Birdwatcher's Life List Reaches 5,000 Species, Marriage Reaches Breaking Point

Competitive birder Franklin Lark achieved the milestone of 5,000 species on his life list Saturday morning when he positively identified a Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo in the cloud forests of eastern Ecuador. His wife, Diane, filed for divorce that afternoon. 'I'm incredibly proud of what I've accomplished,' Lark said via satellite phone from a canopy observation platform, where he planned to remain for 'at least another week, maybe two.' 'The ground-cuckoo is one of the most elusive Neotropical species. Only 47 confirmed sightings this century. Diane says she'll leave the papers with my lawyer.' Diane Lark, reached at the couple's home in suburban Minneapolis, provided context. 'In twenty-three years of marriage, he has missed fourteen Thanksgivings, nine Christmases, our daughter's college graduation, and my father's funeral,' she said. 'The funeral one was because someone reported a Wallcreeper in the Swiss Alps and he said, and I quote, "Dad would have understood. Wallcreepers are incredible."' The divorce filing cites as grounds a 2019 incident in which Franklin allegedly left their 20th anniversary dinner mid-entree after receiving a text about a possible Spoon-billed Sandpiper sighting 'only' four hours away. Franklin's birding companions have expressed sympathy. 'Relationships are hard when you're chasing a world record,' said fellow twitcher Geoff Scope. 'But at 5,000, he's got to keep going. You can always get remarried. You can't un-miss a Spoon-billed Sandpiper.' Franklin has asked that alimony payments be calculated 'excluding months spent in active pursuit of lifers.'