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The Grail Bird: The Rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker | 
 enlarge | Author: Tim Gallagher
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $0.01
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Avg. Customer Rating:  30 reviews
Sales Rank: 199958
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.9
ISBN: 061870941X
Dewey Decimal Number: 598.72
EAN: 9780618709410
ASIN: 061870941X
Publication Date: April 18, 2006
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Condition: Normal used cover and page wear. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.
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Product Description
In April 2005, a startling announcement made national and international news: the ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird thought to be extinct for nearly sixty years, had been sighted. The story behind this incredible discovery began more than a year earlier when, after a lengthy search, Tim Gallagher was one of the first people to see this iconic bird, the holy grail of birdwatchers. He persuaded the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology to mount a massive search for evidence of the bird's existence. The news was kept secret while field teams went to work and land was bought to conserve the ivory-bill's habitat. Gallagher's story reads like a mystery novel, and the subsequent conservation efforts provide hope and a lesson for our times.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 25 more reviews...
 So, where are the birds? September 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Along with many nature lovers who are intrigued by rare and unusual species of wildlife, I was caught up in the ivorybill rediscovery craze of 2004. So this book, and others like it, added plenty of fuel to the fires of my curiosity and wonder at the idea of being able to actually see this bird. The author himself clearly shares this deep passion and, along with various people he has worked with and interviewed, feels certain that he has seen it. But if they are really out there, one has to wonder how it is possible that no one has yet managed to take a picture of one that would constitute irrefutable proof of the bird's existence. Does someone know something we don't, or were all these people just caught up in a wave of wishful thinking that ended up being a delusion?
All of us would dearly love to believe that this spectacular denizen of our southern swamps has not really vanished forever, but maybe we have to accept the fact that we made some mistakes by not preserving its habitat, and learn a few lessons from this when it comes to saving other imperiled species. Nevertheless, I could not be happier if somehow, this particular species actually did manage to beat the odds and survive, but I guess only time will tell...
 Keep The Hope Alive April 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I read this book back in November of 2006 and was fascinated from the first page. What could be more exciting than to be hot on the trail of something that the experts say no longer exists, armed with information that says it still does.
I'm reminded of the book "The Lost Grizzlies" by Rick Bass about the search to discover grizzly bears living in southern Colorado where they have been supposedly non-existent for years. A tuft of hair, a pile of scat but no pictures and no video.
I find the possibility of finding the Ivory Bill even more exciting than the search itself. Here's to the dreamers and hopefuls who keep the hunt alive. Whether searching for Ivory Bills in Arkansas, grizzlies in Colorado or bigfoot in the Bitteroot I applaud those undeterred spirits who fuel the fire of the search and help fill our shelves with stories of adventure and hope.
The Grail Bird October 16, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is such an enjoyable book. Gallagher paints the picture of all the players, even way back over time, that were involved in the Ivory-bill's research. More should know of these backgrounds and personalities. What has surprised me is how many prominent naturalists of considerable renown have seen the bird over this century, and then kept quiet about it. This is like saying you personally have seen an UFO and don't want to be scorned by your peers, and considered an outright nut. That revelation is what causes me to think this reclusive bird might just have survived in some numbers in these swamplands. Plus the swamp crackers remarking about the coloration and striking white patterns of the birds, and having their own colloquial descriptions of their experiences. They seem to know pileateds quite well and sense the contrast with any Ivory-bill they ever encountered. This is what makes this book exciting reading, and such a keeper. Anyone will get involved in this pursuit and Gallagher does a great job weaving the tale. Non-birders will be surprised that this genus extends down into South America, and a member or two can be observed there of this larger woodpeckers clan. This book is an education!
Great Book! September 4, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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 January 11, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
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.
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