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Bird enthusiast brings his stories to Nebraska
It's not a competition you hear of often, but it's known as "A Big Year."
If you've seen the movie "The Big Year" with Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson, you might know what we're talking about. It's a challenge to see as many bird species as possible in one year. If the movie doesn't inspire you to try it, maybe a man from Ohio will. News 5 Dara Newson caught up with Greg Miller, a bird enthusiast whose bird identifying record has brought him national attention. Miller competes in the game A Big Year, a competition among birders to see who can see or hear the largest number of species of birds within a single calendar year. He's been across the continent seeing a number of species you wouldn't believe. You might call him the Michael Jordan of birding. "During my big year the number that I saw was 715 and that is a number that most birders would aspire to in a lifetime," said Miller. That was in 1998. Up until now, he's traveled to 48 states, Canada, Alaska and all the Aleution islands identifying thousands, or maybe even millions of bird species. "Those of us who are really birders will find out on the internet about a rare bird that shows up in California, well call our travel agents get the first flight available, fly to California and hope the bird is still there," said Miller. It's an obsession that inspired the 2010 film "The Big Year" "I get a call from the third assistant director saying Jack Black wants to go birding with you tomorrow afternoon. Are you free? I am now..." Miller said. Miller served as a bird consultant for the film. His innate ability to classify birds even brings him to the state of Nebraska. "Here in Nebraska you have the peak of sand hills crane migration, there's hundreds of geese, snow geese, white geese,' Miller said. If his story sparks your interest Greg Miller will be speaking at the Crane Trust and Visitor Nature Center this Saturday at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm. Admission is free. |
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