For those who thought bird-watching was a sedate Sunday hobby, here comes the rollicking tale of three bird-watchers so obsessed that it nearly kills them. The Big Year was 1998, the battle for the North American birding record. Sandy Komito, Al Levantin, and Greg Miller chase their quarry from coast to coast as they attempt to spot every bird on the continent. From New Mexico to Nome, New Jersey to Texas, they search out such illusive critters as the Xantus' hummingbird and the offshore Great Skua - facing sizzling deserts, roiling oceans, bug-infested swamps, a mountain lion charge, and some of the lumpiest hotel mattresses known to man. With side-trips into the lore of birds and historical birders like James Audubon, this witty excursion delights and astounds.