A big year story unlike any other
Falcon Freeway
A Big Year of Birding on a Budget
Falcon Freeway describes how a passion for nature has vaulted the author over challenges and adversity, taking him on the wildest ride: a North American Big Year birding adventure. With technology at his fingertips, Christian Hagenlocher crossed the continent multiple times in his Subaru in search of birds, not only breaking the old record but becoming the youngest person to see over 700 ABA birds in a single year.
In 2016, Christian Hagenlocher became the youngest birder to see over 750 species of birds in North America. Inspired by the journey of Ken Kaufman’s Kingbird Highway, Christian embarked on an epic road trip, car camping his way across the country in Wal-Mart parking lots. While subsisting on fruit snacks and Ramen noodles, he interviewed hundreds of birders in an effort to understand how people connect with birds in the 21st century, and founded The Birding Project.
In this book, Christian describes the trials and triumphs of birding on a budget, including run-ins with bears, rattlesnakes, and a nude cowboy, while observing firsthand many of the challenges birds in a rapidly-changing world.