Follow Christian in his approach to Big Year birding—an all-out quest to cover North America on a budget. Join him as he shows how he economized by living out of his Subaru Outback and cutting corners to save money in his search for birds in the remotest corners of the continent. This journey spans North America, from the remote island of Attu, Alaska, to Florida’s Dry Tortugas, as Christian shared his encounters with birds and interviews with birders, in an effort to engage, preserve, inspire, and connect people. A teacher by profession, Christian will share his amazing journey through photos, videos, maps, and interviews, teaching you something new about the amazing continent we share with an incredibly diverse cast of feathered friends.
Christian Hagenlocker’s passion for birds began at an early age, when he saw a pair of Peregrine Falcons nesting on a building in downtown Seattle. Since then, he’s read every library book and field guide he could get his hands on, and his passion for birds and education has only grown! Passionate about the education of people of all ages, he entered the teaching profession after completing a B.S. in biology in 2011. As a high school science teacher and licensed falconer, Christian has integrated birds into school curricula in unique ways, exposing students to the ancient sport of falconry and leading international science-focused trips to Belize, Costa Rica, Israel, Colombia, and Peru. In 2016, Christian became the youngest person to break the 700 mark in an ABA Big Year. His book, Falcon Freeway: A Big Year of Birding on a Budget, describes his adventures and lessons learned while living on the road, birding in the 21st century.