Birding for Boomers: And Everyone Else Brave Enough to Embrace the World’s Most Rewarding and Frustrating Activity

by Sneed B. Collard III

Birding for Boomers is a friendly, accessible, and humorous guide to discovering the joys of bird watching. Beginning birders of all ages will get answers to every question they may have, like which birds like feeders, the difference between a finch and a flicker, or which birding app to use. The guide also helps birders plan everything from local explorations to exciting "bird-cations."

Late-bloomer birders will appreciate Collard’s personal insights and tips for overcoming aging-related challenges such as physical handicaps, poor hearing, or failing eyesight. Additional sections cover sharing birding with others and contributing to community science, habitat stewardship, and bird conservation.

Appealing and light-hearted, Birding for Boomers will help a wide range of readers overcome any doubts and get started with
watching, understanding, and conserving our feathered friends.

Genres: Nonfiction, Adult

232 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2024

About the author

Sneed B. Collard III (see also "Sneed B. Collard") is a biologist, world traveler, speaker, and author of almost one hundred books for young people, including the 2024 Orbis Pictus Award winner, Border Crossings (Charlesbridge Publishing). His other recent science titles include Fire Birds; Hopping Ahead of Climate Change; Little Killers; Waiting for a Warbler; Beaver & Otter Get Along . . . Sort of; and the upcoming picture book, Like No Other. Collard holds science degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and U.C. Santa Barbara. He lives in Montana.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Collard writes a funny, informative and clear book not just for boomers, but anyone who birds: new starters, and those with experience. He touches on everything. Well done!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you don't know anything about birding, and want to find out the ends and outs, then this book is for you! It's a fascinating world to discover, and Sneed B. Collard I
II does a good job of giving you an all around tour! A good read!

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a jauntily written book, almost irreverent, geared toward the geriatric first time birder--definitely over 60 crowd, as I am at the tail end of the Boomer generation and I had to sign up for Medicare.
He walks the would be newcomer through all the important steps you need en route to becoming addicted to the birds. He starts with where you should start, he progresses to things like locations to consider, references to use, equipment that you will need, including the low down on reasonably priced yet functional binoculars, and whether to get a scope or not. He covers local birding groups, then ramping up to festivals and what you might do if you wanted to pursue a big year--and what he has done himself and why. He covers the gear you should consider to keep yourself comfortable, warm, and dry. He has specific reference guides and why you might want to use them, and most importantly, apps. He showers praise on Merlin, but not quite effusive enough to my ear, as the Sound ID on Merlin has been game changing for me, from being able to tell from my bed what bird songs I am listening to all the way to what I should be looking for once I figure out who is singing. The ability to feel adequate as a birder has gotten so much better and he covers all the tools that make that possible. So if you are thinking of giving birding a whirl, and you fall into the "recently retired" age range, this is the book for you.

[Shane Sater · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a light-hearted, easy-to-read “how to” guide to birding for beginners, focused primarily on readers in the US. This book is easily approachable and sprinkled with quirky humor—sure to inspire the bird-curious to take their next steps. The short, snappy chapters break birding down into a series of accessible steps, from learning the basics and finding resources to approaching ID challenges, gardening for birds, planning trips, and more. And speaking of accessibility, Sneed takes a thorough look at a number of strategies that can make birding accessible for people with a wide range of abilities and identifies, including information about working with hearing loss, vision loss, and physical impairments. This information might be especially useful for boomers, but it’s important for everyone to know.

Sneed’s lighthearted prose is a joy to read, and his enthusiasm for birds is infectious. He insists that a passion for birds can change everyone’s lives for the better. I agree—and for anyone who has an inkling of curiosity and is looking for encouragement, this book will get you started.

My only critique is the title—this could well be called “Birding for Everyone!”

Thanks to Sneed for asking me to review this book and sending me a complimentary copy.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the author’s enthusiasm and humor. While I don’t personally like birds all that much- this book made me consider liking them more

[Sneed III · Rating 5 out of 5]

My ultimate message in Birding for Boomers is: Everyone can and should be able to enjoy the remarkable collection of animals around us known as birds! I set about writing the book, however, knowing that many were intimidated by the challenges of identifying birds and getting out there to see them. My own struggles with hearing loss led me to begin writing, but once I dived into the topic, I wanted to share the many things I have learned from more than a decade of intense birding. In Birding for Boomers, I cover basic information such as birding equipment, identifying birds, finding birds, setting up bird feeders, and using field guides. But I also want readers to grow with the book as they gain skills and expertise. Because of that, I discuss more advanced topics such as tackling especially difficult bird groups, bird photography, bird travel, improving your home habitat, and perhaps most important, helping to protect birds. I try to do this all with a great deal of humor, and even if you don't want to try to become the greatest birder in the history of the universe, I think you'll find the book entertaining, informative, and well worth a read.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My interest in birding is still at the stage Sneed B. Collard III started at - "simply trying to figure out what is flitting around the yard". I have never understood leaving early in the morning with binoculars in hand and returning later in the day with a big smile and sense of accomplishment for simply watching birds all day. But the author explains his transition to the world of birding step by step with a great deal of humor. He has also provided great resources for identification.

I think it's time to dust off the binoculars and "start imagining where the birds might take us!"

It was a very fun read.

[cae · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Anthony Bourdain of birding! The author injects so much enthusiasm and appreciation for the natural world into his writing that it's contagious. It helped me get started in a world where content creators just want to share sponsored gear recommendations. While this book might not have any profound insights for seasoned birders.

The one-star review that says this is "Birding for Wokesters" is correct -- birding for those who carry social responsibility, who care about the natural world and keeping our planet alive, who hate lining the pockets of billionaires -- and for that, I loved every moment.

[Katra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Birding for Boomers and everyone else with a sense of humor about their struggles with it. This is a great birding book, one of the best I've ever read. There's lots of great advice about difficult identifications, equipment, socializing, and many other challenges associated with activity. There's also many a chuckle as Collard gives examples of his struggles. Good reading even if you're not a birder. I caught my supposedly uninterested brother eavesdropping on my audio book several times. Maybe he'll become a convert!

p-s, s-n, v-n, a-n

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy to read introduction to bird watching. I liked the sense of humor, and I picked up a few bits of new information. But it's pretty basic, and there wasn't much that was Boomer-oriented about it.

[George · Rating 1 out of 5]

Better title: Birding for Wokesters. Yuck.

[Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Covers racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia — all the phobias. Wow. So many phobias, I got depressed.

[Rosemary Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am probably too advanced a birder for this book!

[Ruth Maloney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource book

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was insightful and entertaining! Lots of good information even if you've been birding for a while!

[Paige]

This is cute & informative, but not for me.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly a page turner. No riveting intrigue or suspense, but then it’s about birdwatching. For me, noticing/being aware of the birds is contemplative.

[Zuvielekatzen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a boomer - why do all of us have to act so goofy?

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A primer for older beginners with a surprising amount of information even for the more experienced birder, and a solid dose of humor, too.
From getting started with binoculars and a book to getting and using fancier (and more expensive) equipment, dealing with age-related disabilities, recording, traveling, and giving back to birds, this is a rich resource. Sometimes Collard works too hard to be funny, but overall this is an engaging invitation. As a long-time reader of his blog, FatherSonBirding.com , I was happy to recommend that my public library buy this book, and I think others will enjoy it, too.

[Emily Wickstrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative

I liked this book - it was a great book to introduce someone to the world of birding. However, I was not a fan of how the author brought some politics into the book.

[Mark Tadder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very up-to-date, informative with lots of general information and techniques and just plain funny.