Too depressing for me. But I enjoyed the photos, and appreciated the fact that there is a plethora of back matter. It was also interesting to learn that Joseph Mason, who painted 50 of the backgrounds in Audub0n's masterpiece, was only 13 when he joined him.

Oct. 2023

Great book. Introduces the bird and goes through history introducing the illustrators, hunters and entrepreneurs that crossed its path and fixed its fate. ( )

The Ivory-billed woodpecker is a magnificent, strong bird. At least, it was…before it became extinct. But does anyone know for sure if it’s actually gone for good?

How did the Ivory-billed woodpecker, also called the Lord God bird (as in, “Lord God, what a bird!”) come to be one of the rarest and most searched-for species of bird in the United States, and why? Collectors, scientists, and bird-watchers from all over were willing to spend harrowing days in swamps or mountains to catch a single glimpse – or even just hear the call – of the elusive bird. Researcher James Tanner and other dedicated team members did what they could to count the birds and protect their habitats, but big businesses making lots of money steadily encroached on their forests.

Read about some of the crazy reasons the birds were killed, the passionate people who did all they could to try and save them, and the rumors of recent sightings. Is the Lord God bird just a ghost now, or are there still a few of them out there?

If you like to read true animal stories or are interested in saving endangered species and ecosystems, you’ve got to give this book a try. ( )

Phillip Hoose has done it again. An amazing historical narrative of the plight of the ivory-billed woodpecker in the United States. The narrative takes the reader through a chronological and historical look at the events and way of life that eventually led to the extinction of wild species in the U.S. especially the Ivory-billed woodpeckers disappearance from the southeastern U.S. The author also describes the research of James Tanner and other scientists at Cornell University to find and document the ivory-billed woodpecker. The author describes the beginnings of wildlife conservation in the United States that were established because of the work of scientists trying to save the ivory-billed woodpecker and its specific habitat. The author not only tells the story of the ivory-billed woodpecker but also the story of the people who contributed to its extinction and those who tried to save it. The most compelling story was that of the last person to ever see an ivory-billed woodpecker in its wild habitat, a twelve year old boy. I cried at various points of this book. I have been up close to pileated woodpeckers in the wild and they are amazing creatures. I just cannot believe all the things that were done to the habitat of the ivory-billed and I can just imagine what an amazing bird it was. The author really draws the reader in at every turn and keeps you wanting to read more. The ivory-billed woodpecker is an amazing creature that could not adapt quickly enough to the changes in its habitat made by humans. It is believed by some to still exist although no one has been able to document one. This is a great book for studying wildlife conservation and inspirational to future generations. Inspiring as the ivory-billed once graced the swamps of Louisiana and students here can relate more easily to the topic. Even if you are not a conservationist or do not feel compelled to help with any type of conservation efforts, you will feel compelled to take a look at how you impact wildlife on this earth after reading this book. ( )

This book could just as easily be titled "Extreme Bird Watching," or perhaps even "Endangered Birds and the Wild-eyed People who Love Them." By tracking the history of American efforts to save the doomed Ivory-billed Wood Pecker, this book explains the history and importance of ornithological conservation in the United States. This story is framed in the larger context of examining the ongoing sixth mass extinction, and concludes by exploring modern success stories, which counterbalances the disappointment of the failure to save the Ivory-billed Wood Pecker.

This is not your grandmother's birding. At least, my grandmother's idea of birding was to keep a pair of binoculars on the window sill with an Audubon field guide at hand. But the birders in this book camp in swamps, narrowly avoid death by terrifying animals, and even have to navigate encounters with NAZIs. This is as exciting as birding will ever sound.

While I think the book could have benefitted from being a little bit faster paced, I would recommend it for use in Louisiana classrooms. This is because its tale is as relevant to Louisiana today as 100 years ago - depletion of our state's natural resources by corporations without concern for ecological consequence. ( )

Not only conveys the tension of saving the bird but how this contributed to the study of birds and conservancy movements, and highlighted the importance of maintaining biodiversity. Author really into his subject, very passionate. Makes you feel it, too. You hate to hear about the Chicago Mill tearing down the forest, about Singer selling it off. Plenty of intriguing and dramatic photos. You're excited to see the live bird photos.

The author describes the glory of the Lord God Bird and its eventual extinction in the United States through hunting and extensive logging. Several individuals were key in attempting to understand and save the ivory-billed woodpecker, including James Tanner, his Cornell professor Doc Allen, John James Audubon, and James Baker, president of the Audubon Society. ( )

Quick and easy history of the Ivory Bill with an emphasis on the early 20th century, in particular Jim Tanner who drove his Model A Coup around the swamps of the south during the 1930s searching for the elusive "peckerwood". Fond times it seemed, an experience that can never been recreated. The dark history of the destruction of the great virgin forests of the south are difficult to take, so much has been forever lost to short term thinkers.

The Ivory Bill is at an intersection of the early conservation movement and has become one of the great icons of extinction. Although this could have been a depressing book Hoose does a good job balancing historical context, he doesn't leap to judgements and ends with other more successful stories of conservation, and the hope that Lord God Bird still exists somewhere. ( )

One of the best nonfiction books ever written. A mesmerizing true story about the desperate attempts to save a species from extinction. ( )

A YA book on a very adult issue: the gradual extinction of the magnificent Ivory-billed Woodpecker. The book begins in the 1930s with Ornithologists chasing the few remaining specimens in the Louisiana swamps. As the birds' habitat and range declines, the search becomes more desperate -- and futile.

It is a cautionary tale about man's effect upon nature (lumber companies destroy the trees necessary for the Woodpecker) as well a chilling omen for man himself. Nonetheless readers will be cheered by the dedication and effort that the scientists put forth to 'save' the mighty bird.

In addition to the story of the Woodpeckers, there are many interesting side-bars on related issues: the rise of the Audubon Society, the "Plume Wars", the death of the Passenger Pigeon, and more.

Essential reading for budding naturalists and bird-lovers! ( )

Summary: At first glance, this book tells the history of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker, a species that was once common in the Southern states but is now (arguably, and functionally) extinct. However, the story told by this book chronicles the people who studied and attempted to save this species as much as the bird itself. The range of topics that the author includes in chronicling the decline of the species including reformation, the plume wars, industrialization, WW2, and the modern environmental movement paint a comprehensive picture of the effort that was involved in recording and documenting the dying days of the bird. Many important characters in the environmental movement are present in this history, including Robert Tory Peterson, John James Audubon (both of guide book fame), “Doc” Allen (who founded the Cornell Ornithology Lab), Harriet Hemenway (who founded the Audubon Society), and Guy Bradley, who is often credited as the first game warden killed in the line of duty. It is of note that this book was published in 2004, before a 2005 contentious sighting in Arkansas about 100 miles north of the area focused on in this book.

Personal Reaction and Uses in Class: This book points to a number of issues important in a science classroom, in particular it gives a vivid depiction of niche partitioning and the birds’ life history strategy. I also like the way it portrays the lives of the scientists as the attempt to gather data on the bird. The book doesn’t shy away from depicting the “shoot and stuff” method of collecting data used by 19th and early 20th century naturalists, which could lead to interesting discussions of the ramifications of scientific endeavors; i.e. is it worth studying a phenomena if the study destroys your sample? After all, the collection of finches that Darwin collected from the Galapagos may have changed the course of human history. ( )

3starP. Ages 10 and up. Explores the possible extinction of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and the efforts taken through history to save the species.

Does not exhibit RC.

p. 153 'So the Lord God bird remained a ghost. And as these words are written, it still is. But no one seems to want to give up on it, The bird may be extinct, but our connection to it isn't. Each year, more and more people search for the Ivory-bill in the United States and Cuba, using microphones and cameras that get ever stronger and more sensitive. The silent cassette tapes and empty picture frames people bring back just seem to make them more determined.' ( )

Echoes of the Woody Woodpecker laugh still haunt me. I see a carved cartoon replica of this bird nailed to a tree when I drive to work. I’m a California kid born in Hollywood. Perhaps when I tell you that I’ve never seen a Pileated Woodpecker and, for many years, did not think they were anything other than a Hollywood fabrication, you will understand. Who knew that a cartoon would use an actual woodpecker as a model for a main character? Who remembers the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) now extinct? The Ivory-billed Woodpecker, about two feet long, with a three-foot wingspan makes the Pileated Woodpecker seem small! For most people, this bird, nick-named the Lord God bird, seems more like a Hollywood creation than Woody Woodpecker.

While we watched Woody, an anthropomorphized amalgam of various woodpeckers, on the silver screen in the forties, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker faded into extinction. The Race to Save the Lord God Bird depicts the way society changed its view of birds, the way natural history museums changed their display philosophies, and the way science conducted its animal research. Showing how science and society interacted is one of the significant achievements of this book. Today we know more about cartoons than we do about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, the bird that was the catalyst behind many of the ways we changed. The Race to Save the Lord God Bird seeks to change this sad fact.

Hoose takes you into the world of fashion, describing how at the turn of the century most women wore hats and would only consider hats with plumes. Need a stuffed bird for your museum exhibit? Find an Ivory-billed nest, shoot the adult birds, shoot the young, chop down the top of the tree holding the nest and there you have it! Want to do a biological illustration of a bird? Shoot six or seven of them so that you can decide which features best describe the prototype. Hoose does not attempt to manipulate emotion; he describes the process of biological illustration, the procedure for gaining museum specimens, and the way this process changed over time. Along the way learn about how the Singer Manufacturing Company (which made Singer sewing machines) inadvertently provided the last habitat for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in an effort to preserve their business (only to sell it when the tax cost became a burden). Learn how Cornell University launched its world-renowned bird songs recording program prompted by this bird. Watch the Audubon Society come into power. Observe a young Roger Tory Peterson. And discover Jim Tanner, who eventually became Professor James Tanner who taught students to “study nature not books.” Jim Tanner spent years living with this magnificent bird, learning that to save it, meant also saving its habitat.

Woody Woodpecker never portrayed an actual woodpecker. The Lord God Bird was real and, if you read the book carefully, maybe STILL is real. I never heard of this bird until I read this book. Most of the people I’ve shown this book to had not heard of it either. Reading The Race to Save the Lord God Bird has changed me. I think I will spend some time searching for a Pileated Woodpecker. They live close by and I’d like to see one. Sure beats watching cartoons. ( )

The passion of the writer, Phillip Hoose, is almost palpable in this book. The awe and drawing power of this elusive bird of many birders is reflected so clearly here. Ironically, so soon after publication, there have been fresh, and definite, sightings of the Lord God bird! This will not detract from this excellent book. ( )

A very basic, but well-illustrated, account of the Ivory-bill - written just prior to the rediscovery. ( )

2P
"The Plume War also gave birth to strong bird protection laws and created the first nature preserves for birds. Perhaps most important, during this time millions of American schoolchildren fished dimes out of their pockets and became Junior Audubon members, learning to study and protect birds rather than shoot them." ( )