Kingbird Highway: The Biggest Year in the Life of an Extreme Birder
by Kenn Kaufman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kenn KaufmanBrand: Houghton Mifflin
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-04-11
ISBN: 0618709401
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Reviews of Kingbird Highway: The Biggest Year in the Life of an Extreme Birder
Book Review: AN ENJOYABLE, INFORMATIVE, EXCITING READ - COVER TO COVER
Summary: 5 Stars
Just about anyone who has the slightest contact with the world of birding knows of, or has heard of Kenn Kaufman. Even people who may not recognize his name immediately may quite well have been exposed to his writing if they have any interest in nature and the natural world. Kaufman has published quite a number of books now which include field guides and it would be difficult to number his articles in birding publications and natural history journals. He is, arguably, one of the top birding experts in the country today. Now everyone has to start somewhere and at some time. This book, Kingbird Highway by Kenn Kaufman is the autobiography of Mr. Kaufman's beginnings and entry into the world of birding.
Kaufman's story begins at the age of nine and progresses until he becomes 16 years old, drops out of High School, and some how convinces his parents that it is a good idea to hitchhike around the country and participate in really nothing but birding. This was in the early 1970s and was at the time that the small subculture of birders was starting to emerge and make itself known. This was a time of flux in the birding world and we were about to enter the information age. After many trips around the country, all hitchhiking, the author decided to do what is known as a Big Year in the birding community. This was in 1973. A Big Year is the undertaking by an individual to see and count as many different species of bird possible in one single year. The geographic area differs for each individual; some pick a state or region, others maybe their own back yard our county, but many pick North American. In the birding world, North America includes the lower 48 states, Alaska, Canada and several islands within 200 miles of the mainland.
This work is primarily about the young 19 year old lad's adventures while hitchhiking across North America and trying to identify as many species as possible in 365 days. Now keep in mind that this was the early 1970s and there was not the rather sophisticated information system we have in place today which allows us to identify rare sightings almost instantly. Things were relatively primitive in those days and most information was learned by word of mouth. Mr. Kaufman completed his journey and only spent one thousand dollars in doing so. This is quite remarkable. Also keep in mind that there are a bit over 700 species available to identify and that this young man ended with a count of around 671.
But as to the book: Many have compared this to Kerouac's "On the Road," which I personally feel is a bit misleading. Having read Kerouac's work several times, I still cannot figure out what is fiction, nonfiction, or what is a result of delirium tremors. To be frank, Kaufman is simply a better writer. When he writes a sentence, it is a true sentence. Others have compared this work to William Least Heat Moon's "Blue Highways." This is probably closer, but Kaufman is not as cerebral or philosophical as Moon although he is his equal as to details...something I like. Kaufman is not as poetic as Teale, nor as cynical as Steinbeck. What Kaufman is though is dedicated; or should I say, completely obsessed, and has documented this obsession in a grand style. To be honest, again, once I started this work, I simply had difficulty putting it down. Like most birders, I have risked life and limb, incarceration and spent some miserable times in a quest for a particular bird and have also done some pretty stupid things. Kaufman makes me look like a piker or some sort of wimp though. You have to remember, on top of everything else, this was an era where, in certain parts of our country, it was considered a local sport to harass and beat the living daylights out of "those long hair hippy types." The chances of my eating cat food mixed with a cold can of vegetable soup in order to save a buck are pretty slim. This is one hard core dude... I liked that!
Other than being a very fine travel log type book and a great book for birders, I was also quite impressed just how modest and self effacing this young man was in his writing and in his recording of his adventures. So often in the birding world, you run into individuals who sadly do not display modesty. Nothing is worse than to be with a group of fussy, competitive birders, unless of course it is with a group of fussy and self centered competitive chess players.
If you like birds, birding, counting birds, travel books, discussions about birds, human drama, and stories of obsessions, or if you simply enjoy some good writing, then this one should meet your needs quite nicely. As an added bonus, if you are into birding, I promise you that the reading of this work will infuse you with new enthusiasm. The author's love of birding is absolutely contagious.
Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
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