Hallmark’s Birding Romcom Misses the Mark with LA Birders

Los Angeles is famous for its movie magic. But when Hollywood shines a spotlight on the city’s birding crowd, things can get a little messy.

The Hallmark Channel’s new romantic comedy, Adventures in Love & Birding, set out to charm audiences with a feel-good story about love, nature, and second chances. Instead, it stirred up a bit of drama among L.A.’s passionate birdwatchers—folks who know their owls from their hawks and aren’t shy about pointing out a misplaced bird call.

The film’s attempt to capture the joy of birding left local enthusiasts both amused and a bit exasperated. Their reactions say a lot about how a simple hobby has become a cultural touchstone in post-pandemic America.

The Movie That Tried to Woo Birders—and Missed Its Mark

Hallmark’s Adventures in Love & Birding had all the right ingredients for a cozy autumn movie: a single mom, a charming birder love interest, and sweeping nature scenes meant to tug at your heart. But the L.A. birding community quickly noticed the film’s version of their hobby was more fluff than fact.

Marcos Trinidad, senior director of forestry at TreePeople, pointed out that Hollywood has a habit of getting bird details wrong. One classic example? Movies that show a bald eagle soaring but play the piercing call of a red-tailed hawk—birders everywhere wince when they hear it.

When Hallmark posted its promotional poster on Instagram, birders were already on alert. Comments rolled in, poking fun at the film’s mistakes before it even aired.

Quips like “I wonder what those two male varied thrushes are talking about” and “I hope they hired a location manager to ensure the right birds appear in the right regions” filled the thread. The community’s sense of humor was on display, but curiosity won out, and soon enough, watch parties were being planned to see just how far off the mark the movie might be.

When Binoculars Become a Plot Hole

At one watch party, hosted by avid birder Jamin Warren and his friend Brett Karley—founder of Bird Club, a sustainable clothing line for bird lovers—the mood swung between laughter and disbelief. Both are active in the 200-member L.A. Birding Community Chat Group on WhatsApp, and they started spotting errors right away.

The male lead, supposedly a pro bird guide, was using outdated Porro prism binoculars—no serious birder would bring those out in the field. For these two, it was like watching a chef use plastic cutlery in a Michelin-star kitchen. Not exactly inspiring.

As the movie went on, more bird blunders popped up. The soundtrack played the trill of a screech owl while showing a great horned owl on screen.

Maybe that seems minor to most, but for birders, it’s like hearing a violin dubbed over a trumpet solo. These details matter to people who spend hours in the field learning to identify species by sight and sound.

The Moment That Really Ruffled Feathers

The biggest letdown wasn’t about the gear or the calls—it was emotional. The male lead’s lifelong dream was to spot a spotted owl, one of North America’s most elusive birds.

When he finally does, the scene just falls flat. There’s no thrill, no gasp, no joy. Karley and Warren both felt the filmmakers missed what makes birding so addictive: that electric rush when you finally see a species you’ve chased for years. As Karley put it, the characters “just stumble upon it and weren’t pumped about it at all.”

For a movie about birding, that lack of wonder was a real misstep.

Hollywood’s Blind Spot for Authenticity

The Hallmark Channel didn’t respond to questions about whether any birding experts were consulted during production. That silence says a lot to the birding community, which often feels misunderstood by mainstream media.

The irony? Birding has never been more popular. During the pandemic, it became one of the few safe, socially distanced activities around. A 2022 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey says the number of birdwatchers in the U.S. more than doubled since 2016, jumping to around 96 million people.

That’s a huge audience for any network, and Hallmark clearly saw potential in courting this growing crowd.

From a marketing perspective, Adventures in Love & Birding makes sense. The network has been trying to branch out from its usual Countdown to Christmas programming, looking for new niches that mix romance with lifestyle trends. Birding, with its wholesome, nature-loving vibe, seemed like a perfect fit.

But authenticity really does matter—especially when your audience knows their field guides better than your screenwriters do.

Finding the Silver Lining in a Flock of Flubs

Despite all the mistakes, there was still some appreciation among those who watched. Karley admitted he was glad a major network even tried to make a movie about birding.

For all its flaws, Adventures in Love & Birding got people talking about the hobby. That’s a win, honestly. The more visibility birding gets, the more it shakes off its reputation as just a pastime for retirees or introverts.

Karley’s mission, through his brand and community work, is to make birding accessible and cool—something anyone can do without feeling awkward.

Warren pointed out that birding is one of the rare hobbies where just participating helps science. Every time a birder logs a sighting in an app like eBird, that data feeds real research on bird populations, migration, and conservation.

So, even if someone takes up birding after a cheesy rom-com, that’s a small win for the planet.

Why Birding Deserves Better Representation

This Hallmark misstep shows that birding isn’t just a quiet hobby anymore—it’s a cultural movement. It blends mindfulness, environmental awareness, and community in a way few pastimes can.

Birders are storytellers, scientists, and explorers all at once. They care about accuracy, not just to be nitpicky, but because every detail helps us understand the natural world better.

Hollywood, with all its creative muscle, often overlooks how meaningful those details are. A movie that really captured the spirit of birding wouldn’t just get the calls right—it would show the patience, the camaraderie, and those euphoric moments of discovery that keep people coming back. It would celebrate how birding connects folks to their environment and each other.

That’s the story the L.A. birding community is still hoping to see.

Lessons from the Birders of Los Angeles

As the credits rolled on Adventures in Love & Birding, the watch party crowd wasn’t angry—they were energized. They laughed, critiqued, and swapped stories of their own birding adventures.

In a way, the movie succeeded at something Hallmark probably never planned: it brought birders together to celebrate their passion. It reminded them that even when Hollywood fumbles, their community is strong, vocal, and growing.

The L.A. birding community’s reaction wasn’t just about one movie. It was about representation, respect, and being seen. Birding is more than a quirky backdrop for a love story—it’s a way to understand nature and our place in it.

If Hallmark’s rom-com missed the mark, it still sparked a conversation that might inspire future filmmakers to take flight with something more real. Here’s hoping.

The Final Takeaway

• Birders care about accuracy. But honestly, what they want most is respect.
• Hollywood’s got a shot here to tell deeper, more honest stories about people who love nature.
• Even a movie that gets things wrong can still get people excited and bring folks together.

*Adventures in Love & Birding* might have dropped the ball on some details. Still, it showed that birding isn’t just a quirky hobby anymore.

It’s become a movement, a lifestyle, and for a surprising number of Americans, a genuine love story. Next time Hollywood swoops into this world, maybe they’ll bring a field guide—and a real birder—along for the ride.