Ivorybill Hunters: The Search for Proof in a Flooded Wilderness

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Formerly found north of the Ohio River near its confluence with the Mississippi, the ivory-billed woodpecker was thought to be extinct in North America. The last definite records of the bird were in 1943 at the Singer Tract near Tallulah, Louisiana. In the spring of 2005, John Fitzpatrick and Cornell University's Laboratory of Ornithology announced that a team of searchers had amassed proof that at least one ivory-billed woodpecker still dwelled in the forested wetlands of eastern Arkansas. This supposedly irrefutable evidence was refuted by some of the most respected bird identification experts. Hill, an ornithologist, tells how he and two colleagues from Auburn University found what may be a breeding population of the birds along the Choctawhatchee River in northern Florida between December 2005 and April 2006. Hill chronicles his attempts to document evidence of their existence. An appendix lists the sightings, sound detections, and recordings made along the river. Hill's book adds another chapter in the ongoing debate over the woodpecker's existence. George Cohen
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Review

"A fun, compelling story, another tantalizing bit of the Ivory-bill puzzle that will help to keep this icon alive in the minds of birders. This book might just also keep this magnificent bird alive in the forests of the Southeast."--Jerome A. Jackson, Florida Gulf Coast University

"Hill has written a thoroughly delightful book about the adventure."--St. Petersburg Times

"Interesting and exciting. Hill's writing about the acceptance of the sightings and the evolution of the search from 'science' into 'birding' is important and should be widely disseminated. This significant original contribution adds to our understanding of the issues and the search."--Peter Mott, former President, New York City Audubon Society

"This entertaining, unpretentious read should have wide appeal. Highly recommended."--Library Journal


"Hill has written a thoroughly delightful book about the adventure."--St. Petersburg Times
"This entertaining, unpretentious read should have wide appeal. Highly recommended."--Library Journal
"A fun, compelling story, another tantalizing bit of the Ivory-bill puzzle that will help to keep this icon alive in the minds of birders. This book might just also keep this magnificent bird alive in the forests of the Southeast."--Jerome A. Jackson, Florida Gulf Coast University
"Interesting and exciting. Hill's writing about the acceptance of the sightings and the evolution of the search from 'science' into 'birding' is important and should be widely disseminated. This significant original contribution adds to our understanding of the issues and the search."--Peter Mott, former President, New York City Audubon Society
"Hill, an ornithologist at Auburn University,documents his own search for the ivory-billed in the northern panhandle of Florida."--cience News
"What a delight it was to read this book. Hill writes in a very intimate sytle, engaging his readers as if they were personal acquaintances, and the result is a text that holds one's attention throughout. I urge all birdwatchers to read this book."--David A. Christie, Ibis


a page-turning mystery that is exciting and informative Mark Cocker, Guardian Books of the Year

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; First Edition edition (March 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195323467
• ISBN-13: 978-0195323467
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #793,074 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chasing after hope on a feather, May 5, 2007

By	viktor_57 "viktor_57" (Fairview, Your Favorite State, USA) - See all my reviews

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good story, but where is the proof?, October 10, 2007

By	Gary Sprandel (Frankfort, Kentucky) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Opinion on Iverybill Hunters, October 3, 2007

By	Thomas Warner - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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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.