To See Every Bird on Earth

Richard Koeppel''s obsession began at age twelve in Queens New York when he first spotted a Brown Thrasher and jotted the sighting in a notebook. Several decades one failed marriage and two sons later he set out to see every bird on earth becoming a member of a subculture of competitive bird watchers worldwide all pursuing the same goal. Over twenty-five years he collected over seven thousand species becoming one of about ten people ever to do so. To See Every Bird on Earth explores the thrill of this chase a crusade at the expense of all else-for the sake of making a check in a notebook. A riveting glimpse into a fascinating subculture the book traces the love loss and reconnection between a father and son and explains why birds are so critical to the human search for our place in the world.