Falcon Freeway

When Christian Hagenlocher left home to go birding in January he had little confidence it would evolve into an opportunity many birders only dream about. The 26-year-old Biology teacher turned 2016 into a record-breaking Big Year, spotting over 750 species of birds across North America and becoming the youngest person to do so. Inspired by previous birding quests including Kenn Kaufman's "e;Kingbird Highway"e; and Roger Tory Peterson's "e;Wild America"e;, Christian traversed the continent in his Subaru Outback, eating Ramen noodles and sleeping in Wal-Mart parking lots, proving that one doesn't have to be wealthy or jet set to rack up an impressive list of birds. "e;Falcon Freeway"e; follows a budding naturalist's incredible journey across the continent, following birds to amazing places while persevering through adversity and exploring the continent one bird at a time.