Ivorybill Hunters: The Search for Proof in a Flooded Wilderness

by Geoffrey E. Hill

The last documented sighting of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker--one of the rarest and most intriguing animals in the world--was noted over 50 years ago. Long thought to be extinct, the 2005 announcement of a sighting in Arkansas sparked tremendous enthusiasm and hope that this species could yet be saved. But the subsequent failure of a massive search to relocate Ivorybills in Arkansas made hope for the species' revival short-lived.
Here, noted ornithologist Geoffrey Hill tells the story of how he and two of his colleagues stumbled upon what may be a breeding population of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in the swamps of northern Florida. He relates their laborious attempts to document irrefutable evidence for the existence of this shy, elusive bird following the failure of a much larger research team to definitively prove the bird's existence.
Hill tells of his travails both in and out of the vast swamp wilderness, pulling back the curtain to reveal the little-seen political maneuvering that is part of all modern science. He explains how he and his group decided who to exclude or include as their findings came in, and why they felt the need to keep their search a secret. Hill returns repeatedly to how expectations can guide observations, and how tempting it is to oversell evidence in the face of the struggle between an overwhelming desire to find the bird and the need to retain integrity and objectivity.
Written like a good detective story, Ivorybill Hunters also delves into the science behind the rediscovery of a species, explaining how professional ornithologists follow up on a sight record of a rare bird, and how this differs from the public's perception of how scientists actually work. Hill notes the growing role of amateurs in documenting bird activity and discusses how the community of birders and nature lovers can see, enjoy, and help preserve these birds.
Ivorybill Hunters will prove a fascinating read for those with an interest in natural history, adventure, environmental conservation, and science, as well as the more than forty-six million Americans who now call themselves birdwatchers.

Genres: Nonfiction, Birds

260 pages, Hardcover

First published March 22, 2007

Reviews

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't want to harp on this book or the author too much in this review; clearly the guy is passionate about this topic and dead-set on his goal of finding one of these birds, but this book was really difficult to get through.
I'll always enjoy a book set in the field, and I love hearing about the day-to-day tasks of adapting to the research environment, tinkering with technology, and altering one's research approach as an experiment continues, but that was this book's only saving grace. The rest was a constant, borderline unreadable pattern of describing some call, nest site, or "sighting" that "was just out of frame on our cameras" or "backlit" or "too far away," and it all comes off as extremely sad, to be quite honest. I'm not saying that every scientific endeavor has to be a home run; in fact, I think failures can teach a lot more than successes, but the only reason this book appears to be published is to "supplement" Dr. Hill's nonexistent evidence for the woodpecker, which also comes off as embarrassingly excessive as Hill seemingly "finds" up to *TEN BREEDING PAIRS* of a bird that has been extinct since the mid-40s. Every line of reasoning he provides, both as to why all of these massive, sharply patterned birds were living undetected in a relatively populous state for decades, and why he and his team of multiple people all dedicated to the task for months can't get a single decent picture of, again, a brilliantly patterned, very loud, foot-and-a-half-long bird, comes off as a pitiful excuse for a man's inability to come to terms with the fact that the bird is gone.
I was going to try to review this book on the basis of its literary value rather than as a scientific text, but Hill's desperate, completely unfounded, and increasingly absurd claims about what he saw and heard throughout his experiment leach any purely literary enjoyment from the book as well; I can thoroughly enjoy well-written books about subjects I personally disagree with, but this is more like trying to enjoy a novel-length Facebook post from a family conspiracy theorist.
At least the Facebook conspiracy theorist isn't trying to pull grant money away from legitimate conservation efforts.

[Amelia Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if this book is almost 20 years old, I still think it has relevant evidence. I would also just love to believe that there is a huge colony of these birds deep in a swamp where we can never touch them. I like to think they are living peacefully without the threat of being hunted ever again.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at one group of researchers' quest to find America's most elusive bird.

[Lake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging look into methods real ornithologists utilize to carry out studies while providing thought provoking insights into their thought processes.

[Justinmmoffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting and a quick read. Only issue was how unnatural some of the dialogue felt but it's not like Dr. Hill could perfectly recollect his conversations with people--he just lacked the writing ability to make his seemingly nonperfect recollections feel natural.