horned guan. The accounts of his travels offer colorful glimpses into the locales he visits, as when he discusses finding a kiwi bird in New Zealand and relates the country’s efforts to save its native birds by getting rid of the invasive cats, stoats, and foxes that prey on them. Among the more somber stops on his trip is central Brazil, where he laments the ecological devastation caused by the clearing of wide swaths of rainforest. Background on the threats faced by birds across the world adds urgency to the author’s search, but the jumps in time and place can be disorienting. For example, he recounts watching kingfishers on a visit to Malawi as a child, then flashes forward to a hunt for the Pel’s fishing owl in the same country before moving on to South Africa. Part birding journal, part travelogue, this will appeal to backyard birders. (May)