Items15The creator’s order
  1. 1Birders: The Central Park Effect (2012)Birders: The Central Park Effect (2012) 7.4/10 on IMDbReleased Jul 16, 2012Jonathan Franzen is one of the New Yorkers who rearrange their schedules around migration. The variety of people who turn up for birds in the same patch of Manhattan makes this a good starting point if you'd like company on your first walk.0
  2. 2The Life of Birds (1998)The Life of Birds (1998) 8.9/10 on IMDbFirst aired Oct 21, 1998Start with “Signals and Songs” to see what a call or a flash of color does for a bird. David Attenborough gives you reasons to pause and watch what happens next when a sound or movement catches your attention.0
  3. 3Winged Migration (2001)Winged Migration (2001) 7.9/10 on IMDbReleased Dec 12, 2001A bird passing overhead is only one moment in a much longer journey. The cameras travel alongside migrating flocks, giving you time to pick out their formations and watch the landscapes change beneath them.0
  4. 4BirdersBirdersOtilia Portillo Padua follows people on both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border as they observe and protect migrating birds. This short introduces the kind of shared work that starts when people record what they see and listen to what others have noticed.0
  5. 5Sam & Ade Go Birding (2026)Sam & Ade Go Birding (2026) 9.0/10 on IMDbFirst aired Apr 14, 2026If you’d rather learn alongside someone new to birding, follow Adrian Edmondson as experienced birder Samuel West shows him what to look for. In the north Norfolk episode, they move from pine woods to beach and marsh. Watch how a change of habitat gives them different places to look.0
  6. 6Bird Brain (2017)Bird Brain (2017)Released Dec 20, 2017Watching a bird work through a puzzle changes what you look for between landings and takeoffs. In this NOVA special, researchers compare how ravens and parrots respond to tasks. The point is to watch how the bird arrives at a solution.0
  7. 7The MessengerThe MessengerSu Rynard follows the researchers and advocates trying to find out why songbirds are disappearing. Its discussion of city lights and migration gives you a reason to think about the route a bird took before it showed up in the yard.0
  8. 8Flyways: The Untold Journey of Migratory ShorebirdsFlyways: The Untold Journey of Migratory ShorebirdsA flock feeding on a mudflat is making a stop on a route that scientists can now follow with tiny trackers. Randall Wood's film is a good introduction to flyways and to why the places birds rest and feed can matter as much as their destinations.0
  9. 9The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003)The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003) 7.8/10 on IMDbReleased Oct 9, 2003Spend an evening with the San Francisco flock that Mark Bittner comes to know bird by bird. Watch Picasso and Sophie preen one another and compare them with Connor, the lone blue-crowned conure in the flock. It’s a good introduction to watching a bird’s company as closely as its colors.0
  10. 10Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme BirdwatchingListers: A Glimpse Into Extreme BirdwatchingOwen and Quentin Reiser start as beginners and try to see as many species as they can in a year. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and watching them discover how other birders share sightings is the part you can bring to a much shorter trip.0