The Jewel Hunter

Intense, exciting and at times, laugh out loud funny. This is the story of the author's quest to see all the world Pittas in one year. These small, obscure and often difficult to see/identify birds, demonstrate perfectly how birding can become an obsession. The author's escape from the commuter belt into the jungles of Asia and beyond is compelling.

My only complaint is that the photographs of the Pittas are left to the end of the book. That makes it harder for the reader to connect with each species and I would have preferred species and habitat images throughout.

This book does portray the passion of birding brilliantly.