Definition: A big year. A year in which a birder seeks to find as many species of birds as possible in a designated geographic area, typically North America.

Big years are inspirational, foolish, challenging, frustrating and sometimes, amazingly satisfying. In 2013, Neil Hayward broke Sandy Komito’s longstanding record with 747 species (+3 under consideration by records committees)  found on his “accidental” big year. While scouting for his planned big year in 2014, Neil was doing so well that he changed his plans on the fly in March and made 2013 “his” year. Stepping into the 2014 Big Year gap, Dorian Anderson took on what many consider the ultimate challenge—a bicycle big year. As of November 30, Dorian has ridden his bike more than 16,000 miles (24,000 km) and has recorded an amazing 607 species while not using any kind of motorized transportation at all. In 2015, Noah Stryker will undertake the biggest year of them all—a worldwide big year.These feats of focus and stamina are huge personal accomplishments, but also bring attention to birds and conservation to the public.

A Vancouver Island Big Year!

My aspirations for 2015 are on a much smaller scale. Instead of a whole continent, I will focus on my home “turf”, Vancouver Island. Despite having been born here and having lived in Victoria my whole life, and being grateful for that every day, I have not yet discovered much of this beautiful island. In 2015, that will change. In my quest for 275 species, I plan to spend time in many of the nooks and crannies of the island and surrounding waters.

According to eBird, the number of species reported in the last five years from the six regional districts — Mount Waddington, Strathcona-Comox, Alberni Valley, Nanaimo, Cowichan Valley, and Capital – has ranged from 276 to 296. There may have been a few species seen that didn’t make the eBird list, but many of those counted were individual birds, sometimes only seen by one person. A target of 275 will mean some serious chasing of rarities, and hopefully, discovery of a few myself.

I will start my Vancouver Island Big Year on January 1, participating in the Duncan Christmas Bird Count, on a team lead by my birding mentor, Alan MacLeod. This is long-standing tradition for me, as well as an essential strategic move to appease the birding maven of the Cowichan Valley, Derrick Marven. I’ll need his reports throughout the year!   (BTW, Derrick is always looking for more counters for the Duncan area.  It’s a great way to start the new year!) The zone I count in is not one of the most prolific in terms of species, so I’ll expect about 40 to 50 species on my first day. The next 10 days will be spent chasing known rarities on the island and then trying to get as many of the wintering species as I can before I head south for a birding festival.

Life happens

Yes, that’s right, I’ll be leaving the island during my Big Year. If you know me, you will know that I have many things going on in my life. While my VIBY birding will be a priority, it won’t keep me from doing some of the other things I have committed to do or even just want to do. In that sense, it will be more like a Brad Harris big year than a Kenny Bostick big year (inside reference for fans of the movie). I expect that I will be off-island for up to 9 weeks in 2015, thankfully in short bursts. If I was to wait for a clear year, a big year of any sort would not be in the cards, ever!

Lists, lists, lists
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Well, of course there will be lists—multiple. I will have an overall list, including the offshore waters and islands that surround Vancouver Island. It is this list that has the 275 species target. There will also be a list of birds that I see while my feet are firmly planted on Vancouver Island proper, and since I’m keeping lists, I will be diligent about my Victoria checklist area list. eBird will help me keep track of my “county” lists—one for each of the regional districts on Vancouver Island, and then there will be the dreaded “ones that got away” list.

Aspirations and goals

As I’ve mentioned, I hope to see 275 bird species as part of my Vancouver Island Big Year, but it’s big for me for a couple of other reasons, too. It will be a year of discovery—of the island, of the birding community, and of myself. My plan is to spend a week a month away from my usual comfort zone, and that’s bound to turn up something interesting!

I also hope to use this adventure to help raise awareness and support for Rocky Point Bird Observatory. Monitoring birds and providing critical population information for the last twenty years, RPBO has relied on tens of thousands of volunteer hours and private donations. RPBO is growing up and fulfilling its mandate for monitoring, research and public education in increasing ways every year, and that takes money as well as volunteer efforts. I hope that by finding some sponsors for my quest (which will be entirely self-funded), an organization that has become a huge part of my life will also benefit. More about how you can help out later.

It’s all about community!

A big year is a personal thing but it’s not necessarily a solo thing. In these days of social media, cell phones, and digital photography, big years are becoming more and more collaborative. And so, I invite you to join me, either online, or periodically in person. I’ll be using eBird to keep track of birds being posted, but I welcome your sightings as well. I will post where and when I’ll be birding on many occasions, and there may be more, gadget-girl that I am—but I’ll save that for another post. I’m looking forward to meeting some new birders and spending time with those who have travelled the birding roads with me in the past.

In summary

A Vancouver Island Big Year!  Target: 275 species

Can I do it?  Stay tuned!