Falcon Freeway: A Big Year of Birding on a Budget

“Falcon Freeway” shares the adventure of a budding naturalist’s record-breaking journey across the continent exploring one bird at a time. When Christian Hagenlocher left home to go birding in January he had little confidence it would evolve into an opportunity many birders only dream about. The 26-year-old Biology teacher turned 2016 into a record-breaking Big Year, spotting over 750 species of birds across North America and becoming the youngest person to accomplish this feat. Inspired by previous birding quests including Kenn Kaufman’s Kingbird Highway and Roger Tory Peterson’s Wild America, Christian traversed the country in his Subaru Outback, eating Ramen noodles and sleeping in Wal-Mart parking lots, proving that one doesn’t have to be wealthy or jet set to rack up an impressive list of birds. “Christian Hagenlocher is one of the most admired leaders of the birdings’s next generation, and if you read this thoughtful, engaging account of his adventures, you’ll understand why. Highly recommended!”– Kenn Kaufman, author of Kingbird Highway and A Season on the Wind