Suffolk County Big Year Record · 319 Species · 2025
Aidan Perkins
Long Island Naturalist & Environmental Educator
I lead nature programs across Suffolk County, write about the wild places of Long Island, and in 2025 set the county birding record with 319 species — breaking a record that had stood for seven years.
319
Suffolk County species, 2025
93%
Self-found, not chased
5
Long Island institutions
Six years earlier
The same bird, when I was 17.
Newsday photographer John Paraskevas caught me on Port Jefferson Harbor with a borrowed scope, looking for a thick-billed murre. The murre I closed the 2025 Big Year with was the same species — six years and one record later.
About
I've been exploring Long Island's ecosystems since I was eleven years old, when a film about competitive birding sent me running outside with binoculars.
Today I work as a wildlife biologist and environmental educator with the South Fork Natural History Museum and the Center for Environmental Education & Discovery, leading walks, lectures, and the Young Birders Club.
Read the full story →Programs
Out in the field, year-round.
Young Birders Club, owl walks, winter sea-duck tours, Shinnecock Bay cruises, and lectures across Long Island. Family-friendly, free or low-cost, and open to anyone curious enough to come along.
See the full schedule →- Young Birders Club3rd Saturday · SOFO
- Aidan's Big Year talkMay 4 · ELIAS
- Winter Sea DucksSeasonal · Montauk
- Shinnecock SpecialtiesWinter · SOFO
Featured reading
The Big Year, in long form.
Two articles tell the story end-to-end — one written by Aidan, one written about him. Both available to read or download.
SOFO Naturalist · Spring 2026
A Big Year
By Aidan Perkins, Wildlife Biologist
Aidan’s own first-person account of the 2025 Suffolk County Big Year, published in the South Fork Natural History Museum quarterly newsletter.
The East Hampton Star · April 16, 2026
Aidan Perkins Had a Very Big Year
By Christopher Gangemi
Long-form profile in The East Hampton Star — the strategy, the rare finds, and the final bird at sunrise on December 31.
All press, video & citizen science →“I think his record will stay for a very long time. 319 is crazy.”