We’re on vacation, and we watched a lovely little documentary about birds and birders in Central Park. Knowing that the film can be selective about its subjects, I still couldn’t help feeling that birders are an inherently more charming, patient, curious class of people than nonbirders. I even liked Jonathan Franzen better after seeing him here.
You would think — I would think — that New York’s Central Park is all sparrows and pigeons, but it plays host to hundreds of different species of migrating birds. As one of the birders observes early on, the birds are incredibly cooperative: a pack of a dozen birders can come upon a bird and expect it to stay there for them to observe.
The bird photography is beautiful. As one birder observed, the birds are like brightly colored ornaments in the trees. The detail on some of the feathers is astonishing.
This young birdwatcher was adorable, smart, sweet, and wise. I hope someday she rules the world — she’ll do a good job.
We watched on HBO — I don’t even understand how media access works these days, but you can at least find out more about it online.
What Real World? 