When Sandy Komito (the cheery guy played by Owen Wilson in the movie The Big Year) saw 748 species in 1998, many thought his North American birding record would last forever. In fact, Komito’s number stood for 15 years—until Neil Hayward managed to log 749 species during his frenzied transcontinental run. Since then, birders have wondered when someone might go for the big 750. Well, it happened this month—twice! On July 16, John Weigel spotted a Buller’s Shearwater on a boat trip from Half Moon Bay, California, marking his 750th sighting of 2016. Then, on July 18, Olaf Danielson encountered some Red-faced Cormorants while birding on Saint Paul Island, Alaska, notching his own Big Year triumph. It’s hard to tell which is more remarkable: that the North American Big Year record was smashed less than seven months in, or that two separate birders hit the mark within two days of each other. 4745 For Weigel, an American ex-pat now living in Australia, this is just...