Kenn Kaufman, author of the new book, The Birds That Audubon Missed, did his big year at age 16, when he dropped out of school and hiked across the country. But counter to the film, he downplays the idea that birders are mainly obsessed with bagging the most species. “When you’re working on a list, it’s mostly competition with yourself,” says Kaufman, who lives in Oak Harbor. “I don’t know right now who holds the big year record.”

Birding, he says, is mostly about experiences that bring people together. “I’ve got friends who are extremely conservative and friends who are extremely liberal,” Kaufman points out, “and you’ll see them out birding side by side.”

The festival’s keynote speaker, Christian Cooper, author of Better Living Through Birding, and host of the National Geographic show, Extraordinary Birder, touched on the need for greater inclusion, especially for people of color. And in a show of bipartisanship, representatives from both senators from Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican J.D. Vance, also spoke at the opening ceremony.

Lovebirds

Sometimes birder camaraderie turns romantic.

At Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center, the social hub for the festival, I found Erro Lehnert giving a welcoming hug to Miller. Lehnert, a biologist and guide, met her fiancé, artist Christina Baal, at The Biggest Week in 2015 and they are now planning a bird-themed wedding.