This book got off to a promising start with the author setting out on his search to see the hummingbirds of the world.

However, I feel the narrative would have worked better as a travel memoir of sorts as it talks more about places and people than the birds themselves. There were too many details and too many digressions and I couldn't focus on it after a point.

I enjoyed some parts of it but I began to skim too many parts too quickly. Sadly, I did not finish reading it.

At its heart, this book is a global road trip. The author travelled the world in search of Hummingbirds. He travels through The USA, America, and Africa in the hunt for the varied species of Hummingbird. Along the way, he explores the natural and social forces that surround, and endanger, these birds. It is a fascinating study of a beautiful bird.

Fascinated with birds, these ones impressed me with their beauty and loved this book! Engaging writing, research and fun time.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

The Glitter in the Green: In Search of Hummingbirds is a captivating and exquisitely researched hummingbird odyssey across the Americas, celebrating the beauty and rich cultural heritage of this most rare and charismatic bird from one an acclaimed natural history writer. Leaving his croft on the remote Shetland Islands, Jon Dunn makes the journey across the Atlantic to the Americas in search of this elusive, mesmerising bird as their populations begin to dwindle.

Hummingbirds, with their unsurpassed jewel-like plumage, acrobatic flight, and immense character, have captured our imaginations for centuries. They possess a fascinating history, one that has frequently collided with the human world. We see them crop up in ancient religion, folklore, art, fashion, and literature. In the rich oral traditions of native tribes, for instance, they often served as messengers between the living and the spirit world. To this day, hummingbirds have a unique hold on us and a cultural significance unlike any other family of birds. Natural history writer and wildlife guide Jon Dunn has not been immune to the allure of the hummingbird.

In The Glitter in the Green, Jon Dunn follows the trail of the charismatic hummingbird the full length of their worldwide range, from Alaska to the bottom tip of South America. He shares exhilarating tales, from marooning on a Chilean island to catch a glimpse of the rare Juan Fernández Firecrown, to an arduous trek through the Andes searching for a hummingbird lost to science for decades, and to a market in Mexico City – where readers will learn of dark superstitions surrounding the hummingbird.

Along the way, Dunn introduces a charming cast of birdwatchers, conservation workers, scientists, and locals and explores how hummingbirds have shaped our lives, past and present, and the zealous passion they inspire. This alluring and wonderful book tells the story of the hummingbird as never before – their history, their compelling lifecycles, and the stories of those who have fallen under their spell. It is the ultimate celebration of the world’s most charismatic bird and is certain to delight birders and nonbirders alike. I can not recommend it highly enough.

BOOK REVIEW: The Glitter in the Green by Jon Dunn

2.5 Stars

As a huge birder and bird lover, I have read a lot of nature and bird books but sadly for me this one didn't live up to others.
There was definitely some interesting and useful information to learn from this book but I felt I was constantly searching for it through all the other descriptions, mainly historical facts about the country the author was in or just rather dull information on his travelling. There wasnt actually that much about the birds themselves but instead a lot about the author and his journey and I felt the balance wasn't right. I also thought the book was too long and went into too much detail about things that didn't even need to be included. I wanted more science and less waffle!
As with all nature books that talk about many different birds, I felt there needed to be some beautiful illustrations or at least some photos but there wasn't anything. It was rather frustrating having to constantly google so I could picture the specific bird...especially with hummingbirds they often can look rather similar.
I didn't actually like the way the author approached his birding some of the time. He said he wasn't "one of those birders that ticks off lists of birds but more appreciates nature as a whole", and yet in many instances he overlooks other bird species because they aren't what he travelled there for. It didn't sit right with me, especially as he seemingly put down other birders that do the same.

Overall, I enjoyed some of the content but found myself skimming to find the interesting facts among a rather boring "journey" to see the hummingbirds.

Please note that I was #gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The Glitter in the Green by Jon Dunn is the perfect blend of nature writing, travel writing, and memoir - and it all revolves, of course, around hummingbirds. Before I picked up this book, I can't say I knew much about this fascinatingly tiny birds. In fact, I didn't even know they could only be found in the Americas. During the course of the book, Dunn took me on a journey, and opened my eyes. This is an earnest account of these illusive birds, full of the flavour of all the places Dunn visits on his trip from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, and full of the history of the American continents. I really enjoyed Dunn's writing, the way he seamlessly switched between his own accounts and those of others who, over the years, have been captivated by the hummingbird. As is unavoidable in nature writing currently, there is a great emphasis on the effects of climate change and the way humanity has impacted the environment of other species, and it was hard to read in parts, having to face that in a few years some of the birds described in this book may no longer be living, let alone other species and habitats. I would definitely recommend this for any avid or amateur birder, and for any lovers of history and the natural world. It's certainly inspiring.

A bit history book, a bit nature and lots about the hummingbird. It was a fairly interesting book one that was originally written awhile back, so alas with not colour photos or even drawings. I imagine this book would appeal to a fancier - which, whilst I like what I have learnt about hummingbirds, is not me.

I have seen hummingbirds twice in my lifetime - once in a car park on the Californian coast and once in a hotel garden in Las Vegas! This author has travelled throughout the Americas and has sought out many (not all) species of hummingbird in a multitude of environments including some which are as extraordinary as they are unlikely.

The narrative starts in Alaska. Who knew there were hummingbirds in Alaska! And it ends at the other end of the Americas in Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina. In between the author visits multiple locations, treks up mountains, avoids civil unrest and gradually fulfills his quest to see as many hummingbirds as possible. Of course he sees other birds and animals too - in fact, there is a description of an encounter with a bear early in the Alaska section.

I found the book to be part natural history memoir, part travelogue and with a good amount of history thrown into the mix. The historical facts which are shared are quite shocking in part - not least the numbers of birds killed for early museum displays, private collections or fashion. There are also many ecological observations ranging from deforestation to the use of neonicotinoids, overpopulation and of course climate change. Somehow the author has brought all of these things together in a book which reads well, is engaging, educational and as mesmerising as the birds he describes.

I actually considered stopping reading before I got to the half way point and waiting for the hardback to be published. I was fortunate enough to have a review copy of the e-book courtesy of the publishers Bloomsbury and NetGalley. But I craved some photographs to go alongside the narrative and in this respect I suspect the hardback will be better than the e-book version. But I couldn't wait! I did, however, find the author's own website and there is a gallery of hummingbird photos there.

This book is highly recommended to anyone who loves natural history and travel. It is fabulous! Thankyou to NetGalley for an early copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.

The Glitter in the Green is a beautiful adventure about one man's quests to seek out hummingbirds across the world.

The book is sectioned into chapters that relate to a different place, and the stories, experiences, and of course hummingbirds, that the author sees.

I was totally engrossed in this story and it took me to an awesome place where I often felt as if I was seeing through the very eyes of the writer. He writes incredibly vividly, describing the birds in their immaculate and fantastic plumage.

I also loved learning about hummingbirds themselves, how fast their hearts beat and the incredible biology of how their feeding works.

Overall, this book was an absolute joy for me to read and took me to another world filled with nature and beautiful birds. I would really recommend to anyone just seeking a bit of escape right now, and especially to anyone interested in the natural world.