WCSH-TV6 • February 21, 2022
"It's ridiculous and it was totally expensive and a total waste of time but it was also the best year of my life," Ethan Whitaker explained of his "Big Year" in 2021. Whitaker spent last year chasing birds across the state of Maine, setting a new, little-known birding record. There is no prize, no official award, and the whole record is based on the honor system. Still, a Big Year is a big deal among birders. It's an unofficial contest among birders trying to see, or at least hear, as many species of birds in a state, the U.S., or Canada in a calendar year. You don't have to document the birds, but Whitaker tracked all but six in his book, "One Man's Journey to See Every Bird in Maine." A relatively new birder in 2021, Whitaker, of Wiscasset, broke the record of 317 birds set by Josh Fecteau in 2017 when Whitaker saw 324.