My guest is Arjan Dwarshuis, an avid birder, professional guide, writer and conservationist. A name you are probably most familiar with for the Guinness World Record he set in 2016, by observing 6852 bird species across 41 countries in a single year. Not too long ago, his book about this big year, The (Big) Year That Flew By, was translated from Dutch into English, and made available to a broader audience. He also hosts his own podcast focused on birdwatching – De Vogelspotcast. Today he’s here all the way from the Netherlands, for the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival. For more on Arjan:Check out his website: https://arjandwarshuis.com/Check out his Instagram: @arjandwarshuisCheck out his podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/de-vogelspotcast/id1557876333Credit for Great Bittern Call: Ulf Elman, XC798475. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/798475.Credit for American Bittern Call: Harry Lehto, XC233158. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/233158.Chapters00:00 - Intro00:34 - Arjan’s Recent Birding @ Pena Blanca Lake & Canyon03:43 - How Arjan got into Birding11:36 - Sharing birding with Young People14:10 - Arjan and Rarities16:28 - Birding since the Big Year19:14 - What Arjan goes birding with21:36 - Memorable Encounter with a Bird23:40 - Bird of the Episode: Great Bittern31:22 - Arjan’s Recently-translated Book about his Big Year35:38- Arjan’s Upcoming Children’s Book40:45 - What Arjan is up to This Fall44:04 - OutroFor pictures of some of the birds discussed on the podcast, check out @lookingatbirdspodcast on Instagram.Thank you for listening!