Keynote Speaker Greg Miller

Greg Miller, Keynote Speaker

Welcome "Big Year" birder, Greg Miller

introduced by Utah's Big Year Birder,

Tim Avery

May 18 and 19, 2012

Great Salt Lake Bird Festival is excited to announce the 2012 Keynote Speaker (May 18 & 19, 2012) will be ‘The Big Year’ birder, Greg Miller (picture by Cam Shaw). Miller is portrayed by actor Jack Black in the new comedy movie, "The Big Year" about the world of competitive birding. He also appears as an extra in the film.

Knowing that actor Jack Black is portraying you in a new movie is "more than a little freaky," veteran birder Greg Miller told the Akron Beacon Journal from his home in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

"It's wildly surreal and really hade to fully comprehend," he said.

In 1998 Miller was one of three men who traveled on their own dime from Floride, to Texas, to Minnesota, to Arizona, and to the remote island of Attu off of Alaska-but closer to Russia.

The American Birding Association says there are just over 300 Americans who have seen 700 birds in their lifetime, much less in one year. They suggest the exceptionally high totals in 1998 were attributed to a strong El Nino and storms that blew Asian birds ashore on western Alaska's Attu Island. The winner recorded 745 species, Miller got 715 and the third man (in the movie) got 710.

A key to winning this competition is to move quickly and chase down rare avian visitors from Mexico, Asia and Europe. Participants need dedication, planning, tenacity, hard work, birding skills, and a lot of luck.

It also costs a lot of money. The winner spent an estimated $140,000, the other man spent about $60,000, and Miller, who placed second, spent more that $31,000. As mentioned in the 2004 book, "The Big Year" by Mark Obmascik, Miller traveled more than 130,000 miles, maxed out five credit cards and borrowed money from his parents. He said at one point he lived on pretzels and peanot butter for three days. He paid off the last credit card in 2004.

Today birders use a variety of technology to fine rare birds. In 1998, Miller did his Big Year with no cell phone, no laptop computer, no GPS gear, no social media, and no websites with rare bird alerts.

As Jeff Reiter, blogger for Words on Birds, says, “In the book, Miller was the one you rooted for, the underdog. His goal was to break the standing North American record for most birds listed in a calendar year (721 species). It was 1998. But unlike his wealthy and retired competitors, Miller was short on cash and pinched for time because he worked for a living. This made his quest a lot more remarkable.”

Miller told writer, John Puschock, “I am just hoping that the whole thing somehow translates into more people being aware of the wonderful world of birding. I hope folks are curious enough to give birding a try.” He noted that four out of the 170 people working on the movie became new birders, purchasing their own field guides and binoculars. If the same conversion rate applies to those who watch the movie, “The Big Year” will have a huge positive impact on bird-watching (Words on Birds).

That is what Great Salt Lake Bird Festival is hoping too –that the movie will grow the hobby and Greg Miller will entertain birders on May 18 and 19, 2012 at the 14^th annual Great Salt Lake Bird Festival in Farmington, Utah. Miller will be introduced at the dinner by Utah’s Big Year record holder, Tim Avery (tanager@timaverybirding.com) .

Also see www.GregMillerBirding.com

Order your tickets for Greg's Keynote presentation: Saturday, May 19, 2012, 6 pm

Programming featuring Greg Miller

Friday, May 18 7 am - 12 pm #14 Birding by Ear with Greg Miller and John Bellmon

Friday, May 18 4 - 5 pm Workshop: Birding by Ear with Greg Miller

Friday, May 18 5 - 6 pm Book signing with Greg Miller, Bill Fenimore,

Jerry Liguori, Rosalie Winard

Saturday, May 19 9 am - 12 pm #29 Farmington Bay, with Greg Miller, Kyle Stone,

John Bellmon