By Kenn Kaufman
Published in 1997
by Houghton Mifflin Publishing
If you are an avid birder and want to know what the collective world thinks you should read (exclusive of field guides), a quick AI inquiry will advise you that Kingbird Highway should be at the top of the list.
I have been aware of this book for years, but have avoided reading it until recently. I am glad I waited. My appreciation of Kenn Kaufman’s passion and how I related to the birding scene of the early ’70’s was much deeper as a seasoned birder.
Many reviews I have read on this book give the reader the impression that anyone can enjoy this book. While I would not say that that is completely false, I would say that being an avid birder helps immensely.
This book is a memoir of his 1973 Big Year and a few chapters (of his life) leading up to it. What makes this book interesting and different is the appreciation of how different Big Year Birding is today as compared to then.
Big Year Birding today is about money and technology with a big emphasis on money. To even consider trying to “win” a Big Year now is out of reach for the average person. With birding apps and a host of other communication technologies, Big Year Birding is about chasing rare birds that should not be in the Americas, but are. Chasing rarities across the continent means lots of airfares.
The early ’70’s is when a small group of bird watchers evolved into birders. Birders take on a much more scientific interest in birds as well as an element of competition, known as listing.
In 1973, Kenn completed his Big Year with a total layout of $1000. He hitchhiked over 60,000 miles, including to Alaska. His technology was a small group of like minded friends, a telephone and a thumb.
You could say that this memoir is a coming of age story and I would agree. It is a coming of age story for the man and for birding in America.
It is a must read for all avid birders.