CHASING BIRDS
Greg Woodland
Luminous Films
Nature/Adventure Documentary
Australia, 2008, 55 min.

Sponsored by the Australian Embassy, Washington, DC

Sat., May 23, 2 PM, at Carswell Hall, Wake Forest University.

Synopsis from the Filmmaker:

Australia is home to over 800 species of birds from honeyeaters to hawks, from spoonbills to cockatoos. It is also home to different species of bird lovers, some of whom take their interest to the extreme... "twitchers" is the commonly used name for such enthusiasts.

"Chasing Birds" follows three teams—the Hunter Thickheads, the Hunter Home-Brewers and the Whacked Out Woodswallows—as they compete in an annual "Twitchathon." The aim is to spot as many species as possible in 24 hours. Not easy at the best of times—but especially difficult with a camera crew tagging along.

Part comedy, part natural history and part road movie, "Chasing Birds" is a very enjoyable journey into the heart of serious obsession.

Follow three very different teams of competition bird watchers as they tear through the Australian countryside trying to amass as many sightings as possible. The characters we meet prove that there's no such thing as a "typical" bird watcher! -ME