"Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching follows Quentin and Owen Reiser's 2024 attempt to set the Lower 48 Big Year record-that is, to observe and identify the most wild bird species in a single calendar year. The odds are, it's fair to say, not in their favor: They are complete novices with no money and no idea how to identify birds."
"The resulting documentary and accompanying book, Field Guide of All the Birds We Found One Year in the United States, chronicles the brothers' rapid descent into the dark and cringy heart of birding. They meet the kinds of geriatric, cargo-pants-and-sun-hat birders found loitering around birding spots across the country. They interview ridiculous, self-important "listers," both young and old, who'll jet off across the country the moment a rare bird is reported just to add one more check mark to their tally."
Birding has become a pop-culture trend, with characters in recent TV dramas depicted as birders. The most popular birding media of 2025 is a free YouTube documentary made by two Midwestern brothers chronicling their 2024 attempt at a Lower 48 Big Year. The brothers begin as novices with no money, no binoculars, and a route planned via Google, then rapidly immerse themselves in birding culture. The film and an accompanying book portray eccentric listers, geriatric birders, on-the-ground scandals, and the compulsion driving checklist-focused birdwatchers, while drawing interest from both birders and non-birders.
Read at Slate Magazine
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