The (Big) Year That Flew By

When Arjan Dwarshuis first heard of the legendary “Big Year” in birdwatching, he 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 rainforests, across snowy mountain peaks and unforgiving deserts, in just a single year. Would he survive? Would he be able to break the “Big Year” 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 Arjan’s attempts to raise awareness for critically endangered species. But it is also a book about mental challenges, extreme physical danger, and human competition and fully realizing your passions through nature, adventure, and conservation.

Arjan Dwarshuis is a professional bird guide, writer, and lecturer. He holds the current Guinness Book World Record for observing the largest number of bird species in a single year.  Paperback.