To See Every Bird on Earth

by Dan Koeppel

Richard Koeppel's obsession began at age twelve, in Queens, New York, when he first spotted a Brown Thrasher, and jotted the sighting in a notebook. Several decades, one failed marriage, and two sons later, he set out to see every bird on earth, becoming a member of a subculture of competitive bird watchers worldwide all pursuing the same goal. Over twenty-five years, he collected over seven thousand species, becoming one of about ten people ever to do so. To See Every Bird on Earth explores the thrill of this chase, a crusade at the expense of all else-for the sake of making a check in a notebook. A riveting glimpse into a fascinating subculture, the book traces the love, loss, and reconnection between a father and son, and explains why birds are so critical to the human search for our place in the world.

Genres: Birds, Nonfiction, Nature, Memoir, Biography, Science, Natural History

Audio CD

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Dan Koeppel is a well-known outdoors, nature, and adventure writer who has written for the New York Times Magazine, Outside, Audubon, Popular Science, and National Geographic Adventure, where he is a contributing editor. Koeppel has also appeared on CNN and Good Morning America, and is a former commentator for Public Radio International's Marketplace.

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author did an admirable job of telling a story that could have been a boring diatribe about “Daddy & Me,” or worse, a clumsy attempt to make birding an action adventure. Instead, he wove a heartfelt (although occasionally spilling into maudlin) story consisting of three parts: a biography of his father, the desperate relationship with his father (or lack of one), and the “sport” of big listing (birds). The biography was one of a man who didn’t fulfill his early ornithological career ambition because of his relationship with his own parents. It was intriguing in that many people (myself included) have a story about how their dreams or potential wasn’t fulfilled because of some circumstance and we went on with what was left to become who we are. So I saw a reflection of myself in this character. The second story of the relationship between the author and his father was a bit too gooey for my tastes. He couldn’t get past not having his father’s approval, until the end of the book when the conflict was resolved, which made for tidy storytelling anyway. The third story of big-listing was not only interesting because it discussed birds, but served as a description and analysis of what compels such compelling (and compulsive) behavior. It became introspective in that I came to see my own “listing” impulses of one sort or another (like this—listing the books I read and writing a short review of them). This was a hard book to write, but the author pulled it off by weaving together the three stories that alone probably would not have had sufficient gravity to hold interest.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Microhistories are a subgenre of non-fiction books which take a particular subject or single event and through intensive historical research try to contextualize the chosen subject within the broader picture. As a history nerd, I find that a well written microhistory uncovers a previously unthought-of subject or event and breathes life into the history cannon as a whole. Several years ago I read and enjoyed a microhistory called Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World by Dan Koeppel.

The Banana book led me here. This book is part microhistory, part memoir and is shelved (appropriately) in the bird section next to bird identification books. Koeppel is primarily an outdoor journalist and has written a very intimate book about his father and his life as a Big Lister. This book takes you both into the world of the Koeppel family (the memoir part) but also into the world of birds, bird identification and the few people in the world who have seen and listed more than 6,000 bird species (the microhistory part). Koeppel tries to answer the questions about obsession, science, nature, competition, and family dynamics - and does a good job of guiding those not obsessed with birds through this new world. The details about their family dovetail nicely with the birding world to make for a very interesting read. I would suggest this title for anyone who enjoys nature writing and doesn't mind something a little personal.

[Mark Nenadov · Rating 4 out of 5]

A candid memoir of a father’s five decades chasing birds from the vantage point of his son. Over several decades he visited 60 countries and saw over 7,000 bird species. The son seeks to understand the obsession and reflects upon his father and also the birds that so enthralled him.

[Ensiform · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, a nature writer, candidly details his father's fifty-year obsession with birding, and how it isolated him from his family. The father, Richard, became entranced with birding from the age of twelve, and with his income from a physician, funds dozens of trips across the globe to rack up over 7,000 sightings. Despite clearly feeling an absence of a close personal connection to him, the son is sympathetic to Richard's story, painting him as a man who not so much ran from his responsibilities as running toward a dream. Koeppel intersperses his attempts to decode his father's psyche with facts about the pursuit of birdwatching, including its rules, its history, the few personalities who reach the top of the sighting charts, and the sometimes baffling and mercurial intricacies of bird taxonomy (sometimes species are split or merged, wreaking havoc with the birders' lists).

Near the end of the book Koeppel describes a trip that he took with his father, one of only two they ever planned together to see birds. He was satisfied that he forged a closer relationship with his father, though he can't get the elder Koeppel to reveal any thoughts about his passion other than "it was just something I did." It's a bittersweet conclusion. We don't learn a lot about what made Richard tick, but at least Koeppel and the reader come away with a better understanding of birdwatching in general. A book on the eccentric community, not just his father, might have been even more eye-opening, but this book serves as a sort of closure for its author.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me search through my parent's house to recover our old Audubon singing bird clock.

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend gave this book to my mother for her birthday, which is in March, and I asked if I could read it first, since I’m a fast reader. She kindly said yes and I finished about half of the book during that visit to her house, then put it away and forgot about it. I stumbled across it again recently and tried to start where I had left off, but because I couldn’t remember where that was, I started at the beginning. All this to say, I’ve read the book one and a half times.

This is a sweet little book, a quick read that is ostensibly about birding but actually is about what seems to be one of the most complicated relationships on earth – that between a father and a son. (As a woman, I have to say that my relationship with my mother is complex and loving, while that with my father was just plain loving. So I get the complexity of parental relationships with their children of their own gender.)

Dan Koeppel’s relationship with his father, though, is not the standard one of competition or trying to prove oneself, of seeking validation or approval. Rather, it is a constant seeking for his father’s love and attention. Richard Koeppel, the father in question, is a “Big Lister” (his father sighted more than 7,000 birds of different species between his early teens and his 70s), and seemed to set greater store on finding those elusive birds than he did on developing and maintaining relationships with his family.

The great thing about this book is that it is a tale of forgiveness and redemption. Through writing the book, Koeppel comes to understand his father in a way that he couldn’t have without interviewing his father’s friends and colleagues – the other birders that he met during those intense trips to exotic places on the hunt for birds (not that these “hunts” resulted in any deaths – to the birds at least. Several Big Listers have been killed in pursuit of their quarries, including one man who was attacked by a tiger).

Koeppel’s parents were divorced early in his childhood and Richard seemed to replace personal relationships with his passion for birds. To the author, the birds seemed more important to his father than Dan and his brother Jim were. Ironically, Richard experienced a similar feeling in his own childhood. Richard Koeppel believed that his parents were more dedicated to the cause of establishing the state of Israel than they were concerned about him.

One quibble that I have with the book is that on two occasions, the author states that his father’s responses to certain situations were more complicated than his mother’s. It seemed like he was saying that his father is a more complicated person than his mother. Not knowing any of these people personally, I can’t say whether that’s true, but it came off as a put down of his mother.

I have no interest in birds and the thought of traipsing through jungles with binoculars and bug spray doesn’t hold the least bit of interest for me. In fact, now that I've read the book, I'm even less interested. This book held my attention despite that. I came away with less of an understanding of the motivation behind birding than I started with. Birding isn’t a waste of time; the fact that there are people out there who devote their time, energy and money to birding has furthered the overall knowledge and understanding of the natural world. Still, I have always viewed it as the most boring pursuit one could engage in. Reading the book confirmed that opinion, but added numerous other reasons -- damaging personal relationships, traveling to exotic locations and ignoring everything but the birds -- to avoid this hobby.

Koeppel sees birds as among the best evidence we have of evolution. I am not a creationist; I definitely believe in evolution. But when I think of how a bird is adapted for a specific area or dependent on the available offerings for nourishment, I am overcome with awe at the God who created this incredible world. I guess that makes my take on this a little different than Koeppel’s.

Overall, this is an absorbing, interesting read, and may be of more interest to non-birders than it is to those who are in the fold, so to speak.

[Sonny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well I didn't really care about the people. And I didn't really think the writing was much to, uh, write home about. And the birds themselves were kind of a sidebar to this self-indulgent bio-book about the ignored kid/author, the distant father and self-indulgent mother. So I guess I wasn't that crazy about this.

However, I've run the gamut of these bird-chaser stories and they seem to have something in common. The obsessed birders who run after these birds to add them to a list might as well be looking for different types of pasta noodles or collecting brands of motor oil for all they really cared about the birds. This is OK. Let them enjoy their obsession. But I don't find it particularly titillating. You know what else? Most of these characters are not particularly likable. They are so totally consumed with their obsession that there is not much dimension to them. None of this is meant to be judgmental. But this behavior and those who engage in it just don't appeal. I guess I'm done reading bird chaser books. I'm on to Sacred Hunger.

[Chris Leuchtenburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a rousing tale of harmless, quirky adventure, like other books about obsessive birding, such as The Big Year. It focuses on two men, father and son, struggling with their demons, especially the bird-list-obsessed father. Some aspects of this often sad memoir, such as the lengthy early description of the grandparents' devotion to Zionism (ignoring their son), bog down the narrative, so it takes a long time to get to any birding at all. What this book offers more and better than others is a history and close look at the truly obsessed, the Big Listers trying to see every last bird species.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiration for fledgling (hah) birders and compulsive list-makers like me. A son chronicles his father's discovery of birding as a child and subsequent rise into the ranks of famous listers--people who travel the globe trying to check birds off their life lists. I feel so...insignificant.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpectedly poignant book about the obsessions of birding, travel, dreams and accomplishments, all told through the prism of personal memoir/biography from a man whose father who saw over 7,000 birds. The structure used a specifically researched focus (birding) with related interludes on wide-ranging topics with a personal and philosophical touches woven throughout. This approach really worked well - reminiscent of similar styles on “An Odyssey” by Daniel Mendelsohn and “On Trails” by Robert Moor. It also introduced some new terms for me - “Listers”, “Splitters”, and “Lumpers”. Some passages:

“It seems obvious, but you can’t count a lot of birds if there aren’t a lot of birds. What makes that an interesting thought is that the number of birds on Earth has been growing- rapidly. When Dad first started birding, there were believe to be about 8,600 known species. Today there are closer to ten thousand - and in a decade or two, some ornithologists believe that number could double, or even triple.”

“The summer before classes were to begin, I think, was the last chance Dad had as a young man to take a path of his own choosing. With a copy of Kerouac’s “On the Road” in his pocket and Peterson’s “A Field Guide to Western Birds” on the passenger seat, Dad signed up with a drive-away car transporter company and traveled cross-country.”

“Dad told me that he had to accept responsibility. Most of us have met that moment where we suddenly realize the things that we once sought are falling into a different order of priorities. Sometimes we have to find a way to change our lives, to re-embrace that which seems to be vanishing. Other times we simply abandon our dreams.”

“In retrospect, I’m not so sure birding’s popularity rose because it cured any inherent illness in the modern world. Rather it seems to be that listing is one of the most earth-friendly examples of manifest destiny - it doesn’t solve the problems of modern life, it brings a measure of control to them. Yes, birding was (and is) an antidote, but it’s efficacy comes not by providing a sylvan counterbalance to that uncertainty, but by adding to a chaotic world an element of power and control. Counting birds is an assertive way for the average person to gain mastery over nature.”

[dejah_thoris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a casual birder, but I've considered going beyond my yard several times. Yes, there are animal facts and descriptions of birding culture, but the crux of this book is the author's relationship with his father. Can birding bring them together or is it a means of keeping distance between them? Why does his father choose birding over any relationship? What does it mean to be a "big lister"? Does an activity become more significant if you think you're dying? There is much to consider from this little book. If you like complicated, distant parent-child relationships this book is for you.

[Leslie Moellering · Rating 4 out of 5]

Counting birds as a Big Lister is a very eccentric hobby and this book lets you see how a dysfunctional family life can lead someone there. A couple of the chapters were a bit technical.

[Jane Wetzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating true story. It is partly a story of Dan Koeppel's family, from his grandparents on down to himself and his brother. This was done so very well with impersonal honesty, even though his subjects were so personal to him. His childhood was tough, by his parent's making, and his father's life was overly influenced by his parents. But Dan wrote with integrity, compassion and love, and relayed the stories of their lives with understanding and without blame. It was a most refreshing and comfortable read, which cannot always be said about true stories of dysfunctional families. Then there was that part of the book devoted to Dan's father's obsession with "Bird Listing", his journeys to see the birds to add to his list, others belonging to the world of birding and listing and the birds themselves. The facts were extremely interesting and written clearly and in an uncomplicated style. It was a study of birds and a study of people. We all have our seemingly unique personalities. They may be unrelated to those of any other family member yet, out there in the world, there is likely to be another person with those same passions or gifts--the drive to make lists of the birds, the passion and patience to go in search of new species, the desire to read volumes and study about birds with all of one's time or all of one's being. With birds, it is often the same. We think for a while that a group of birds are the same species. They have the same markings and eat the same food. Then we watch them and learn of some important difference in the habits or songs. It is then decided by the ornithologists that the different group should be split out to be known as a different, possibly new species. Great book. I loved Dan Koeppel's style of writing. John McDonough is always an excellent narrator.

[Cheryl Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like most uninitiated people, I always thought "birdwatching" was a pastime for those who like nature and sitting quietly. While that's not necessarily untrue, Koeppel's book--one part memoir, one part subcultural deep dive--reveals that birders are an obsessive, hyper-competitive bunch, and their pursuit is as much about "the list" as the birds. That's the irony--we associate birds with freedom and spontaneity, but studying them is a planner's sport.

Yet Koeppel's father, the child of Jewish immigrants who had a clear trajectory for his future, and a man who mourned his broken marriage for much of his life, *does* find freedom in birding. It's the one arena in which he has no obligations and total control (except for the ways in which he has none). I imagine most writers can relate to that.

Koeppel tries to get close to his often-distant father through birding, only to be pushed away repeatedly, allowed in occasionally and heartbreakingly. As a reader, I felt this push and pull, sometimes to the point of my own frustration; part of the elder Koeppel always remains missing. (I'm thinking here of George's lines from "Finishing the Hat": "You have to watch the rest of the world / From a window / While you finish the hat"--proof that muses make better subjects than artists.)

I have an obsessive nature myself; I've learned that I'm usually happiest when I don't indulge it too much or too long. I never became an Olympic gymnast, I stopped seeing Rent after 15 or so viewings, and I even try to approach writing with a generalist's knowledge for lack of other options. Yet a part of me always admires people who *just fucking go for it.* Cataloging birds would never be my cup of tea, but when I read about how they wake up at 3 am to roll down dirt roads in the Amazon, I can't help but nod approvingly. They are hardcore.

[Scott Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Less of a book about the joys of biology and birding, more of a biography about the author's dad. And frankly he wasn't all that interesting. Child of the 1930s, grew up in the idyllic 1940s and 1950s, ended up with a job he hated in a fairly loveless marriage, experimented with everything in the 1960s and ended up divorced and jaded, became a seeker in the 1970s, then fled into obsessive birding as an escape for the rest of his life. The whole time basically neglecting his own family.

My feelings about the book were confirmed when I found the epilogue, a brief travelog about a birding expedition, to be way more interesting than the main body of the book. The most interesting parts of the book for me were easily the tales about other birders, not his father, and the parts explaining the rules for "listers" as the author refers to bird-chasers who make big lists of birds they have seen.

Also, the book was kind of sad. No offense intended to the author, but if you found the only quality times with your dad consisted of popping open a champagne bottle for five minutes after he sees a landmark bird, thats a bit sad. Top each their own, I guess, we all have our little distractions that take us away from those we love. I just think maybe this guy needed an intervention. And I say that, as a biologist who loves birding!

Thanks for reading.

[Jeff Shelnutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fascinated by the theme of this book: a relational investigation into the motives for obsessive bird-counting. I've personally never been into bird-watching as a hobby, though I certainly appreciate seeing birds in their natural environment. But this book doesn't deal with weekend hobbyists. It's all about the big-leaguers who spend enormous amounts of money and time to "see every bird."

I like it when I stumble across non-fiction that covers topics wholly unfamiliar to me. The author primarily focuses on his father who is one of the world's top "counters," having passed the 7,000 mark. But more than an explanation of birding to the ignorant layman like myself, Koeppel attempts to untangle the complicated dynamics of his relationship with his father. I guess he feels that if he understands his father's birding obsession, he'll understand the man.

However, I didn't sense that the author ever came to any concrete conclusion as to why some people tend to focus in one particular interest to the almost utter exclusion of all else. He ventures a guess that it has to do with our innate desire to make sense of the world around us, and nature seems a logical place to start.

I give it four stars for keeping my attention on a subject that I was surprised to find interesting.

[DAVID SPAWN · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to really like this book, since I had read Dan Koeppel's beautifully written account of scattering his father's ashes as an essay in National Audubon's magazine some years ago, and I am an avid birder. The story line moves back and forth between the actual account of "seeing every bird on earth" and the father/son dynamic, as well as weaving accounts of other "big listers" into the story. About 3/4 of the way through, I came to the realization that I found the structure ill-suited to telling the story, and it should have either been separate magazine articles or have focused more on the adventures of seeing all the birds.

I wanted to hear more about the father/son relationship, and since it seems to be the focus I thought I would understand it better, but in the end, I did not feel like I knew that much more than what I might have taken from the National Audubon column or the jacket cover. Other family members - mother, brother, wife (?) - are relegated to very minor speaking parts or non-existent. Given the father's emotionally frozen personal life, this somehow doesn't seem surprising, but it feels like another perspective would have rounded out the story in a more fulfilling way.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed this book, I had mixed feelings about it. I think I was expecting something more like Noah Stryker's book ("Birding Without Borders: An Obsession, a Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World"). "To See Every Bird on Earth" was as much about the author's father Richard Koeppel - his life story, motivations, and flaws - as it was about his quest to see birds around the world. At times I felt like the author revealed too much personal information, especially about his parents' relationship and the aftermath of their divorce. On the other hand, I understand the writer's need to explain his father's obsession and put it into the context of his own life.

The background on how the science of ornithology developed and birdwatching evolved into a legitimate activity was interesting; non-birders who pick up this book may appreciate this information. I also liked reading about the travel experiences the author and his father shared. I would have liked to see more quotes from Richard's notebooks about his bird encounters.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I certainly don't think this book improved my view of Big Listers as kind of self-centered and emotionally dysfunctional (after reading a book also about the amazing Phoebe Snetsinger) but I thoroughly enjoyed this son's view of his dad's growing listing obsession, and how he eventually resigned himself and even accompanied his father on a birding trip (one on which his father achieved his 7000th bird.) His efforts to connect with and understand his father, even though he'd been hurt himself, were inspiring.

[brian tanabe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprising delight given my absolute disinterest in the subject matter.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part first-person journalism and part memoir this was an absolutely fascinating story about the author's father, who is one of a rare species of birding "big listers." The 7,000 Club... how many people belong to that group? Not many. The book really shines when Koeppel investigates what it means to be a big lister. He is a fantastic writer-- and I think he’s experienced in doing this kind of nature journalism and micro histories. Like a lot of readers, I expected big listers to, well, you know, like birds.... but Koeppel uncovers a different kind of story-- the people involved are more like collectors. It is the list--and the numbers--that matter. And they could just as well as list birds they see on TV or Starbucks they go to in how many cities... There have been many books written on bibliomaniacs --which is also a hunt and chase kind of activity. Or about wine maniacs... I am reading a fantastic one now called the Wine Lover's Daughter, by Anne Fadiman... I could not put Koeppel's book down when he was talking about big listers like his dad or the famous Phoebe Snetsiner -- what counts? Do you have to eyeball it? What if an expert guide just tells you "yeah, you saw it?" How about people who can hear birdsongs but never ID it visually... the ABA has rules for those aiming to belong to this listers group.

While Koeppel was fascinating as a journalist, he was less interesting in the memoir department. He was looking for validation from his father and the entire book kept coming back to his thesis--which he repeats over and over again but never really argues-- that his father was not there for him... I can only nod my head since it's his right to feel what he feels--but as a reader I kept waiting for him to explain what exactly is good parenting... he did not like it that his father was obsessed with bird listing--but he also didn't like it that his grandparents had passions that took them away from him-- in that case Zionism. Another reviewer said he was dismissive of his other too... so somehow this became something a bit boring. Not everyone can be funny or light-hearted but humor would have gone a long way... or another way to say this is if he had to drag in the dirty laundry, it would have been better if he explained what it was that was so terrible. Maybe it was like having a father who was a gambler? I never was able to follow it. In any case--even though I had this one big problem, I still thought the big was a great read!


Sent from my iPhone

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me start out by saying that the writing style was just fine. Fluid and easy to read. However, if you're looking to read a book on birds and birding adventures, this may not be the book you're looking for. I was looking for something along the lines of Kenn Kaufmann's Kingbird Highway or Mark Obmascik's A Big Year, but in a non-big year focused story. I was hoping for a book of adventures around the world searching for birds. Instead it was more focused on Koeppel's father and how his birding obsession drove a wedge between him and his family. There was some good birding history and some brief scientific narratives about various species, but really I just trudged through the book feeling uncomfortable. I felt like resentment was a big undertone throughout the book.
With that said, I don't think that it was a poorly written book. I just wasn't a fan of it because it seems advertised as an adventurous birding book, when really, a lot of it was a seemingly invasive account of his dad and the author's childhood.

[Mukesh Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of obsession, of an all consuming interest and hobby!

The subject of this book may seem a bit esoteric, afterall, Birdwatching is a unique hobby, the joy of sighting a new 'lifer' species, the maddening craze involved in the 'race' to see the most birds in an year or in a lifetime, is something that not all folks will relate to.

However, there is something universal about being passionate about an interest, a semi-scientific pursuit of knowledge, a near obsessive desire to list and count and sort all things and objects around you!

Something very human about losing sight of everything else, while being consumed by an obsession to win, to reach a target, no matter what. And how such obsession can affect your personal life, your family and friends, who sometime look at you in awe, sometime in dismay and mostly in frustration and anger at your neglect of everything.

It is also a story of re-kindling of relationship between a father and a son, a bittersweet coming-of-age story too.

[Nic · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book thinking it would be a good story about a man trying to see all the birds of the world, but what I got was a rather longwinded account of an author trying to understand why his parents’ marriage fell apart. Though Koeppel tries to make the story unique and interesting, the simple truth is, it isn’t. Richard Koeppel didn’t get enough attention from his parents as a child, yet he spends his young adult years trying to make them happy by choosing a career that they want. He throws away his dream of becoming an ornithologist and becomes a doctor to please his parents, a decision which leaves him unfulfilled and miserable, basically setting the mood for most of his life.
Birds are a side story in this book, and, as a big-lister, Richard Keoppel doesn’t even seem to experience pleasure when he sees them. They are just another item on his list. Honestly, I almost gave up after the first 54 pages, and I skimmed a lot after that. It was a disappointing read.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t the book I was expecting.

I guess I wanted a book more about birds and less about birding. I only have myself to blame for this; the description is pretty clear as to what the book is about. Still, I was surprised, and a little bit sad, about the tone of the book. Seeing over 7,000 species of birds in a lifetime seems like an incredible feat, one that I can’t totally wrap my head around. For example, if I saw one new bird everyday, it would take me over 19 years to see 7,000. But the way that Richard’s (Koeppel’s father) birding is described in the book took away the marvel of the feat. Koeppel reiterates time and time again that his father doesn’t even like birds… Excuse me?!

I would say that Koeppel is jaded with his father’s birding obsession for 90 percent of the book (not without good reason). While I appreciate the honest portrayal, I still would have liked to see a bit more balance between awe and critique. This book was also a little too speculative for me, like Koeppel was forcing a storyline and trying to explain his father’s obsession based on fragments of memory. A little too unscientific for me.

[Paulibrarian]

A biography written by the son, of an obsession which is all-encompassing – birding. Kiwis call this twitching, which is an overly obsessed way of looking at birds, listing them, and planning how many species to see in certain timeframes. The ultimate goal is over 7000 different species of birds in one’s lifetime. Koeppel’s father is afflicted and has been since the age of 12. This lifetime is described by Dan via flashbacks during a 2000 field trip to the Amazon by father and son – a trek done in the hope of a reconciliation between the two. Plenty of details on birders and their antics, how New York was before large-scale housing spread across the habitats, and how Richard [the father] almost threw away the things held dear to most – family, friends, and career

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the idea and story behind this book. The exploration of obsession through the lens of “big listing” and birding was fascinating. Parts of the personal stories were moving and at times heart wrenching. I connected with many of the characters in different ways for different reasons.

My only critique is a small one. There were a few times that the book seemed to repeat itself. An idea or statement would reappear later on in the story, almost verbatim. It gave me a weird sense of deja vu, as if I had read this chapter before.

Otherwise a great read!

[Annette · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting learning about the history of birding of North American and the world. How some people who are called Big Listers are obsessed with counting the birds they see. How we interpret the different bird species and that these master lists have been evolving over time with new found information. I enjoyed the side stories of birds that where seen. I thought that the book would be full of these sorts of travel adventures but it was mostly about the relationships that the author had with his dad and putting all his fathers relationships under a microscope.

[Pete Gachot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was such a strange mix of ornithology and human psychology that at times it was difficult to digest. I want to give it three and half stars because it still held my interest, even when I wanted to throw the book across the room. I wanted to throw the book across the room when it was stated that neither the author nor his father cared much about birds. In particular it was hard to sympathize with the father, a doctor who smoked and placed more importance on feeding his obsession than promoting ecology.

[Peg Lotvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend purchased this book to help her identify birds. You couldn't even ID a Robin using this book, but it is an interesting story of obsession. Richard Koeppel always wanted to study birds even as a young teenager but circumstances and his parents pushing him in other directions set the table for his mostly lifelong obsession. It wasn't even 100% about the birds; he just wanted to list and complete a mission.
To help my friend I gifted her the current edition of Peterson's Field Guide to the Eastern Birds. That should help her get a start on her own life list.