I didn't finish this. I don't get much out of Zen, or out of 'birding'. Don't get me wrong - I love birds, love watching birds. But the obsessions that true birders have just don't resonate with me. Nor do Conradi's descriptions of moments with birds, that seem too poetically overdone for my taste.

This is also a German birder with a great knowledge of English-language bird and nature writings. Nothing wrong with that, but when most of the references are to British, American or Japanese writers you start to wonder whether this is a translation. ( )