Hi! My Name is Daniel Bernard, and I first got into birding in 2018. After a few years of being an on-and-off casual birder, I finally began to get seriously into it in 2021. Following in the wake of some personal mental health troubles which found me losing interest in just about every hobby and past-time I'd ever had, I turned to the tremendous joy and serenity I found in birding.
As 2021 came to a close I found myself becoming an all-out birder, and when 2022 kicked off I began seriously chasing Lifers throughout Michigan. This chasing soon turned into a Michigan Big Year, where I found myself ending up seeing 337 species, breaking the previous Michigan Big Year record of 335.
My 2022 Michigan Big Year was a life-changing experience, and the truth is that as time has passed since it ended there has been a growing void inside me - a yearning for adventure. On top of that, while I like my job as an Assistant Store Manager at ALDI, the truth is I have always known it isn't what I want to do forever. My Big Year taught me that, in some capacity, birds and birding were going to be an important part of my life going forward. After a considerable amount of time dwelling on "what comes next", in the fall of 2023 I finally decided on my current goal.
The line I have been using to describe this insane endeavor to friends, family, and coworker has been "A year-long, cross-country road trip, living out of my car on quest to see one hundred species of birds in every one of the Lower-48 states." This description, while entirely accurate, still fails to paint the full picture of what I have in mind. While that is the most tangible goal of my planned journey, it is only one of the three main pillars of this planned adventure.
In addition to seeing 337 species during 2022, I met dozens (maybe hundreds?) of new people as I travelled across Michigan. Among these former strangers I now count many a friend, and the more birders I met the more awe and respect for the birding community I developed. I genuinely believe there isn't a better community than birders, and I always enjoy the opportunity to meet and bird with more people. As such, when I began planning for 2025 I knew that I wanted to try to meet and bird with as many birders across the country as possible while on my trip.
Prior to the roughly 45,000 miles I put on my car during my 2022 Michigan Big Year, I had never really done much travelling or exploring, instead pretty much just going to places I was already familiar with. As I both got more into county birding as well as rarity chasing, I found myself discovering incredible places ranging from well-known hotspots such as the Pointe Mouillee State Game Area and the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory to lesser-known gems like Orion Oaks County Park. The more I travelled the more I realized how many awesome places there are, both for birding and just in general, and along with that realization came a desire to explore as many of these incredible places as I can - both within Michigan and throughout the country in 2025.
Perhaps the most straightforward of the three pillars of "People, Places, Birds", though also arguably the most important. Really since I first got into birding in 2018 - but especially since I fully became a hardcore birder in 2021 - an appreciation for birds has grown within me. In addition to this admiration, I have also always been somewhat of a numbers person and so I naturally found an attraction towards "Listing". And so, when coming up with my idea for 2025, the goal of trying to see 100 species in every lower-48 state was a natural one. Beyond the numbers, though, I also want to try to experience as many of the "local specialty" birds as I can, as well as different birding spectacles. If you have any suggestions of any such spectacles, please feel free to send me a message through the "Contact" page!
While my 2022 Michigan Big Year was life-changing, it was a product of spontaneity. 2025, however, will certainly be my first planned life-changing experience. In addition to my goals of meeting new people, exploring new places, and getting to know the birds of the United States, I also aim to complete the year on as tight a budget as possible. In order to make this insane idea a reality I will be forced to live an incredible spartan lifestyle, completely cutting out many of the amenities and luxuries I have been accustomed to my entire life.
Without the support of the following, it is doubtful that I would ever be able to see my insane adventure through to completion. Thank you!
I have been a fan of Vortex products since I first got into birding, but even still the incredible generosity of Donald over at Vortex Optics to help set me up with a pair of Vortex Razor HD 10X42 Binoculars and a Vortex Razor HD 27-60X85 Spotting Scope has left me speechless.
A tremendous "Thank You!" to the folks over at Oakland Bird Alliance, whose generous offer of support puts them among the very first of my sponsorships!
Thank you to Nancy Kautz and the Seven Ponds Nature Center Birding Club for their generous sponsorship of my 2025 adventure!
First and foremost - thank you to anyone who chooses to support me in this insane adventure of mine. When I initially had this idea and began planning I didn't even consider the possibility that others would want to support me, but I am extremely grateful to those who have reached out to do so. For those who are interested in supporting me, I have set up a Patreon, which can be accessed by clicking the logo to the left (or you can send me a message via the contact page). Again, thank you for your incredibly generous support!
All Patrons will receive my "Daily Notes" 12-36 hours after the end of each day, and Patrons subscribed to the "Sponsor" tier will receive monthly postcards, mailed out between the 25th and end of each month.
Follow me on my journey to see 100 species in every Lower-48 State during 2025, experience some of the incredible places and events in American birding, and meet and bird with as many local birders as possible along the way.
Posts will be made every Wednesday at 5pm EST and will cover the previous Monday through Sunday. Additional posts will be made periodically with no set schedule.
