Book Description
Still Life with Woodpecker is sort of a love story that takes place inside a pack of Camel cigarettes. It reveals the purpose of the moon, explains the difference between criminals and outlaws, examines the conflict between social activism and romantic individualism, and paints a portrait of contemporary society that includes powerful Arabs, exiled royalty, and pregnant cheerleaders. It also deals with the problem of redheads.
Download Description
Still Life with Woodpecker is sort of a love story that takes place inside a pack of Camel cigarettes. It reveals the purpose of the moon, explains the difference between criminals and outlaws, examines the conflict between social activism and romantic individualism, and paints a portrait of contemporary society that includes powerful Arabs, exiled royalty, and pregnant cheerleaders. It also deals with the problem of redheads.
Customer Reviews:
A Love Story with Sauce.......2007-10-03
Every Tom Robbins novel is a fantastic journey with psychedelic whorl sauce. This novel will surprise readers who have navigated his novels with multiple converging stories and stretched fantasy. This is almost a regular novel from the Robbins set.
The novel has one story, of all things, a love story, with several overtly named and referenced themes the author invites the audience to analyze. This is a romantic novel (huh!) with a very traditional love story. I'm talking Romeo and Juliet stuff here. Is he baiting us? Is there something more to what he has directly pointed out? Maybe this time the story is told in his thoughts of object-ism, pyramid power, the moon and redheads (which is great) rather than his typical inviting challenge to follow the story in the characters. In this case, the story is a straightforward journey and the thematic discussions are the spot that requires effort. And by effort, I don't mean the Stairmaster or studying algebra, I mean allowing your mind to stretch out to meet Tom Robbins point to point.
As usual the characters in the story don't "fit the description"; an idealist princess and an outlaw; their actions intense and their purpose dubious which immediately makes it better than a "normal" book. I was challenged to dig the thematic definitions as deeply as I normally do the stories. Maybe I missed the connection between the characters and the themes that gives the book another layer. It is nice however, to see a different curve to a Robbins tale. For a regular Robbins reader the novel does have those things we love including the fantastic internal monologues that define the characters, the gluttonous descriptions of everyday objects (the Camel cigarette pack) and his incredible ability to concoct a story with a broken mold. For my tastes however, I enjoy dissecting a fantastic story more than I like trying to guess at someone else's conclusions on symbology and love.
Enjoyable Robbins.......2007-09-01
I have read Jitterbug Perfume, Skinny Legs and All, and Another Roadside Attraction, all of which would easily earn 5 stars (and do, for that matter). This is my least favorite of Tom Robbins' books, but it did keep me rather entertained. If you are into Robbins and you want to read lots of his work, I really think you should read this book (and the others listed above). If, however, you are looking for something better, check out Skinny Legs and All. This book is a great introduction to his style and is is better tied together than Still Life.
My main complaint about this novel is that it felt a little more disorganized than usual (yes, I know, Robbins does this intentionally). The follow up to this disorganization usually leads to meaningful connections and points at the end where the story(ies) is resolved. Although there is some resolution and excellent use of language (he is the master of the metaphor), it lacks the writing skill of his other works. Generally his books advertise the unique and he follows up by delivering the reader just that: an explanation of the problem with redheads, for example. Although difficult to say exactly why, other books tend to 'follow up' on these with more explanation and deeper meaning.
The other issue I have with this book is the character development. The relationship between the two protagonist redheads felt odd and forced at about 100 pages into the book. Whether or not you decide to read it, Tom Robbins' novels all demand patience. Give it time and make a commitment to the book. Knowing this, it is easy for me not to get worried 75 or 125 pages into one of his books. Being a little lost is OK at first.
garbage........2007-08-19
i really don't have much more to say than that. eh. i know this short and lazy review will bump me down a few spots on the reviewer ranks, but i dont care. i am already in the millions. robbins writes for the people who dont read...yes, that is you (i can see you scowling at my arrogance). read a real book...i know it is hard to do if your high school teacher isnt assigning it, and i applaud you for getting at least one down. keep trying.
Love is the ultimate outlaw.......2007-08-07
The world is meaningless? Let's not pretend that we can make meaning then; let's just play with nonsense. However, are we being narcissistic by animating an uncaring world? Is it selfish to want a mutual relationship with a spoon? Clearly, having a job, or being a part of any organization is "dull" or even "evil." On the other hand, for Leigh-Cheri, an unemployed princess, and Bernard "Woodpecker" Wrangle, an unemployed fugitive, Objecthood is the highest plane of consciousness in the Outlaw bible. What is Objecthood? "In time, Leigh-Cheri became intimate with most of the inanimate objects in her environment..." In Objecthood, rain is not just rain, tequila is not just tequila, and of course, a box of cigarettes is not just a box of cigarettes. Throughout the book, Robbins is frantically personifying and free associating and generally making excessive word play. Whereas Vonnegut seemed to keep his descriptions to their intellectual and emotional essentials, Robbins prefers to repetitively lambaste a topic to death. Speaking of death, apparently, in 1980, a guy and his explosives could be considered a free-spirited nonconformist. However, in the later part of the 20th century, we have been jaded by the bombing massacres at Columbine (April 20, 1999) and Oklahoma City (April 19, 1995). The Woodpecker's light-hearted destruction of property no longer seems so playful or heroic. At one point in the story, Robbins even provides several recipes for making household bombs. Nevertheless, humanizing a cold abstraction or even some natural phenomenon gives us a way to understand it, one more way to arrange the world in our own terms, so that we can further comprehend it. Here the metaphors sometimes take over the book and control it. "Still Life with Woodpecker" is a pastiche of Vonnegut, Penthouse "Letters," pagan mythology and pop psychology. If you can get through the first third of the book, a mildly amusing story emerges.
couldn't even finish it.......2007-07-10
A now ex-boyfriend loaned me this book when we first started dating, it was his favorite book. Totally understand why we didn't work. I tried so hard to get into this book and read it and understand it, but it was awful (personal opinion only, don't blast me for hating). I can't even put into words why I hated it, I just did. It made little to no sense (the overly quirky and likely severely stoned author kept breaking into the story to yell at his old school type-writer the Remington...what>!?!). I should have ended the relationship based on the fact that this was his favorite book, turns out we were completely different and incompatable and our opinions of this book were merely the beginning. Not that there is anything wrong with him, the book or the author, its just not my thing even a little bit. No offense meant to those who are fans. I just didn't get it. What makes love stay...seriously, how can this book even remotely be marketed as a love story. Sure if an uptight yuppie princess finds a dirty, chain smoking, bad teethed criminal to be her Prince Charming, then ok...its a love story. Whatever.
Book Description
Here in an easy-to-use format is the first guide to the nearly 1,300 species of non-passerine South American birds. It complements Robert Ridgly and Guy Tudor's large reference volumes on the passerines (1,800 species), which will soon be available in a single-volume field guide format.
One of things that makes this book special is its use of masterful and alluring illustrations; most neotropical birders will want the book for the illustrations alone. The text concentrates on the key identification features of each species and follows the layout of other books in this series. The book may be used in conjunction with regional and country field guides.
- First guide to nearly 1,300 species
- Easy-to-use format
- Complements volumes on passerine birds
- Contains key identification features
- More than 150 color illustrations
- More than 1,270 maps
Customer Reviews:
Great to have them together.......2007-07-29
Great to have all the non-passerine birds (non-songbirds) together in one booklet, for the most bird-rich continent in the world. Especially handy for those countries that still don't have good field guides, but also handy for comparing species across country boundaries.
The paintings are very nice, and the birds have their natural pose, something we are missing in the latest field guides. The distribution maps are bit small, but still adequate.
For any lover of Southamerican birds, the quality of the paintings alone is worth the purchase of this book, with 1300 species.
compact and complete.......2007-01-24
The book is really complete, with very nice draws of the species listed, and some interesting information about each group and species.
all inclusive.......2007-01-15
this book contains all the non passerine birds in S. America, although it doesn't give in depth descriptions of them it is much easier to use than my five pound book that coveres half of the passerines.
Excellent book.......2007-01-09
The book is worth every cent you pay for. The plates by Jorge Rodriguez-Mata are very very good and acurate. The taxonomic classification is not 100% updated, but that is not a real problem.
Add this book to your collection!.......2006-10-21
I just got the book and in short, was very impressed. The book fills in the gap in the taxonomic order not covered in the famous Birds of South America Vol. I & II by Ridgely and Tudor. The book is small and compact (5" X 7.5"). The illustrations are great...a bit crowded on some pages (as can be expected with the size), but overall are visually appealing and birds are identifiable (unlike other Princeton Illustrated Checklists I've seen recently). The book is just that though, an illustrated checklist. Each bird is illustrated on one side with a corresponding paragraph describing the bird and habitat on the opposite side. Each species has a small range map next to the text block as well.
The only errors I've seen so far is that some birds are do not have a numerical label, matching their illustration with their name/description on the other page. These are few in occurrence and don't pose too much of a problem, but obviously overlooked by the editors. One other thing, some of the birds, particularly some of the hummingbirds, have been painted as you may see them in a shaded forest (without any iridescence)...thank God the Velvet-purple Coronet doesn't always look like that!
Overall, this is a great book to add to your collection or to use in the field if that sort of thing is lacking where your going. Its a bargain and recommended.
Book Description
The longleaf pine ecosystem, once one of the most extensive ecosystems in North America, is now among the most threatened. Over the past few centuries, land clearing, logging, fire suppression, and the encroachment of more aggressive plants have led to an overwhelming decrease in the ecosystem’s size, to approximately 2.2% of its original coverage. Despite this devastation, the range of the longleaf still extends from Virginia to Texas. Through the combined efforts of organizations such as the USDA Forest Service, the Longleaf Alliance, and the Nature Conservancy, extensive programs to conserve, restore, and manage the ecosystem are currently underway.
The longleaf pine ecosystem is valued not only for its aesthetic appeal, but also for its outstanding biodiversity, habitat value, and for the quality of the longleaf pine lumber. It has a natural resistance to fire and insects, and supports more than thirty threatened or endangered plant and animal species, including the red-cockaded woodpecker and the gopher tortoise.
The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem unites a wealth of current information on the ecology, silviculture, and restoration of this ecosystem. The book also includes a discussion of the significant historical, social, and political aspects of ecosystem management, making it a valuable resource for students, land managers, ecologists, private landowners, government agencies, consultants, and the forest products industry.
About the Editors:
Dr. Shibu Jose is Associate Professor of Forest Ecology and Dr. Eric J. Jokela is Professor of Silviculture at the School of Forest Resources and Conservation at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Dr. Deborah L. Miller is Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida in Milton.
Book Description
The tragedy of extinction is explained through the dramatic story of a legendary bird, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and of those who tried to possess it, paint it, shoot it, sell it, and, in a last-ditch effort, save it. A powerful saga that sweeps through two hundred years of history, it introduces artists like John James Audubon, bird collectors like William Brewster, and finally a new breed of scientist in Cornell's Arthur A. "Doc" Allen and his young ornithology student, James Tanner, whose quest to save the Ivory-bill culminates in one of the first great conservation showdowns in U.S. history, an early round in what is now a worldwide effort to save species. As hope for the Ivory-bill fades in the United States, the bird is last spotted in Cuba in 1987, and Cuban scientists join in the race to save it.
All this, plus Mr. Hoose's wonderful story-telling skills, comes together to give us what David Allen Sibley, author of The Sibley Guide to Birds calls "the most thorough and readable account to date of the personalities, fashions, economics, and politics that combined to bring about the demise of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker."
Customer Reviews:
Lord God, what a book!.......2006-04-01
At the risk of sounding blasphemous let me simply say "Lord God, what a book!" This book belongs on your MUST READ list!
This is a perfect example of how nonfiction should be written. Every school and public library should have a copy of this book. It is a valuable addition to the study of man, nature, and the environment.
Phillip Hoose's wonderful book captures the reader's attention and doesn't let it go till the very end of a beautifully written account of one of the most magnificent birds ever to grace this land. The cover of the book, not to mention the title, immediately attracts attention and after reading it the reader clearly understands why this bird was referred to as the Lord God Bird.
Hoose introduces us to collectors like Brewster and Wayne who helped lead to the bird's demise. There are the corporate villains in the form of the Chicago Mill and Lumber Company and the Singer Manufacturing Company who could have saved the last real refuge of the Lord God Bird but who chose profit over conservation when the Singer Tract was not spared from the woodcutter's ax. There are heroes to this story. You will meet Jim Tanner, "Doc" Allen, and J. J. Kuhn who worked tirelessly to save the species. Having read this book I felt that Jim Tanner was definitely someone I wished that I had known personally.
Educators will find countless lessons on environmental awareness, extinction of species, and the recklessness with which man has "civilized" the wilderness.
Well done Mr. Hoose, well done.
Engrossing Non-fiction .......2006-03-23
I picked this book up based on recommendations from online reader groups who said it would read more like fiction than non-fiction. They were right! Hoose has meticulously researched the plight of the "Lord God Bird", the ivory-billed woodpecker, documenting the efforts to locate the dwindling population and the sad effects of man vs. nature. Well highlighted by photographs, we follow the loss of this magnificent creature as its habitat is swallowed up by man's greed in the first half of the twentieth century. Hoose's writing is vivid and engrossing and caused me to do that rarest of things---go online and research more for myself. Most interesting of all is that just after this book was published, there have been reports of the rediscovery of the ivory-bill! This is a wonderful book appropriate for people of all ages and especially those who are worried about the endangerment of species by mankind's shortsightedness. Recommended!
The Lord God Bird.......2005-11-18
I thought that this book was well written, reasearched, and thought through. But as a 12 year old I didn't enjoy it quite as much as i think an older person would. I think that the author wrote the stories well, and made them very drawing. This book was not one of my favorite books, partially because it was very hard to read. The other reason was beause to me it was a bit confusing. I could see him doing a kids version of the same book, but making it a bit simpler or shorter. I thought that the author did a great job in writing this book, but I think you should wait to read it until you are a bit older. Some people I know thought it was a great book, but they're older than me. So again I thought that this was an o.k. book, but not a great kid's read.
The Lord God Bird.......2005-11-17
I thought that this book was well written, and thoroughly researched, but I didn't enjoy it very much. It was a very sad book. The author did a great job writing the story's fact for fact, but there were some parts where you say "awwww" and feel bad for these birds. In one story he wrote, a man went on a hunting trip to find a "Lord God Bird" and killed a family of them, including two babies. The hunter also killed many more birds that trip. I would not recommend this book unless you enjoy sad stories. It is one of those books that draws you into certain stories, but in between them you really want to put the book down.
Studying the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker and Trying Too Late to Save It........2005-11-08
"The Race to Save the Lord God Bird" is a chronicle of the history and demise of the ivory-billed woodpecker. It was written for children ages 9-12 but is perfectly suitable for adults as well. The book is large format in size, which makes the font bigger, but there is just as much text on each page as in an adult book, and there is nothing conspicuously juvenile about it. The large dimensions allow for nice black-and-white photographs of ivory-bills, their habitat, and the people who studied the birds.
Author Phillip Hoose follows human interest in the ivory-bill woodpecker from Alexander Wilson's encounter with the bird in 1809 as he was working on his 9-volume "American Ornithology" to John James Audubon's work sketching the bird in natural poses around 1820. By 1900, large scale deforestation in Southern states had made the ivory-bill rare. At this point, "The Race to Save the Lord God Bird" turns its attention to the collectors who were continuing to mine the population when they clearly shouldn't have been and the beginnings of organized conservation efforts, starting with the "Plume Wars" that sought to end the slaughter of birds to decorate ladies' hats. It describes the 1935 Cornell University expedition by Jim Tanner, George Sutton, Arthur "Doc" Allen, and Paul Kellogg to record bird calls of nearly 100 species in the Tensas Swamp in Louisiana. That's followed up by an account of Jim Tanner's 3 years studying the few remaining ivory-bills for the Audubon Society, 1937-1939, from which he wrote his still-famous book.
As Tanner was creeping around in it, the Singer Manufacturing Company sold logging rights to the Singer Tract, where the last known ivory-bills lived, and efforts to preserve the forest by purchasing it failed. The ivory-billed woodpecker was declared extinct. A couple chapters are dedicated to recent searches for the ivory-bill in Cuba and the United States, but this book was published before the announcement in April 2005 that the ivory-bill may still live. In the back of the book, there are maps of the shrinking ivory-bill habitat 1800-present, a chronology of important dates in ivory-bill and bird conservation, a glossary of terms, a detailed list of sources, and an index. "The Race to Save the Lord God Bird" is a readable and informative account of the actions and circumstances that brought the ivory-bill woodpecker to near-extinction in spite of a persistent human fascination with the bird and concerted efforts to save it. For more information on sightings of the ivory-bill since it was presumed extinct in the 1940s, see Tim Gallagher's book "The Grail Bird: Hot on the Trail of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker".
Book Description
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.
Customer Reviews:
good story, but where is the proof?.......2007-10-10
I think this book needs to be reviewed on two levels: first is this a good, honest, readable book, and then second is their credible evidence for the Ivorybilled woodpecker presented?
Dr. Hill writes in an open manner that makes the account of the search readable. There are stories of alligators, a stolen kayak, and almost being lost in a remote area. I think he is honest in presenting what he thinks he saw and his motives ... I don't think if he was being open, he would state that his group a panther in North Florida (they are not known to occur there). He also is willing to state his motives, even if not completely honorable (to do a better job that the Cornell team and to have a southern team find a southern bird). On this account, it is ironic that he criticized Cornell on their evidence, when he offers little more. In one short chapter, whose purpose seems to increase his own credibility, he dismisses the experience of locals (who had never reported them) as well as the more systematic Florida Breeding Bird Atlas. Hill is quite open about mistakes made and opportunities missed.
As a book (and his published scientific article) that tries to present evidence it is not all that convincing (and he himself states this is not proof). As Carl Sagan said "Extraordinary claims requires extraordinary proof". Although he argues that the Ivorybilled in Florida are different than those that were in the Singer tract, he does not seem willing to accept that Pileated Woodpeckers may have variability in cavity size or behavior. The circle showing the ivory billed on page 232 could be any black and white (however somewhat better images are published on the Auburn web site). The reader is really left with little evidence to examine other than the word of a few good observers. The reader is also left to ponder, whether Hill rushed to publish this book and findings, just as he criticized the Cornell team. For the skeptic there are some nice blogs on the Ivorybill as well as important paper by Jerome Jackson.
Opinion on Iverybill Hunters.......2007-10-03
A very detailed
account of a search for Ivorybills in a north Florida river swamp, which led me to believe that the author and his crew had in fact found a breeding population of these woodpeckers; the author certainly seems convinced of this. Both he and his students seem to have convincing expertise on the identification of this species, although they failed to obtain absolute proof in the form of videos and photos, due to the great difficulties involved and their admitted lack of expertise with cameras. They did obtain many minutes of sound recordings which were quite convincing to outside experts. All in all, a very interesting and encouraging account of a search for these birds in what remains of wild America. I recommend it.
Ivorybill Hunters: The search for Proof in a Flooded Wilderness.......2007-09-12
This is an incredible account of an ongoing story that is still alive even now. The implication af the rediscovery of the Ivorybill Woodpecker is unparalleled in conservation history and this account is most exciting!!
Chasing after hope on a feather.......2007-05-05
I remember hearing news of an ivorybill sighting in 2005, followed up by purported sound recordings of the formerly extinct species and then fleeting video footage. Since then, several research teams and amateur birders have claimed sightings, but none have captured definitive proof of the bird's existence.
Throughout all the debate, excitement, speculation and accusations, two things struck me: First, Nature never fails to surprise, and second, the passions of people also never fail to surprise.
Now we have the story of the (maybe) resurrection of a thought-to-be-lost species by one of its hunters, Professor Geoffrey E. Hill, who was part of a 2005/2006 Florida search team that found tantalizing evidence but no definitive proof of ivorybills in the forests around the Choctawhatchee river.
"Ivorybill Hunters" reads like a good detective novel filled with political intrigue, clashing agendas, and a forest of tantalizing leads, most of which ended up as dead ends. The ivorybill has taken on such a mythic status that one could compare it to another famous bird, the Maltese Falcon, both of which are the stuff on which dreams, and in the case of the ivorybill, reputations and history, are made.
Book Description
What is it about the ivory-billed woodpecker? Why does this ghost of the southern swamps arouse such an obsessive level of passion in its devotees, who range from respected researchers to the flakiest Loch Ness monster fanatics and Elvis chasers? Since the early twentieth century, scientists have been trying their best to prove that the ivory-bill is extinct. But every time they think they've finally closed the door, the bird makes an unexpected appearance. It happened in the 1920s, and it's happened in almost every subsequent decade. For more than 60 years, each sighting has been met with ridicule and scorn. Respected researchers and naturalists have been branded as quacks just for having the temerity to say that the ivory-bill still exists. Yet the reports still trickle in. Is there any truth to these sightings, or are they just a case of wishful thinking, misidentification, or outright fabrication? To unravel the mystery, author Tim Gallagher heads south, deep into the eerie swamps and bayous of the vast Mississippi Delta, searching for people who claim to have seen this rarest of birds and following upsometimes more than 30 years after the facton their sightings. He meets a colorful array of characters: a cigar-chomping ex-boxer who took two controversial pictures of an alleged ivory-bill in 1971; a former corporate lawyer who abandoned her career to search for ivory-bills full time; two men who grew up in the ivory-bill's last known stronghold in a final remnant of primeval forest in Louisiana. With his buddy Bobby Harrison, a true son of the South from Alabama, Gallagher hits the swamps, wading through hip-deep, boot-sucking mud and canoeing through turgid, mud brown bayous where deadly cottonmouth water moccasins abound. In most cases, they are clearly decades too late. But when the two speak to an Arkansas backwoods kayaker who saw a mystery woodpecker the week before and has a description of the bird that is too good to be a fantasy, the hunt is on. Their Eureka moment comes a few days later as a huge woodpecker flies in front of their canoe, and they both cry out, "Ivory-bill!" This sightingthe first time since 1944 that two qualified observers positively identify an ivory-billed woodpecker in the United Statesquickly leads to the largest search ever launched to find a rare bird, as researchers fan out across the bayou, hoping to document the existence of this most iconic of birds.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book!.......2007-09-04
I just learned of the rediscovery of the ivory billed woodpecker from reading some back issues of WILDBIRD magazine. I immediately ordered this book and read it in two days....WOW what an exciting, riveting, fascinating, fun book this is...I love woodpeckers so I really hope this can be proven with a picture even though I am sure it exists already. On the website it says there are still no pictures to prove it and people are still searching. I hope they find it soon-What an amazing story!!!!
Waders of the Lost Ark.......2007-01-11
This book is poignant and RIVETING. The protagonist is as "muck"rakingly mortal as a Ross Macdonald sleuth and the Delta-country bit parts have the idiosyncrasies of Dashiell Hammett collaborating suspects. The woodpecker himself, whether guilty of existing of not, is as elusive and infuriatingly (intentionally?) mysterious as a John le Carre double agent. And the stakes, a second chance for all of us, to find and preserve the "Lord God bird" are so heartbreakingly high as to be virtually Biblical.
A great story of people, places, and a bird.......2006-08-17
I've got a small den with limited bookshelf space. I read 2-3 books a week and give most of them to the local library--the rest go to friends. This one is a keeper. It is up on the shelf with The Big Year, Into the Heart of the Sea, and Undaunted Courage.
Tim Gallagher tells a tale of wanton destruction of primeval forests for greed and the miraculous species survival of a beautiful bird. Into the story he weaves a constant stream of lovable people, fantastic country, and remarkable history. My family is from Mississippi so I knew he was painting an accurate picture of swampland in winter, even down to the occasional cottomouth.
What a story! The book went by too fast and I hated to leave the people he introduced me too. I hope he is busy with the sequel and current photos of the Lord God bird.
Enough to make you want to buy a pair of chest waders.......2006-08-08
An exciting tale that is so well written, you can feel what it is like to be guiding your canoe through snags in the bottomland forest water. Gallager brings the characters and the search to life as he takes you down the trail that lead to the recent rediscovery of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. Ever skeptical, I found myself reviewing the evidence in the book and on other sites online. I still feel amazed that the rediscovery might actually be true. And time will tell. This is a book every birder and every logger/developer should read.
Interesting story, but not overly convinced.......2006-07-02
Since it's last confirmed sighting in the 1940s, there have been several sightings of the Ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird throught to now be extinct. These sightings were, for one reason or another, either dismissed outright or the subject of much controversy. Suddenly, though, in the last couple years there have been a spate of possible sightings, leading the author, Tim Gallagher, to set out investigate further, in the process writing this book documenting his adventures and the fascinating story of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and its tragic disappearance. Sure enough, during the course of his investigation, he too happens to have a possible sighting, and things just begin to snowball from there, and its not long before other ornithologists are slopping and canoing through the swamps and bayous of the scattered remnants of once vast tracts of bottomland forests having their own possible sightings. All of this has raised the hopes of many who more than anything would like to see this species thrive once again. But that this species would after a number of decades of supposed extinction suddenly be observed with such relative frequency has led to much debate and controvery. All this makes for an interesting read, but when it comes down to the recent possible sightings, the book really doesn't offer much that is all that convincing. Fleeting glimpses, grainy video, and possible "double raps" (characteristic of the Ivory-billed) echoing faintly through the vast forest are not exactly overwhelming proof of anything, unfortunately. Hopefully, proof will emerge that somehow the Irovy-billed has managed to survive all this time; but I for one won't be holding my breath.
Book Description
In 1983, Mike O'Connor opened the Bird Watcher's General Store on Cape Cod, which might well have been the first store devoted solely to birding in the United States. Since that time he has answered thousands of questions about birds, both at his store and while walking down the aisles of the supermarket. The questions have ranged from inquiries about individual species ("Are flamingos really real?") to what and when to feed birds ("Should I bring in my feeders for the summer?") to the down-and-dirty specifics of backyard birding ("Why are the birds dropping poop in my pool?"). Answering the questions has been easy; keeping a straight face has been hard. Finally, it occurred to O'Connor that if he answered these questions in print, he might be able to buy groceries in peace.
Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches? is the solution for the beginning birder who already has a book that explains the slight variation between Common Ground-Doves and Ruddy Ground-Doves but who is really much more interested in why birds sing at 4:30 A.M. instead of 7:00 A.M., or whether it's okay to feed bread to birds, or how birds rediscover your feeders so quickly when you've just filled them after a long vacation. Or, for that matter, whether flamingos are really real.
"Mike O'Connor knows birdsâI mean, REALLY knows them. He has been answering questions about birds for years, and he can deliver the straight scoop with a hilarious twist that makes it unforgettable. Reading this book is almost as fun as bird watching, and that's saying a lot!"
âKenn Kaufman, author of the Kaufman Field Guide to the Birds of North America
"O'Connor's book delightfully answers almost any question one could ask about birds. I am impelled to declare that the Chesworth pen and ink drawings add a sprinkling of 'salt' to O'Connor's bird tales. This is a fun book to read, whether nibbled at a bit at a time, or in one large clump."
âNew Hampshire Union Leader
"This is quite possibly the funniest bird book ever written. O'Connor has broken the mold of straight-laced bird books." âWildBird
Mike O'Connor is the owner of the Bird Watcher's General Store on Cape Cod. His column, Ask the Bird Folks, appears in The Cape Codder, and his writing has been included in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2004. He lives in Orleans, Massachusetts.
Customer Reviews:
Great for any level birder, fun and full of good advice.......2007-06-28
Mr. O'Connor runs a bird store on Cape Cod and writes a column about birds and birders for the local paper there, The Cape Codder. He answers the questions that people who shop in birder stores ask people who run the stores. Often the people who ask the questions are new to birding. Sometimes they are eighty years old and sometimes they are five years old. We've never heard a bad question from such people. How do I get birds to come to my backyard? What do I feed them? What kind of birds like peanuts? What is this "thistle" or "nyjer" you sell? If I leave my hummingbird feeders up too long will that keep the hummingbirds from migrating? How do I keep squirrels off my bird feeders? What are the best binoculars? What was that little brown bird that I had at my feeder last weekend? Mr. O'Connor answers them. He answers with wit and verve. His answers are accurate, humane and wise. This is a great book for anyone you know who is beginning to know birds. It is even a good book for a birder of any level. Best of all, you'll laugh out loud and heaven knows, we could all use some of that these days.
Funny and informative.......2007-05-02
This book was a "hoot" (excuse the pun). It had me chuckling out loud at the author's humorous answers to a variety of bird questions. While anyone would find this book entertaining, birders will especially enjoy it, for it is informative as well as funny.
Highly Entertaining.......2007-05-02
Perhaps the most entertaining book about birds ever written. This book is a collection of the author's newspaper columns entitled, "Ask the Bird Folks". These excepts discuss questions that the general public is concerned with, or that the author has repeatedly answered in his Bird-watchers Store on Cape Cod. Common questions such as, How do you squirrel proof your bird feeder, or If I keep the bird feeder full of food will the birds still migrate South for Winter, to more exotic ornithological questions. The author, Mike O'Connor, answers these questions along with some related facts usually couched in between some hilarious zingers thrown out at the questioner's expense.
All in all the book is a good balance of factual material with humor and a down-to-earth commonsense style. Kudos to the author. A very good book for short segmented reading opportunities.
Book Description
A comprehensive, profusely illustrated natural history of all 28 North American species of woodpeckers.
The distinctive behavior and sound of woodpeckers make them easy to hear and interesting to watch.
Woodpeckers of North America specifically covers all species of woodpeckers found in the United States, Canada and northern Mexico.
Woodpeckers are renowned for their cavity-excavating abilities. Although trees and telephone poles are the choice of most woodpeckers, desert dwellers frequently excavate nests in cacti. While all eat insects, many drink tree sap, eat acorns, and consume other surprising foods.
Woodpeckers are distinguished by several anatomical features, including:
- short legs and long toes to assist in climbing
- a head built to withstand repeated hammering
- a long, straight bill designed for chopping wood
- a long tongue with a barbed end to extract hidden prey
- nostrils covered with feathers to keep them free of wood debris.
100 color photographs capture the intriguing woodpeckers in their natural environments.
Woodpeckers of North America is a handy, well-written reference covering the biology and environment of these fascinating birds.
Customer Reviews:
Woodpeckers of North America.......2006-04-25
Vast amounts of information on the behavior, lifecycle, habitat, conservation outlook, calls and drums, and every other imaginable aspect of North American woodpeckers. Includes Mexican and extinct species. Written in a style suitable for general audiences. Not an identification guide, but the detailed physical descriptions may be of use. Gorgeous photos, but I would have liked more.
A comprehensive woodpeck overview.......2006-03-19
A top recommendation is Frances Backhouse's WOODPECKERS OF NORTH AMERICA: college-level collections strong in science and nature as well as general-interest public libraries will want a copy. Chapters provide a comprehensive overview of the anatomy, behavior and ecology of woodpeckers throughout North America, considering common puzzles about their patterns and relationships, describing different behaviors and habitats, and packing in the color photos. Very highly recommended.
Average customer rating:
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Woodpeckers: An Identification Guide
Hans Winkler
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Birdwatching
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Ornithology
| Zoology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
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Similar Items:
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Woodpeckers of North America
ASIN: 0395720435 |
Book Description
Like the other guides in the acclaimed series of International Bird Identification guides originated by Christopher Helm, Woodpeckers is comprehensive and definitive. It covers all 198 species of woodpeckers found throughout the world. Each is beautifully illustrated in color in its various plumages and described vividly and accurately, with complete information on its identifying characteristics, similar species, distribution, migration, habitat, geographical variations, voice, habits, food, and breeding behavior. References for further research are also included. Woodpeckers is an essential addition to any birder's library.
Book Description
In Search of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker is a complete natural history of one of the most exciting and rare birds in the world. Noted ornithologist Jerome A. Jackson takes the reader on his fantastic and personal quest, providing detailed insights into the bird's lifestyle, habitat, and cultural significance, examining its iconic status from the late 1800s to the present in advertising, conservation, and lore. As he relates searches for the bird by John James Audubon, Alexander Wilson, and others, Jackson offers anecdotal tales illuminating the methods of early naturalists, including how one captive ivory-bill destroyed a naturalist's hotel room in a desperate attempt to escape. Jackson's search for one of the few remaining ivory-bills takes him across the United States and into Cuba. A new epilogue disputes the putative rediscovery of the bird in April 2005.
Customer Reviews:
Boring pseudoscientific drivel .......2006-05-27
I really wanted to like this book. I'm actually very interested in the ivory-billed woodpecker, but this was incredibly boring--dry, technical, lifeless. The author actually has the scientific name for every plant and animal all through the text. I just wanted to read an interesting story about a search for this amazing bird. This was not it.
a wonderful book.......2005-07-13
I absolutely could not put this book down. The information on the natural history of the ivory-bill is fascinating. The history of its demise--due to the stupidity and greed of humans--is gut wrenching. The accounts of searches in the U.S. and Cuba are spellbinding. This book has special meaning to me because I heard ivory-bill calls a few miles to the east of the Honey Island Swamp less than a year after David Kulivan saw a pair there. Jerome Jackson and others (such as John Dennis, Tim Gallagher, Bobby Harrison, and Mary Scott) are heros for keeping alive the hope that the species survived.
A good read.......2005-05-09
This is a good read for anyone who's interested in the ivory-billed woodpecker. Although it does not have any information about the rediscovery of the bird in Arkansas, Dr. Jackson has spent his entire adult life studying this bird and has some interesting insights. I also just finished reading "The Grail Bird," a brand new book by Tim Gallagher--one of the people who found the bird. It's like a combination detective story and adventure, and is also very funny in parts. I couldn't put it down. Another great book that has a section on the ivory-bill is "Hope is the Thing with Feathers," by Christopher Cokinos, a first-rate writer. If you're truly interested in learning more about this species, I highly recommend reading all three books.
Correction to below review.......2005-04-30
Just to make a correction to the review written below. The author of this tale is Jackson, not Tanner. Tanner did indeed see and record the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker.
Good, but enough material for a whole book?.......2004-10-12
I wanted to love this book, and before reading it I assumed that I would. I didn't quite, though. The "problem" with author Jackson's search -- and a rigorous search it's been -- is that he never actually found anything. And I don't just mean that he didn't find an Ivory-Billed Woodpecker (if he had, you'd already have heard about it). What I mean is that Jackson apparently didn't find anything: no Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, no real hope of finding an Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, no spiritual understanding of the bird or its possible (likely?) extinction . . . That's not a criticism, really. Not many of us are capable of spiritual understanding, and even fewer of us are capable of conveying such things to others. But without any of this, I found the book just a bit . . . well, a bit thin. A big chunk of the book is filled with accounts of 19th-century naturalists who studied and "collected" Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers, and I found myself skipping over some of this material. It's useful, I know, but it's not a narrative that pulls you along. I hate it when people tell an author which book he should have written, so I'm not going to do that here. Rather, I'll just say that if you're truly interested in the Ivory-Billed then you'll probably enjoy this book, as I did.
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