Warblers and Woodpeckers

A Father-Son Big Year of Birding

  • 256 pages
  • Mountaineers Books
  • 978-1-68051-136-9
  • Aug 17, 2018

Hardback
$24.95
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Description
2018 Montana Book Awards Honor Book 2019 High Plains Book Awards Finalist in Creative Nonfiction

“In the grandest sense, the Big Year is more than just a game. Though few mortals will ever tackle the endeavor, most of us can appreciate the decision to follow a passion to its outer limits. Dedicating a whole year to birds is an exhausting, exhilarating, occasionally demoralizing, and addictive pursuit, and anyone crazy enough to go the distance is in for a wild ride.”

Noah Strycker, Audubon

"What makes this big-year book different is the father-son bonding element . . . the picture of a teenager that emerges has the ring of truth. A proficient storyteller, Collard writes with style about their travels together . . ."

Kirkus Reviews

From the killer bee-infested border region of southeast Arizona to the sultry islands of the Galapagos, Warblers & Woodpeckers recounts the quest of a father and his thirteen-year-old son to see as many birds as possible in a single year. With a measured blend of humor, natural history, and adventure, this tale takes readers to great birding hotspots of America and beyond, both to experience their incredible avian wealth and to experience the focused, often eccentric, world of ornithological travel. Along the way, readers share the ups and downs of the relationship between a father and his teenage son.

Writer Sneed Collard and his son Braden set out to establish their own personal Big Year bird species count record. In Warblers & Wood peckers, Sneed shares the excitement, challenges, perils, and insights that come with crisscrossing the country in search of some of Earth’s most remarkable creatures. It’s a father-and-son tale, in which the adventure is in the journey and the surprising discoveries and encounters with our wondrous feathered friends. Sneed brings a fast-paced yet generous voice to the attempt, and readers of all stripes will appreciate the way backyard birders can create their own Big Year.

Contributors

Details
  • 256 pages
  • Mountaineers Books
  • 978-1-68051-136-9
  • Aug 17, 2018
Reviews
  • Part travelogue and part celebration of family, this endearing book will appeal to birders, nature lovers, and armchair travelers.
    GrrlScientist, Forbes
  • Warblers & Woodpeckers is both an adventurous read and a celebration of family, with especial appeal to armchair travelers, nature lovers, and birding aficionados. Highly recommended.
    James A. Cox, Midwest Book Review, REVIEWER'S CHOICE
  • A sweet tale of world travel and adventure.... The bonding that happens over this father and son’s shared obsession with ornithology in this light read is the real story of the book. Birders who may have their eye on doing a Big Year of their own, as well as non-birders who may find the whole idea baffling but charming, would enjoy this book about discovery and family.
    Erin H. Turner, Big Sky Journal
  • For those interested in basic birdwatching, natural history, ecotourism, U.S. travel, and father-son relationships, this accessible personal account is full of warmth and wonder.
    Henry T. Armistead, Library Journal
  • Accompanying Sneed and Braden is a pleasure whether or not you’re a birder. And if you’re not, these travels might get you started.
    Irene Wanner, The Seattle Times
  • What makes this big-year book different is the father-son bonding element . . . the picture of a teenager that emerges has the ring of truth. A proficient storyteller, Collard writes with style about their travels together.
    — Kirkus Reviews
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