A Big Year of Birding

By Mary Hope Roseneau
Photography by Ezekiel Dobson

Pictured Above (Left to Right)— Top Row: Bohemian Waxwing,
Loveland Pass in Colorado, Common Nighthawk
Middle Row: Navajo Bridge in Arizona, Grand Canyon National Park
Bottom Row: Golden-crowned Warbler, Lake Ruby Mountains in Nevada, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

 

Ezekiel Dobson is a 19-year-old young man from Kentucky,
who with the blessings of his family,
set out to be the youngest birder in history to identify
over 700 different species of birds by December 31 of this year.
Well, he did it on July 23!

He set out on January 1, 2024, driving alone from Kentucky in his 2018 Nissan Altima. Using the app EBird, and following the Audubon Society guidelines, he carefully recorded the sighting of each bird, date, time, and location. Sometimes he took a picture, or video, to capture the unique song every bird has.

His first bird sighting was on that very first day—New Years Day—at the Montauk Lighthouse on Long Island, New York. The bird was a Red-Throated Loon, a common bird for that area.

Along the way, he posted his findings on Facebook and has created quite a following. How does Ezekial afford to do this for a year? Well, he works as a Door Dash and Uber Eats delivery man almost everywhere he goes. He also has a “Go Fund Me” page for folks to donate if they want, and so far, he has had 34 donors give $2,968 towards his modest goal of $5000 for the yearlong adventure.

I talked to Ezekiel on the phone for our interview when he was in Gila Bend, Arizona. “Yes, it is hot,” he reported, “but not bad.” He was happy about reaching his goal of 700 different species in July, way ahead of schedule, and of course, he is going to continue until the end of the year. It is his BIG YEAR, he explained, and a passion for him. He enjoys meeting fellow “birders” and has birded with a few groups but doesn’t mind the alone times either. He sleeps in his car, mostly, but occasionally he breaks down and pays for a motel to enjoy a hot shower, a comfortable bed, and a little TV.

To record his sighting, Ezekial uses the eBird app from Cornell Lab of Ornithology which is the most respected institution in the country for the study of birds. He explained how at age 12, he became interested in birding as a hobby, bought himself a bird reference book (a real book) about various species of birds, and taught himself the basics. He comes from a supportive family, who makes faith a priority. His parents always encouraged him to explore subjects that interest him.

When asked about his favorite bird, he quickly claimed the Painted Bunting because of the beautiful colors in its feathers. He tracked a Painted Bunting in Texas, which he said is a great state for birding because many species live there. I asked him about his least favorite bird, and this was a hard one for him. He said he really liked all birds, but the Barn Owl has the most annoying song for him, more of a screech than a song.

One of the fellow birders he met along the way was local Cindy Groff, who was featured in April 2023 Pink Magazine for her passion of fulltime RVing and birding. She and her husband Ken serendipitously met up with Ezekiel in February in Texas and immediately became good friends. “He has a good head on his shoulders,” Cindy said, and they keep in touch frequently. She is impressed with Ezekiel being largely “self-taught” and having a strong faith in God in his love and passion for nature.

Another big fan of Ezekiel’s is Michael Major, a fellow birder who has started a book about “Ezekiel’s Big Year” and shared the first two chapters on Ezekiel’s Facebook page. According to Michael, “He’s a heck of a good kid!” Michael compared Ezekiel’s accomplishment to the previous record holder, Christian Hagenlocher at age 26 in 2016, the founder of “The Birding Project”.

What’s next for Ezekial? He will keep birding throughout the rest of the year. Just because he met his goal, he’s not stopping until December 31. Looking forward, in 2025, he will probably go back to school and look for a new hobby. He likes to learn about new things, and sometimes they turn into a passion, like this one.

In his Facebook post on July 23, Ezekiel shared his feelings about completing his goal. He wrote: “I’m deeply thankful to God for blessing me with amazing friends along the way, for keeping me safe during those long drives across the country, and for providing and accompanying me every step of the way. Traveling alone can be challenging, but witnessing His creation and knowing He created both me and every bird I’ve sought after fills me with joy. Thank you all for following my journey.”

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• For learning about how to become a birder, buy yourself a big old reference book like Ezekiel did, OR download an app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology www.birds.cornell.edu

• Merlin Bird ID is a great one for beginners. You can download the region you’re in, and it will help you to identify birds you see by grabbing a photo and even recording its song, and Merlin will tell you what it most likely is and all about it.

• If you want to join the crowd reporting birds, download EBird, also by Cornell Lab, and contribute to their huge database of observations, providing scientists, researchers, and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution”.

• To support Ezekiel in the remainder of his BIG YEAR, go to
www.gofundme.com and look for “A Big Year for the birds!”

Ezekial’s Statistics as of July 23, 2024
> 200 days of dedicated searching
> 80,000 miles driven on his 2018 Nissan Altima
> 40 states
> 700th species: Flame-colored Tanager