An Abundance of Birds: An Interview with Two Big Year Birders
By Olivia Bautch
Last spring we posted an article on planning a big day- 24 hours devoted to finding as many bird species as possible. But some birders take this “big” feat up a notch, making a year of their avian pursuits. These “big years” have been made popular by individuals such as Kenn Kaufman, Noah Stryker, and Jack Black (see the 2011 film). With 365 days to search, a big year can have a worldwide goal, a country-specific goal, or in the case of this article, a statewide goal.
The Indiana DNR has reported over 420 documented species in the state, but this includes rarities, vagrants and one-off birds. Most big year birders aim for around 300 species and prior to this year the state record was 322 species.
Maybe you are wondering how to start your own big year. What are the best spots, how do you prioritize? Two big year birders- Mark Welter and Jonathan Bontrager- took the time to speak with me about their adventures in 2023, both of which were statewide big years. Read on and take notes, or simply be inspired!
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ABAS: What prompted you to do a big year? Is it something you have been wanting to do for some years, or was it a spur of the moment?
Mark: Doing an Indiana Big Year has been on my “bucket list” for a while now. Since I didn’t have any out-of-state trips planned this year, I decided late in 2022 to try to beat my personal best Indiana year, which was 279 species. Several of my friends (who were prior big year birders) noted – loudly and often – that 280 was awfully close to 300. After a while, I gave in to the pressure and decided to go for broke.
Jonathan: I have been birding in Indiana for almost 12 years now and doing an Indiana Big Year was something I have dreamed of for a long time. I actually attempted a “soft” big year in 2016 where I managed 260 species. I did not have the opportunity to bird as rigorously in college, but after graduating in May of 2022, I unexpectedly discovered a Wood Stork at Goose Pond. Somehow, this bird pushed me over the edge, and I chose to go forward with an Indiana Big Year in 2023.
ABAS: What species total did you have in mind?
Mark: Joining the “300 Club” has become somewhat synonymous with an Indiana Big Year, so that eventually became my goal. It is really quite the accomplishment, with fewer than 40 individuals having successfully hit that mark according to Indiana Audubon and eBird records. The previous Indiana record was 322, set in 2021 by my friend Bill Sharkey. It was broken this year by my friend Jeremiah Oden, who is at 324 at the time of this writing.
Jonathan: Initially, my biggest goal was to break my previous count of 260 and hopefully reach the “300 Club” by the end of the year. I had no intention of aiming higher than 300 until a birding friend of mine explained how her very first year of birding ended in 310 species for Indiana. As the year progressed, the combination of success and the encouragement of fellow birders pushed me even further- to try and surpass Bill Sharkey’s previous record of 322.
ABAS: What did planning for your big year look like?
Mark: I started by making a bunch of lists, starting with my “problem children”- birds that show up annually in Indiana, but for whatever reason I had not consistently gotten over the past five years. I also looked at birds I missed in my previous best year and other rarities I would have to go out of my way to get if and when they showed up. I then broke those lists down by which birds to target in which season, and trusted that the “normal” birds would sort themselves out.
Jonathan: That can be summarized in one word: eBird. In the couple of months leading up to this year, I spent hours combing through all the uncommon and more difficult-to-find species, looking at all the eBird data I could find for those species in Indiana and making note of the most reliable locations, the peak time of year, and any other relevant information. Using the bar charts, I saved the peak time of year for every uncommon species in my Google calendar and saved all the best birding hotspots for them in Google maps. That way, at any given time during my big year, I would know what species to prioritize and where to find them.
ABAS: How much time did you spend on the road versus at home? How did you afford your trip?
Mark: I did not track mileage or money spent on gas, but it was a LOT of both. Fortunately, I live in central Indiana, so I can be at either end of the state within a few hours’ drive. I don’t mind road trips, but doing multiple trips to the same place to try to get one bird gets a bit tedious.
Jonathan: I was usually on the road chasing birds several times a week all year, especially on the weekends. Most nights I still spent at home, as Indianapolis is a fairly central location. For my job I travel to Chicago almost every week during the school year, which afforded me the opportunity to bird the Dunes and/or check the lakefront on a nearly weekly basis. Birding southern Indiana was a little more challenging, but I usually came prepared to camp in my car to save money, so I rarely got a hotel room all year.
ABAS: How predetermined were your stops?
Mark: Fortunately, some of my favorite birding haunts around the state are also really productive- Eagle Creek Park, Goose Pond FWA, western Gibson County, and the Indiana Dunes region – so I picked up a lot of birds just going where I would normally go during the course of the year. Other times, I went to specific places for a specific bird or birds.
Jonathan: Most of my stops were predetermined, and I quickly discovered that doing a big year means returning to the same tried and true birding hot spots frequently, such as the Dunes, Goose Pond, Kankakee Sands, and Eagle Creek Park. However, I also tried chasing almost every vagrant that popped up on the RBA, which often took me to random places around the state including many private residences where homeowners graciously allowed birders to view a rare visitor to their feeders.
ABAS: Was there any bird you weren’t expecting being in the area that you had to twitch on?
Mark: If a bird shows up that doesn’t have Indiana in its range map, you HAVE to chase! Black-headed Grosbeak, Mountain Bluebird, Swainson’s Hawk, Purple Gallinule and Vermillion Flycatcher come immediately to mind from this year.
Jonathan: Multiple! My species total would be significantly lower if I had not done so, as we had a lot of vagrants this year that I did not expect, including several life birds! Just some of those highlights include Pacific Loon, Mountain Bluebird, Ross’s Gull, Limpkin, Swainson’s Warbler, Ruff, Roseate Spoonbill, Rufous Hummingbird, Purple Gallinule, Tricolored Heron, and Vermillion Flycatcher. There were also several species that were rare, but usually occur at least once annually in the state, so I specifically planned to be at the right place at the right time.
ABAS: You probably had quite a few amazing moments during this year, what was one of your favorites?
Mark: Some of the best moments came when I was on the way to bird someplace when a “hot tip” on a rarity came in from a friend or via social media, and the entire day’s plan went out the window and the chase was on!
Jonathan: My favorite probably has to be the Ross’s Gull. The bird originally showed up on the lakefront on a Saturday in March. I had just gotten home from a week in Chicago the night before, and I was not looking forward to zipping back up there, so I figured the bird would probably stick around a few days. This was a grave mistake. Come Tuesday morning as I began driving back to Chicago, nobody had seen it since Saturday. I returned after work to search one last time. As I tried different spots and scanned all afternoon, I felt even worse. While scanning at park 566, I said a short prayer, chose gratitude, and thanked God for His many blessings rather than dwelling on my disappointment. Within a minute, the Ross’s Gull suddenly popped up from behind the break wall. I screamed at the top of my lungs, overwhelmed with shock and joy. I waited for it to fly over the state line, then went home.
ABAS: Is there a bird you thought you would get, but dipped on?
Mark: Fortunately, my “drive of shame” moments were relatively few this year (Clark Co. Rufous Hummingbird comes to mind), but there were some silly misses of annual species like Pine Siskin and both Glossy and White-faced Ibises.
Jonathan: There are several. One was Western Tanager, another was the American Flamingo on the Ohio River, which I did see, but which never crossed the KY/IN state line. Slaty-backed Gull, Eurasian Wigeon, Ruffed Grouse, Ferruginous Hawk, and Sabine’s Gull were also birds that I had chased but missed.
ABAS: Can you share some tips for aspiring big year birders?
Mark: Start early. Have a plan. Use all your available tools (eBird, social media, your network of birding friends). Set incremental goals and celebrate when you hit them. If you’re doing it right, there will come a point in late May when you “run out” of birds; your needs list and your rare bird list will become the same list. You will have to make long trips to get a single bird. You will get bored, and you will despair. Keep grinding.
Jonathan: A big year is not a solo act. I would be nowhere near where I am at had it not been for the help of other birders. They encouraged me, gave me tips, identified birds, and often helped me find them. As I said before, chasing vagrants as soon as they appear (or asap) is crucial. I will also add, planning your year ahead of time is a huge help. So much helpful data can be found on eBird to know where and when to look for birds, and more experienced big year birders are super helpful as well.
ABAS: What is your current count (as of December) and do you have any more stops planned?
Mark: I am currently at 308. I will be participating in the Western Gibson CBC next weekend, where I could potentially pick up another species or two. I am not planning to chase anything else unless a Snowy Owl shows up- that would give me my first-ever “owl sweep” of all 8 expected species in a single year. I didn’t think I’d have a real shot at hitting 300 species while working full-time, so even if I don’t pick up any more birds this year, I am extremely pleased with how this adventure turned out and I am so glad I made the effort!
Jonathan: As I write this on December 23rd, I am searching for Yellow-headed Blackbird and Prairie Falcon in the strip mines just NE of Evansville and my species total is 323. I will also be checking the lakefront several more times for Purple Sandpiper and Snowy Owl.
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We want to congratulate Mark on joining the “300 Club” and Jonathan on breaking the state record with 325 species. There is something to be said for the comforting predictability of local birds. But every now and then there is time to make room for the fullness of life already given us, to experience the magic of living. Big year birders- birders like Mark and Jonathan- chase down that magic in the search for an abundance of birds. Maybe this year, that birder will be you.