I talk with Gary and Noah Steinberg about breaking the Florida Big Year record, Florida birding, and more!

Bios provided by Noah Steinberg: Gary Steinberg is a long-time Buddhist meditation practitioner and teacher, as well as an avid birder. He teaches silent meditation, dialogue practices, and other forms of Buddhist study. Gary began birding in the mid-90s and moved to Florida in 2022. In 2023, Gary and his son Noah undertook a Florida big year together. Gary and Noah ended 2023 first and second in the state for the year, setting a new Florida Big Year record. That record fell the following year. In 2025 they did it all again, pushing the record to 421. 

Noah Steinberg is a tour leader with American Birding Guides, a co-founder and administrator of the Florida Birding Discord, the creator of rare bird alert group chats for Orange and Osceola Counties, and an eBird reviewer for Orange County, Florida and the High Seas (Northwest Atlantic Ocean). Having taken on the role of ‘Big Year Manager’, Noah joined his dad in making a run at the Florida record while maintaining detailed spreadsheets to plan and document the year in whole. Just shy of his dad, Noah observed 417 species in 2025. 

However, Gary and Noah understand this wasn’t an individual achievement, but a communal one. Birders across the state contributed by finding birds, showing up at chases, sending tips, and offering friendship. Without the community of Florida birders, it wouldn't have been possible.