Book review:
Birding for Boomers: And Everyone Else Brave Enough to Embrace the World’s Most Rewarding and Frustrating Activity by Sneed B. Collard III, illustrated by Tanner Barkin
This is a 2024 Honor Book from the Montana Book Award!
Sneed is leading an MNHC birding trip to Lee Metcalf on March 29. Learn more and register here!
By Allison De Jong
I’m not a Boomer, but fortunately you don’t need to be one to find this book utterly delightful. Sneed shares the ins and outs (and ups and downs) of birding in a fun, frank, and accessible way. This guide is peppered with whimsical illustrations and humorous asides, and I found myself chortling throughout.
With charming self-deprecation, Sneed shares his story of becoming a birder at a later stage of life, not shying away from the challenges that age brings (hearing loss, eyesight issues, mobility challenges). He provides insights and resources for accommodating those challenges, as well as a wealth of information for beginning—or even intermediate—birders. There’s information about field guides and birding apps; gear, from clothing to spotting scopes; IDing birds by appearance, habitat, and sound; and great birding destinations, from your backyard to international hotspots.
Sneed also touches on the importance of making birding available to all—not only older folks and others with physical limitations, but those in the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, and those who face economic barriers—sharing ways we can “welcome everyone to the flock.”
Birding can’t help but inspire those who engage in it to care more deeply about the planet—and to become aware of the ever-increasing challenges faced by birds and other wild creatures. Sneed acknowledges the challenges while including resources for making yards more wildlife friendly, lifestyle changes we can make to help birds, lists of conservation organizations to support, and more.
With this book, you’ll have all the information you need to join the quirky, enthusiastic community of nature-loving bird nerds. Welcome!
