By Kim Adelson
Even though our world is beginning to open up, many of us – especially we seniors – will most likely continue to find that we are not having the breadth of birding adventures that we are used to. Many of us will forego airplane travel; others will avoid crowded trails and viewpoints. And so, I thought might be nice to share a list of “birdy” documentaries that can help to fill a paucity of diverse birding experiences. At the very least, they are good for a very rainy day or for an August heat wave when our birds are scarce!
In no particular order…
Winged Migration This 90-minute, 2001 French film was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Documentary category. Using primarily aerial photography – you feel you are flying right next to the birds – it depicts a variety of long-distance migrants, including geese, stork, and pelicans. Winged Migration can be rented from Amazon or iTunes for $3.99.
The Birders: A Melodic Journey through Northern Columbia This 52-minute documentary is a real find! It is very new, and so I am guessing that most of you haven’t yet heard of it. It was designed for “birders in quarantine”, and so comes with a checklist of the more than 100 species that are shown. The film follows photographers who are traveling the Northern Columbia Great Birding Trail, and covers a number of different ecosystems (the Pacific Coast, the Andes, the Amazon, etc.). The photographers spend a fair amount of time talking about their journey rather than always focusing on the birds, which some folk will appreciate and others will not. The quality of the photography is outstanding (the main one works for National Geographic) and the birds are magnificent! You can view the film and download a checklist of the depicted species here. If that link isn’t working, you can watch it for free (minus checklist) on YouTube here
Nature Relaxation: Birds of the Rainforest If you want mindless, beautiful imagery, this one-hour long, narration-less compilation of clips of jungle birds singing and squawking away can’t be beat. You’ll see hummers, cockatoos, macaws, toucans and more. It can be viewed for free on YouTube here. There is a small watermark in the lower corner: if you want to avoid it you can go here, but you’ll need to pay a subscription fee or start a trial subscription.
The March of the Penguins This feature-length 2005 film, narrated by Morgan Freeman, follows the lives of Emperor Penguins as they make the 70-mile overland journey to their breeding grounds and subsequently court, lay a single egg per pair, and care for their young. This film won the 2006 Academy Award for best documentary and has a 94% rating by Rotten Tomatoes. It can be rented for $2.99 from Amazon Prime or 99¢ from iTunes. Those of you who subscribe to Hulu can also enjoy The March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step, which follows the development of a young penguin as he and his family make the return journey back to the sea.
The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos Filmed in northern Tanzania, this 2008 feature-length film displays the lifecycle of lesser flamingos. Although produced by Disney this is not a children’s film: nature is red in tooth and claw. The birds, scenery and photography are beautiful. It can be rented from YouTube or GooglePlay for $2.99
Designed to Dance: Birds of Paradise This 50-minute long film follows photographer Todashi Shimada as he tracks multiple species of birds of paradise in New Guinea and films the males dancing. It was produced by NHK-World, Japan’s equivalent of PBS. (Don’t worry, the narration is in English). It can be viewed for free on YouTube here.
Naturescapes: Eight Hours of Beautiful Birds If you want to see Washington State birds in all their glory, an 18-minue promo for a soon-to-be-released relaxation video, this one is a good choice. It should please those who miss getting out and seeing local birds and, especially, for beginners who want to practice their local bird IDing skills. It can be found here. The Naturescapes site itself is here. They have other bird videos for sale, and if you like the promo you can go to it to get the full version once it is available.
Peregrine Falcon: Lord of the Skies Available here for free if you have Amazon Prime. Numerous reviews cite mistakes about several specific facts (e.g. speeds of various animals), but the film is still a very moving piece about these glorious raptors. Birds are shown in varied habitats, including urban ones, and a lot of time is devoted to rearing young. This 50-minute film can be found here.
I’ve got lots more, and if there is enough interest, I can add to this list in next month’s Echo. Happy armchair birding!
