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Warblers & Woodpeckers: A Father-Son Big Year of Birding
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 . . ." ― 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.
“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 . . ." ― 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.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2018
10 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
Sneed B. Collard III
92 books38 followersSneed 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.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 24, 2018
Hey Everyone! The author here. Want to thank you for taking an interest in my first-ever adult book! In my thirty-five years of writing for children, I always wanted to write an adult book, but never guessed the first would be about birds. My son, Braden, and I only began seriously pursuing birding after watching the movie The Big Year starring Owen Wilson, Jack Black, and Steve Martin. Since then, birding has taken us on incredible adventures, including those described in the book. Even though I wrote this book for adults, it is perfect for middle-grade readers and up, full of action, humor, and adventure. If you enjoy travel, narratives, nature... well, I think you'll enjoy this book.
September 20, 2022
The author and his son were inspired to do a birding Big Year after watching the 2011 movie The Big Year, which is based on the book by the same name.
The whole book is pretty much like this:
Son: Do you think if we go to this place we'll see this bird?
Dad: I don't know, what *you* you think?
Son: I think we will!
Dad: Then let's go!
Later...
Dad: Is that the bird we were looking for?
Son: I'm not sure.
Dad: (Looking through binoculars) It is!
(Dad and son high five each other.)
Three stars only because I'm familiar with a lot of the places they visited and the bird species they talked about, and I was able to add some new places to my list of possibilities.
Towards the end of the book the author gets on a soapbox about Donald Trump, which is distracting in a book about birding. He even admits that, "None of this directly affected my search for the White-headed woodpecker."
The whole book is pretty much like this:
Son: Do you think if we go to this place we'll see this bird?
Dad: I don't know, what *you* you think?
Son: I think we will!
Dad: Then let's go!
Later...
Dad: Is that the bird we were looking for?
Son: I'm not sure.
Dad: (Looking through binoculars) It is!
(Dad and son high five each other.)
Three stars only because I'm familiar with a lot of the places they visited and the bird species they talked about, and I was able to add some new places to my list of possibilities.
Towards the end of the book the author gets on a soapbox about Donald Trump, which is distracting in a book about birding. He even admits that, "None of this directly affected my search for the White-headed woodpecker."
November 8, 2018
Ok, so I've recently gotten into Pokemon Go, and while this book has absolutely nothing to do with that, the kind of collecting/hunting adventure of a birding Big year was deeply satisfying to me to read about. It's not a fast paced book, but it is a book about people with a profound fascination with nature, and a willingness to avoid personal comforts in order to add to their lists. Explores different parts of the country, spends some significant time talking about the father-son bond at a specific part of adolescence (12), and about the life of a children's book author. Totally enjoyable.
December 26, 2023
Cute but…not my preferred writing style with the specific flavor of dramatization and attitude plus a tad eye-roll-inducing with the fatherhood bits. Cool to know I’m 3 degrees separated from the legendary Phoebe Snetsinger though! Sorry Braden…
June 26, 2019
I’ve had birds on the brain this week, and I have Missoula author Sneed Collard to blame.
My last Friday night was spent curled up in front of a fire, “Warblers & Woodpeckers: A Father-Son Big Year of Birding” in hand. I was enthralled by Sneed and teenage son Braden as they found ways to travel around the country in search of new bird species.
In birding, a “Big Year” is an attempt to track down as many birds as possible within the U.S. and Canada in one calendar year. Birders go a bit wild traversing North America in search of rare migrants, as shown in 2011 feature film “The Big Year,” starring Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. Only Americans, says one British extra in the film, are able to make birding a competition. Sneed references the film often.
Birding is something Sneed, a biologist-turned-author, planned to take more seriously when he reached his later years. Braden seemed to have other ideas. A copy of “The Sibley Guide to Birds” became his bed-time reading, and the movie sparked his interest in the necessary travel to birding hot spots, like the Texas coast and the Arizona desert.
“It’s turned into a passion I’m sure he will have the rest of his life,” Sneed said.
To read “Warblers & Woodpeckers” is to experience that passion, as Sneed watches his son gain experience with a father’s pride and a dose of dad humor. It’s a joy to read, with the added benefit or possible detriment of creating a desire to seek out the varied species for yourself. While I haven’t yet dug out my binoculars, I did buy a bird feeder this week in an attempt to bring them to me.
Birds are everywhere, Sneed said, with a couple rare species showing up this week in a nearby gravel pit.
“Every time we go out, it’s an adventure,” Sneed said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s in your backyard or the neighborhood school or Ecuador.”
The book ends with the start of a new year, and the idea of tracking down as many Montana birds as possible in 2017. This year, Sneed and Braden are close to beating both their big year and Montana numbers.
“That’s part of what makes birding so fun,” Sneed said. “You never know what you’re going to run into. They don’t read the guidebooks.”
Still, Sneed offered a tip for a would-be birder. The ponds near Three Forks offer a great variety of species. For the more ambitious, 10 miles up a gravel road from there is prime habitat for burrowing owls. To track which birds you see, as well as find places other people have had luck, Sneed recommends the website eBird. Or seeking out your local Audubon society.
From: https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com...
My last Friday night was spent curled up in front of a fire, “Warblers & Woodpeckers: A Father-Son Big Year of Birding” in hand. I was enthralled by Sneed and teenage son Braden as they found ways to travel around the country in search of new bird species.
In birding, a “Big Year” is an attempt to track down as many birds as possible within the U.S. and Canada in one calendar year. Birders go a bit wild traversing North America in search of rare migrants, as shown in 2011 feature film “The Big Year,” starring Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. Only Americans, says one British extra in the film, are able to make birding a competition. Sneed references the film often.
Birding is something Sneed, a biologist-turned-author, planned to take more seriously when he reached his later years. Braden seemed to have other ideas. A copy of “The Sibley Guide to Birds” became his bed-time reading, and the movie sparked his interest in the necessary travel to birding hot spots, like the Texas coast and the Arizona desert.
“It’s turned into a passion I’m sure he will have the rest of his life,” Sneed said.
To read “Warblers & Woodpeckers” is to experience that passion, as Sneed watches his son gain experience with a father’s pride and a dose of dad humor. It’s a joy to read, with the added benefit or possible detriment of creating a desire to seek out the varied species for yourself. While I haven’t yet dug out my binoculars, I did buy a bird feeder this week in an attempt to bring them to me.
Birds are everywhere, Sneed said, with a couple rare species showing up this week in a nearby gravel pit.
“Every time we go out, it’s an adventure,” Sneed said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s in your backyard or the neighborhood school or Ecuador.”
The book ends with the start of a new year, and the idea of tracking down as many Montana birds as possible in 2017. This year, Sneed and Braden are close to beating both their big year and Montana numbers.
“That’s part of what makes birding so fun,” Sneed said. “You never know what you’re going to run into. They don’t read the guidebooks.”
Still, Sneed offered a tip for a would-be birder. The ponds near Three Forks offer a great variety of species. For the more ambitious, 10 miles up a gravel road from there is prime habitat for burrowing owls. To track which birds you see, as well as find places other people have had luck, Sneed recommends the website eBird. Or seeking out your local Audubon society.
From: https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com...
March 22, 2019
Delightful! Collard's informal and confiding style amplified the feeling of walking along with the author and his son during their Big Year. When I had to put the book down for daily life, I found myself thinking of it with a smile, eager to get back to it. I enjoyed several elements that ran throughout the book. There's a sweet story here of a father and son experiencing something special together. There's an interesting glimpse at the life of a professional writer and of course, there's the birding Big Year.
Perhaps deeply serious birders won't be as fascinated but I completely enjoyed Team Collard's saga and their escalating target number. I've attempted to read a couple of other birder sagas and found them rather snobbish, frankly. I'm the sort of birder Mr. Collard seems to be: fascinated by birds, a yearly keeper of lists and sightings, and a bit compulsive about extending my sightings. Mr. Collard is far more knowledgeable than I am but it was reassuring to find that he shares my confusion with LBB's (little brown birds) and warblers ;-). He also shares my view that birding should be fun - something some of the serious types seem to have lost sight of.
I found the story of the pair's trips to special birding sites fascinating but I also completely enjoyed their forays around home. I envy their list and, as a midwesterner, had to smile at their excitement over seeing a cardinal. In a really lovely way, I've been inspired and motivated by this read. It's just become officially spring here. I'm adding some of their trip locations to my travel wish list, studying my Stokes and Sibley's and polishing my binoculars. Yesterday on my cold windy walk, I saw several pairs of Buffleheads on the pond!
Thanks, Mr. Collard!
Perhaps deeply serious birders won't be as fascinated but I completely enjoyed Team Collard's saga and their escalating target number. I've attempted to read a couple of other birder sagas and found them rather snobbish, frankly. I'm the sort of birder Mr. Collard seems to be: fascinated by birds, a yearly keeper of lists and sightings, and a bit compulsive about extending my sightings. Mr. Collard is far more knowledgeable than I am but it was reassuring to find that he shares my confusion with LBB's (little brown birds) and warblers ;-). He also shares my view that birding should be fun - something some of the serious types seem to have lost sight of.
I found the story of the pair's trips to special birding sites fascinating but I also completely enjoyed their forays around home. I envy their list and, as a midwesterner, had to smile at their excitement over seeing a cardinal. In a really lovely way, I've been inspired and motivated by this read. It's just become officially spring here. I'm adding some of their trip locations to my travel wish list, studying my Stokes and Sibley's and polishing my binoculars. Yesterday on my cold windy walk, I saw several pairs of Buffleheads on the pond!
Thanks, Mr. Collard!
January 30, 2019
Feathered and Fathered Fun
Loved this book. A compelling and heartfelt narrative of a father-son journey that takes us from the frozen backroads of Montana to the searing heat of southern Arizona, and many places in between. A very entertaining account of a Big Year quest to see as many species – some more elusive than others – as possible. The book made me feel I was with the author and his son, binoculars and camera at the ready, in the hunt for the next exhilarating sighting. Reading it with a Sibley bird guide in hand was a joy and an education.
Beyond the bird counts and travelogue, a picture of an endearing father-son bonding experience emerges. We see the maturation of the author’s teenage son, and the ups and downs of any parent-teenager relationship. The author’s observations and reflections on this relationship, combined with the armchair thrill one feels when following the species count, make for a very satisfying read.
Loved this book. A compelling and heartfelt narrative of a father-son journey that takes us from the frozen backroads of Montana to the searing heat of southern Arizona, and many places in between. A very entertaining account of a Big Year quest to see as many species – some more elusive than others – as possible. The book made me feel I was with the author and his son, binoculars and camera at the ready, in the hunt for the next exhilarating sighting. Reading it with a Sibley bird guide in hand was a joy and an education.
Beyond the bird counts and travelogue, a picture of an endearing father-son bonding experience emerges. We see the maturation of the author’s teenage son, and the ups and downs of any parent-teenager relationship. The author’s observations and reflections on this relationship, combined with the armchair thrill one feels when following the species count, make for a very satisfying read.
December 30, 2018
I really enjoyed this book – obviously, since I read it three nights - it was one that was not only easy to read, but engaging. The author really puts everything out there authentically about the experiences he had on a big year of birding with his 13-year-old son. I found a lot I can relate to with the guy - "nemesis birds," love of buffleheads... even some thoughts about a certain president-elect as this book takes place during the entire year of 2016. That was the one part of the book I didn't care for much – not because I disagree with anything he said about Trump, but just because it would have been nice to read a book and not have that subject intrude upon my peace of mind while I'm enjoying it. But I completely understand why he included it in the book.
April 1, 2019
An author and his 13-year-old son spend 2016 finding and identifying birds for a U.S. "Big Year."
I was interested in reading this not only for the subject but also because I have admired Collard's science writing for young readers. For me, it was a treat. Not only was it about birds and birding and getting better at birding, it was about a father and his barely teen-aged son, jointly engaged in a project and strengthening and deepening their relationship. I appreciated their approach: not just ticking off the species but actually enjoying the experience of watching birds going on about their lives. The trip to Galapagos -- not part of an official American Birding Association Big Year -- was icing on the cake.
I was interested in reading this not only for the subject but also because I have admired Collard's science writing for young readers. For me, it was a treat. Not only was it about birds and birding and getting better at birding, it was about a father and his barely teen-aged son, jointly engaged in a project and strengthening and deepening their relationship. I appreciated their approach: not just ticking off the species but actually enjoying the experience of watching birds going on about their lives. The trip to Galapagos -- not part of an official American Birding Association Big Year -- was icing on the cake.
March 31, 2019
"The sacrifices we birders make.". I couldn't agree more. Absolutely loved this book! Many of the places the Collards searched for birds for, I have been myself...doing the exact same thing.... chasing diff species of birds. Found memories of my birding trips resurfaced as the Collards big year unfolded. Loved that it was a father and son big year. If I ever win the lotto I would do a mother and son big year!!!
April 12, 2021
As the title suggests, the nonfiction children's book writer and his son tried a Big Year from their Montana home. They were limited by budget and time (jobs, school) but came up with over 300 birds each. Entertaining.
June 1, 2020
A very enjoyable story of a father and son who experience a big year birding Adventure. Good humor. I love the author’s commitment to his son and an adventure they would always remember. I’ve been to some of the same places and it was fun to be taken back again through this neat story.
January 9, 2021
I’ve read a lot of Big Year books and this has to be one of my favorites. It’s great to read about a Big Year for “normal people” who don’t have all the time in the world to travel the country birding. An awesome book!
March 20, 2019
I’ve read a number of big year birding books - this one measures up well. Despite the dangers of a sentimental father and son story, the author managed to stay focused on the events and the birds!
March 29, 2019
A delightful and inspiring read!
January 21, 2019
I gave this book 3 stars only because of the micro-detail of moving around, getting in cars, getting out of cars, walking along trails, walking along another trail, going to bed, getting up, getting breakfast. The story didn't need all that. We can figure it out.
Otherwise, it's a fun read, and inspiring as well seeing the father and son bond deepen over birding.
Last year was a no-new-birds year for me. Collard and son helped me start planning some trips or even just days in 2019.
Thanks.
Otherwise, it's a fun read, and inspiring as well seeing the father and son bond deepen over birding.
Last year was a no-new-birds year for me. Collard and son helped me start planning some trips or even just days in 2019.
Thanks.
August 27, 2022
I liked the father-son relationship building aspect of the book but was turned off by the politics. It was very obvious that the 2016 election result was not welcomed by the author, and the repeated harping and negative projections for the next few years made the last part of the book difficult to finish for me. Less politics and more description of birds would have been appreciated. I won’t recommend.
May 18, 2023
A pleasant read but possibly only interesting to birders. I enjoyed reading about their excursions to places I know here in Arizona, and I've planned a trip to Texas next spring based on their adventures there. He captures the excitement of finding new birds, but the real reward from their "big year" was meeting new friends and the father-son bonding.
March 28, 2025
A lovely, fun read about birding. I enjoyed reading about the aspect of parenting an almost teen, and how these trips fed the father son connection. Best read if you are American, or have been birding in America!
February 28, 2019
Entertaining and amusing account of a father with his teenage son trying to see as many birds as possible in one year.
October 2, 2022
A great ‘Big Year’ book. As a Montana birder, I loved reading about familiar birds on my own home turf, and also new spots to check out in other amazing US birding locales.
November 21, 2022
Just ok.
August 18, 2025
Guess I like birding now.
February 23, 2019
I picked up this book, as a wannabe birder, and one who has enjoyed infrequent excursions to bird, in the past. I really enjoyed the father-son connect throughout the book and was mildly jealous even of the relationship they seemed to share. But why I give it two stars and not any more is because it was repetitive - the conversations between the duo were often so, and at some stage I felt the book deteriorated to a mere chronicling of the birds they hoped to see / saw / missed. But it did leave me excited to see the variety of birds on display in America.
August 4, 2023
Sneed B. Collard’s father-son record of their Big Year caught me by surprise. I thought it would be interesting, since I enjoy birds, and I thought it would be endearing, because how many thirteen year olds like birding and hanging out with their dad? It was both and it was also memorable.
I had no idea birding could be so competitive. And I had no idea there existed something known as Big Year.
I had no idea birding could be so competitive. And I had no idea there existed something known as Big Year.
November 17, 2019
Another of the increasingly popular big year subgenre of birding books, and mostly follows the pattern. A few special trips are described in detail, as well as some local bird sightings. But what makes this one especially fun is that it's also about the relationship between birding parent and birding child. If you enjoy reading about people seeking out birds for a year, this is another fun read.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews