Falcon Freeway

When Christian Hagenlocher left home to go birding in January he had little confidence it would evolve into an opportunity many birders only dream about. The 26-year-old Biology teacher turned 2016 into a record-breaking Big Year, spotting over 750 species of birds across North America and becoming the youngest person to do so. Inspired by previous birding quests including Kenn Kaufman's "Kingbird Highway" and Roger Tory Peterson's "Wild America", Christian traversed the continent in his Subaru Outback, eating Ramen noodles and sleeping in Wal-Mart parking lots, proving that one doesn't have to be wealthy or jet set to rack up an impressive list of birds. "Falcon Freeway" follows a budding naturalist's incredible journey across the continent, following birds to amazing places while persevering through adversity and exploring the continent one bird at a time.

Christian Hagenlocher's passion for birds began at an early age when he saw the pair of Peregrine Falcons nesting on the Washington Mutual Tower in downtown Seattle. Since then, he's read every library book and field guide he could get his hands on, and his passion for birds and education has only grown! He is passionate about the education of people of all ages and went into the teaching profession after completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 2011. As a high school Science teacher and licensed falconer, Christian has integrated birds into the curriculum in unique ways, exposing students to the ancient sport of falconry and leading international science-focused trips to Belize, Costa Rica, Israel, Colombia, and Peru. In 2016, Christian traveled the continent in search of birds, becoming the youngest person to break 700 in an ABA Big Year. Currently, he is a freelance birding guide based in Washington and Colorado, guiding for companies as his schedule allows.