An epic tale of one passionate birderâs record-breaking adventure through 40 countries over 6 continentsâin just one yearâto see 6,852 bird species, rare and common, before many go extinct.
When Arjan Dwarshuis first heard of the âBig Yearââthe legendary record for birdwatchingâhe was twenty years old, it was midnight, and he was sitting on the roof of a truck in the Andean Mountains. In that moment he promised himself that, someday, somehow, he would become a world-record-holding birder.
Ten years later, he embarked on an incredible, arduous, and perilous journey that took him around the globe; over uninhabited islands, through dense unforgiving rainforests, across snowy mountain peaks and unrelenting desertsâin just a single year. Would he survive? Would he be able to break the âBig Yearâ record, navigating through a world filled with shifting climate and geopolitical challenges?
The (Big) Year that Flew By is an unforgettable, personal exploration of the limits of human potential when engaging with the natural world. It is a book about birds and birding and Arjanâs attempts to raise awareness for critically endangered species, but it is also a book about overcoming mental challenges, extreme physical danger, and human competition and fully realizing your passions through nature, adventure, and conservation.
