Every spring, several hundred bird species migrate through Central Park, and with them, several hundred birders, whose eccentric passion provides the subject of this slight but handsome nature documentary. The feverish intensity of enthusiastic birdwatchers may seem better suited for a Christopher Guest movie, but director Jeffrey Kimball’s lush cinematography makes Central Park’s beauty no laughing matter. Though his film will surely appeal more to people who’d recognize an immature female Northern Goshawk, Kimball mounts a convincing case for the hobby—enough to persuade most naturephobic New Yorkers to grab a pair of binoculars stat.
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