Folks,

Ron Force, moderator of the Inland NW Birder list serve, thoughtfully sent me to the following information regarding the movie and book .... The Big Year... the radio interview he links to is a MUST... very informative, interviewing several people including Greg Miller, one of the charactors "portrayed" in the movie and a woman Big Year Birder. The excellent radio interview lasts 37 minutes...

Here is Ron's email to me...

"The movie, as it stated in the prelude, is fiction based on fact. The real characters in the book were aged 40-68, and romance was not on the agenda. The Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen in 1998, but on Attu Island! By the way, most of the film was shot in Canada, including Yukon Territory standing in for Attu. Many of the desert scenes were filmed in Osoyoo, B.C.

"There are no regular flights to Attu anymore, and charters are almost impossible to obtain. The sleeping facilities have closed, so it's camp in tents. There are charter boat "cruises" from Adak to Attu, two weeks for $7500!

"From Wikipedia: "The Big Year of 1998 was the subject of a book of the same name by Mark Obmascik. In that year three birders, Sandy Komito, Al Levantin and Greg Miller, chased Komito's record of 721 birds. In the end Sandy Komito kept the record, listing 745 birds. The book was adapted for the 2011 20th Century Fox film The Big Year.

"Google the birders: they're interesting people. Komito just turned 80.

"Here's a link to a radio program about the movie you may enjoy, includes an interview with Greg Miller whose character was played by Jack Black:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/10/19/competitive-birding


"Ron Force
"Moscow Idaho USA"

Thanks Ron,
Bob

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Folks,

Last Friday I saw the movie The Big Year. Though this movie is not getting great reviews in Portland, OR, I think birders, or people who know birders will like it. For one thing, I got to see for the first time High Island, Texas, and Attu, Alaska...

I am not sure the Great Spotted Woodpecker can be found between Coos Bay and San Francisco, and I almost want to see if what they were calling a Great Spotted Woodpecker was actually a Hairy Woodpecker.

I have first hand knowledge of couples who divorced because of birding and couples who got married because of birding.

I highly recommend seeing it sooner rather than later, because there were only a handful of movie goers in the showing I saw on a Friday evening.

http://www.thebigyearmovie.com/

Besides, you might get a few "Life Birds" out of the movie... ; )

Happy Birding,
Bob
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