Sneed B. Collard III is the author of the new book Birding for Boomers: And Everyone Else Brave Enough to Embrace the World's Most Rewarding and Frustrating Activity. His many other books include First-Time Japan. He lives in Missoula, Montana.
Q: What inspired you to write Birding for Boomers?
A: The initial impetus for writing the book came from my struggles with hearing loss. I noticed my hearing plummeting shortly after becoming a birder, and have spent a lot of time experimenting with how to keep birding.
During Covid, I thought, “Hm, I’ll bet a lot of other people also struggle with hearing loss. Maybe I should write a book to help them?”
As I began roughing out the first chapters, however, I realized that I wanted to write a book for all beginning birders. Why? Because even in my short decade of birding, I had accumulated a surprising amount of knowledge and experience to share.
Driving it all is my passion for birds and wanting to share the joy of birding’s excitement with others, regardless of age, background, or ability.
Q: The book’s subtitle describes birding as “the world's most rewarding and frustrating activity.” What are some of your most rewarding and frustrating moments as a birder?
A: The rewarding aspects of birding far outweigh the frustrations, and include:
* Getting to spend quality time with my son.
* Exploring places that I never dreamed of seeing if not in pursuit of birds.
* Garnering a greater understanding of birds, how they live, and their essential roles in our world.
* Giving me endless new topics to write about!
As far as the negatives, those largely revolve around my frustrations trying to learn certain birds—especially those that rarely show themselves and must be identified by their vocalizations.
Fortunately, great tools such as hearing aids and Merlin’s Sound ID feature have allowed me to deal with many of these situations. I sure wish I still had a 20-year-old brain, though!
Q: Can other age groups enjoy the book as well?
A: Oh, yeah! In fact, the main reason the book is called Birding for Boomers is that the title is so catchy, we just couldn’t let it go! However, we hope that people will read the ridiculously long subtitle and realize that this book will help all beginning birders.
I want to add, though, that I also wrote the book so that people could keep growing with it as they gain experience their first few years. That’s why the book includes both introductory topics and more advanced topics such as bird photography, tackling especially tough bird groups, and bird conservation.
Q: For someone unfamiliar with birding, what are some of the most important things to know?
A: Other than gardening, birds offer the easiest, most accessible way to stay in touch with nature. Why? Because birds are literally all around us. Even if you live in an urban area filled mainly with invasive birds, these creatures are still fascinating to identify, study, and enjoy.
What’s more, birding is a great way to connect with others. That’s essential in these days when so many of us feel isolated.
Beware: once you begin birding, be prepared that it may well take over most of your free time. And that’s a great problem to have!
Q: What are you working on now?
A: With four books out in 2024, I’m actually in a “recharging phase.” I have a couple of ideas for future adult books, but am letting them percolate, slowly gathering ideas and information.
Meanwhile, I continue to write articles for magazines such as Bird Watcher’s Digest (BWD), Montana Outdoors, and Big Sky Journal—and keep up with our blog, fathersonbirding.com.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Thanks to Boomers, I have quite a few speaking engagements lined up for the next year. If anyone is interested in inviting me to a conference, birding festival, school, bookstore, etc., feel free to reach out directly to me at sbcollardiii@gmail.com.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Sneed B. Collard III.
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