Miniscule and intensely colourful powerhouses, hummingbirds are the reason for the author's quest to travel from Alaska to Argentina. What a quest it is and oh, the results! Hummingbirds have entranced me for ages, since I was a child, so was excited to see this invaluable information in print. Jon Dunn discovers more than hummingbirds on his journey including danger zones, close-up wildlife, hummingbird rescuers and garden projects, friendships, Aztec mythology, availability for purchase in marketplaces and lush rain forests. He writes reflectively, introspectively and with passion.

That these tiny birds can travel 20 hours without stopping is incredible. The longest recorded migration of a hummingbird is 3,500! Learning about their wingbeats, flower recognition, size from the tiniest to the largest, the importance of feathers to culture, nest building, extinction, ecology, pesticides, hummingbird lovers in history, hummingbird mites food requirements and the number of species Dunn saw in a two-day span. The author writes about his findings in a chapter for each country/region and always includes an abundance of other information such as history and those he meets. What a range of characters! The descriptions are so beautifully written and detailed. The only drawback to this book is the lack of photographs.

Bird lovers and bird watchers should be clamoring to get this inspiring book. The information is superbly rich and prompted me to do an entire day of research on these dazzling iridescent and intoxicating creatures. And if we are unable to travel again this year we will definitely buy more feeders!

My sincere thank you to Perseus Books, Basic Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this fascinating book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

A mesmerizing account of nature writer Jon Dunn’s trek from the Arctic to near Antarctica to follow hummingbirds. His language is as lush as these jewels of nature, and I longed to trade my life for his. My fave book yet this year — perfect for birders, nature lovers and anyone who digs adventure!

5 of 5

Pub Date 20 Apr 2021
#TheGlitterInTheGreen #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, Perseus Books, Basic Books , and NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

Having grown up in Washington state, I grew up with hummingbirds.  We always had two full feeders in the spring and summer, and I have to say I pretty much started to take for granted these glimmering jewels of nature.  After reading The Glitter in the Green, not anymore!  Dunn's enthusiasm is infectious as he travels from Alaska to the most southern point of South America in search of not only the "common" varieties but the elusive rare species as well.  Between the nature commentaries and travelogues, Dunn offers historical notes on hummingbird mythology, early scientific research, and the sad historical facts of humans destroying these birds for, ironically, the sake of beauty.  My only major critique: Dunn's concluding comments felt abrupt and unfinished compared to the rest of the book.  Highly recommend for everyone.  Thanks to NetGalley, Basic Books, and Jon Dunn for offering an early e-copy for review.  Be sure to look for this title in April 2021!!

Love Letter To Hummingbirds. This is a travel/ bird spotting book following the author's adventures as he seeks to see as many hummingbirds as possible in their natural (ish) settings, from pole to pole. The narrative structure follows the author as he starts in Alaska chasing down a particular bird that was reportedly seen there - that had been originally tagged in Tallahassee, Florida. A bird that weighs just a few ounces, making a flight that many of its far larger brethren would never imagine. We continue to follow the hummingbirds into the US, spending a fair amount of time in Arizona and Mexico, and we continue all the way down to Tiego Del Fuego - the bottom of the world (as far as hummingbirds go, where here they share their habitat with penguins!). Part ornithological expedition, part history, part current events commentary, this is a solidly written - if a bit esoteric - book perfect for bird watchers and related enthusiasts. Even as a generic travel book, this still works well as Dunn so completely describes the environs he finds himself in - including an up close and personal encounter with a puma! Very well done, and very much recommended.

As an admirer of Hummingbirds and who ritually places feeders on my property each season, this book opened a new world to me. I am an amateur bird watcher so this book was informative and easy to read, in fact an amateur and an experienced bird watcher would come away with similar takes of the diverse species representing these incredible birds! I highly recommend this book to novices and professionals alike. Only wish it included some photos of the birds discussed.