Birding Under the Influence

'What an incredible story! Dorian’s adventure is an inspiration for birders and non-birders alike.' David Lindo, author of The Urban BirderAt a personal and professional crossroad, a man resets his life and finds sobriety, love and 618 bird species, cycling his way to a very Big Year.In Birding Under the Influence, Dorian Anderson, a neuroscience researcher on a pressure-filled life trajectory, walks away from the world of elite institutions, research labs and academic publishing. In doing so, he falls in love and realises he has freed himself to embrace his lifelong passion for birding.A North American Big Year – a continent-spanning adventure in which a birder attempts to see as many species as possible in twelve months – is a massive undertaking under any circumstances. Breaking the record on a bicycle takes another degree of obsession. And doing all that while sustaining sobriety? That’s next level altogether.As Dorian pedals across the country, describing the birds he sees, he confronts the challenges of long-distance cycling: treacherous weather, punctured tires, speeding cars and injury. He encounters eccentric characters, blistering blacktop, dreary hotel rooms, snarling dogs and an endless sea of smoking tailpipes. He also confronts his past struggles with alcohol, drugs, and risky behaviours that began in secondary school and followed him into adulthood.Birding Under the Influence is a candid, honest look at Dorian’s double life of academic accomplishment and addiction. While his story of recovery is simultaneously poignant and inspiring, it is ultimately his love of birds and nature that provides the scaffolding to build a new, radically different life.

"One hell of a ride."—Nick Offerman, actor, woodworker, New York Times bestselling author, “Birding Under the Influence is an adrenaline hit for birders and adventure junkies. It’s also a surprisingly tender story of redemption, as Dorian Anderson faces down his addictions and reinvents his career. Having eagerly awaited this book after Anderson’s 2014 Big Year, I read it in a blissful, all-out binge—as will anyone with a taste for birds and inspiring journeys.”—Noah Stryker, Associate Editor of Birding magazine and author of Birding Without Borders, "Candid and often moving reflections . . . make for absorbing reading. . . . [This is] a memoir of a journey that was more than just a chase after numbers."—Booklist (starred), “A story led by the bike and fueled by his tenacity, Dorian colorfully articulates the depth to which putting in the work—both physically on the bike, and emotionally on oneself—reaps infinite rewards.”—Tiffany Kirsten, birding guide and past Lower 48 U.S. Continental Big Year record holder, “What an incredible story! Dorian’s adventure is an inspiration for birders and non-birders alike.”—David Lindo, author of The Urban Birder

An avid birder since childhood, Dorian Anderson abandoned his hobby at age 15, focusing instead on a demanding scientific career while simultaneously struggling with substance abuse. He earned a degree in molecular and cellular biology from Stanford, conducted predoctoral research in molecular embryology at Harvard, and earned his doctorate in Developmental Genetics and Molecular Cell Biology at New York University. While working as a postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dorian decided to leave the academic rat race and focused on the next phase of his life, returning to birding. In 2014, he embarked on his Biking for Birds project, the first North American Big Year completed entirely by bicycle. During this incredible journey, he biked 17,830 miles (28,500 km) and observed 618 bird species while raising funds for bird habitat conservation. Since his cycling Big Year, he has transitioned to a professional life as a birding guide, writer, and public speaker.