A Big Manhattan Year: Tales of Competitive Birding

What is it like to spend nearly every day for a year trying to observe as many bird species as possible within the confines of Manhattan? In 2012 I did just that—it’s called having a “big year”—and I was not the only one. In this book I tell how I learned to bird and how I went on to become a competitive birder. Then I give a detailed account of my 2012 battle with one of the nation’s best, ornithologist Andrew Farnsworth, and others to have the biggest of big Manhattan years. You may be surprised that each year over 200 species of birds reside in or migrate through Manhattan. Observing and accurately identifying them poses many challenges. You need to know what they look like, what they sound like, and where and when they are likely to appear. Birding can be a leisurely walk in the park, or it can be something much more demanding. Manhattan is home to a number of talented and obsessive birders for whom birding is a test of brains, logistics, and physical stamina, requiring both an understanding of nature and a knack for technology. Those new to birding will learn along with me as I begin by exploring one of the world’s premier birding locations, the Central Park Ramble. As my own knowledge and experience grow, I introduce the reader to a series of beautiful and rare birds to be found not only in Central Park but also in the many excellent but less well-known parks of Manhattan. Journey with me from the waters of New York Harbor, where Red-breasted Mergansers and Buffleheads swim, to the top of Inwood Hill Park, where Black Vultures and Great Horned Owls fly.

David Barrett earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics from Harvard, and did graduate work in mathematics at MIT and in finance at the University of Chicago. After a long career as a hedge-fund manager he is now an investor. Other interests include computer science, running, lifting, and nature photography. 

As he explains in his book, he initially began birding in November 2010 as a way to make his long walks in Central Park more enjoyable. He was already doing all the training he could handle as a middle-distance runner, and believed that extra walking would provide an additional training stimulus without requiring longer recovery. He quickly began to enjoy birding for its own sake, however, and became as obsessive about observing new bird species as he had been about lowering his mile times.
 
During the years 2011 to 2020 when he was active as a competitive birder, his achievements included multiple first-place finishes on eBird's annual Top Birders list for Manhattan, eight years of over 200 bird species there, and the highest lifetime total species in Manhattan as reported to the New York State Ornithological Association.

He is best known for his Twitter account @BirdCentralPark (Manhattan Bird Alert), which features photographs and videos of Manhattan nature, including such "celebrity birds" as the Mandarin Duck, Snowy Owl, and Barred Owl, all of which went on to receive worldwide media attention after appearing on his site.