
LISTERS: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching
Brothers Quinton and Owen set out to complete a birding "big year," the informal but grueling challenge of spotting as many species as possible within twelve months. The film follows their pursuit as it shifts from a personal project into something closer to obsession, tracking the miles driven, the early mornings, and the running tally of sightings that defines the challenge. Rather than framing the big year purely as competition against other listers, the film treats it as a shared journey between siblings, watching how the drive to add one more species to the list reshapes their days and their relationship with the outdoors. Interviews and field footage capture the practical grind behind extreme birdwatching: scanning tree lines, checking guides, and chasing rare reports across territory. It is a small, specific portrait of a niche pursuit, more interested in what keeps the brothers going than in turning birding into spectacle.