Part 9 of our winter “Staff Picks” series
I decided to revisit one of my favorite books for this series. I first read Kingbird Highway in 1998, when I was just starting my career and getting interested in birds. The book describes a young man’s passion for birds, but more than that, it is a chronicle of living on the road. Kenn Kaufman hitchhiked across the country in 1973, setting the North American bird record for the most North American bird species seen in one year.
At the time, he was a high school dropout living on about a dollar a day. You’ll have to read it to find out what he ate in order to do that.
Mr. Kaufman went on to become one of the most respected bird experts in North America. The book is full of his early reflections through an ecologist’s lens. His writing skill is as sharp as his birding eye, keeping the reader engaged. We get to ride shotgun as he gets picked up listening to The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, or other pop stars of AM radio while crisscrossing the continent.
Along the way he racks up 671 species of birds in one year. That’s more than I’ve seen in my life to date.
One of my favorite parts of the book is his description of Bush Key in the Dry Tortugas. This small island across from Ft. Jefferson, west of Key West, is home to the largest sea bird colony in the United States. It is difficult to put into words what it’s like to witness this breathtaking sight, but he does it well.
As he continued to nail down more and more birds through the year, he became less interested in “listing” and more interested in learning more about birds and their habitats. In other words, he wanted to go deeper rather than wider.
This book was influential to me when I first read it more than 25 years ago, which interestingly is about the same time span as the years between Mr. Kaufman’s time on the road and the book’s publication date. Rereading it, I couldn’t help thinking about how much his metamorphosis on the road affected me then and helped focus my career.
I highly recommend Kingbird Highway for anyone interested in birds, nature, or simply the story of a young person striking out on their own chasing a dream.
Cliff Chapman
President and CEO