08-40: Sandy Komito, In His Own Words

The American Birding Podcast

naswick

Science, Birding, Hobbies, Travel, Birdwatching, Leisure, Aba, Ornithology, Nature, Birds

4.7 • 632 Ratings

🗓️ 3 October 2024

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Last month saw the passage of Sandy Komito, perhaps the ultimate Big Year birder. Not only did he set records twice, but his second attempt, along with Al Levantin and Greg Miller, was the subject of Mark Obmascik's book, The Big Year. That book because a movie of the same name, where an exagerated version of Komito was played by Owen Wilson. While a great deal of artistic license was taken in the underhanded behavior of Wilson's character, the drive, passion, and charisma was recognized by those who befriended Sandy over the years. In light of his passage, we bring you a series of interviews by the ABA's Greg Neise, where Sandy tells the stories of his Big Year and what it takes to put it all together not once, but twice, in his own words.

Thanks to our friends at FeatherSnap for sponsoring this episode. Feathersnap is a smart bird feeder with AI bird identification capabilities that send photos of the birds visiting your yard. Capture every moment with FeatherSnap.

Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it! And don’t forget to join the ABA to support this podcast and the many things we do for birds and birders!

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Birds and Wildlife of Florida's spectacular space coast are on display at the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival.
0:08.0	Scrub Jays, painted buntings, Caracaras, and American flamingos are all on the table.
0:14.0	Next year's festival features expert leaders that will help you find great birds and get great photos, boat trips to see dolphins, manatees, and maybe even whales,
0:21.8	talks and workshops featuring Rosemary Moscow, Ken Kaufman and others, and an expansive trade show
0:27.8	in Optics Hall. Make your plans now. Trips fill up early. The 26th Space Coast. Birding
0:33.0	and Wildlife Festival is January 22nd through the 26th, 2025.
0:37.8	Learn more at SCBWA.net.
0:45.2	Hello and welcome to the American Birding Podcast from the American Birding Association.
0:49.4	I am Nate Swick.
0:51.4	We have a slightly different sort of episode for you this time around last month.
0:56.0	Big Year birder, perhaps the ultimate Big Year birder.
0:59.5	Sandy Camito passed away near his home in Florida.
1:02.9	Sandy was more than just about anything, a real character in bird watching and otherwise.
1:08.0	He was the first birder to really crack the ABA area Big
1:12.3	Year Code breaking records in 1987 and again in 1998. That second attempt, which featured a slightly
1:20.1	exaggerated for dramatic purposes rivalry, was documented in Mark of May 6th's book. The Big Year,
1:26.4	that book became a movie that really leaned
1:29.0	into that rivalry where Owen Wilson played a really, really exaggerated version of Sandy.
1:34.7	The Big Year movie is probably Burding's biggest and rode into the popular culture.
1:39.6	And while it was in movie industry terms a flop, it remains something of a cult classic, and I still
1:45.4	run into people from time to time who were introduced to birding through it.
1:49.2	And even though Owen Wilson's character was an embellished, elaborate version of Camito,
	...

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