The Living Air: Read an excerpt from the book on birding by Aasheesh Pittie

What’s the best way to ease oneself into the world of birds? An excerpt from a chapter titled My Kind of Birding.

Birdwatching, in its essence, is the fine art of becoming invisible – of merging into the surroundings in such a way that the breath which nature has held back upon your entry into its parlour is joyfully exhaled and normal respiration restored; in such a way that the frozen statues of animate wildlife, interrupted by your brashness, are coaxed into resuming their activities; in such a way that your aural and visual senses are drenched with the buoyancy of life;