A Wing and a Prayer

February 27, 2023
In this eye-opening account, married duo Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal, retired journalists and avid birders, survey efforts to combat the decline in the North American bird population. In response to a 2019 study that found there are about three billion fewer birds today than 50 years ago because of climate change and habitat loss, the Gyllenhaals hit the road in an RV to visit “where the most severe problems are and witness the rescues, research, successes, and failures” of those trying to replenish the continent’s flocks. The colorful characters they met include the chief scientist at a nonprofit dedicated to bringing the passenger pigeon back from extinction, the masterminds behind Hawaii’s plan to sterilize malaria-carrying mosquitoes that kill the islands’ honeycreepers, and the biologists who track Florida scrub-jays by tagging them with transmitters “the size of a paper clip.” Readers looking for signs of hope will find some in the eclectic measures described, which showcase the remarkable ingenuity of those working to save the birds—one couple, for instance, developed a device that identifies the species of birds in the area by analyzing birdsongs and sends the data to Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology. Birders will be unsettled, and by the end, inspired.

March 1, 2023
Married bird-watchers join forces with scientists and ecologists to explore the correlation between birds and the planet's future. Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal discovered their mutual love of ornithology as "an antidote to city life" after "long careers in journalism." Reveling in the wonder of "chasing" and photographing regional bird species became their new passion. The authors admit that in the first decade of bird-watching, they took the feathered friends for granted. However, as their interest branched out to encompass scientific research and environmentalism, they discovered the catastrophic decline of North American bird populations in the past few decades. Their love of birds inspired the couple to embark on a 25,000-mile journey to commune with "birds of nearly every variety, from the most common to some of the rarest on the planet." This immersive, enthusiastic report, which reads like a seasoned ecologist's travel journal, spotlights key locales on the authors' expansive expedition, from Central Florida and North Carolina to South America. The authors critically evaluate the "star power" of the bald eagle, assess the fate of the California spotted owl, admire the flamboyant cerulean warblers in Ecuador, and describe efforts to mitigate the damage to bird populations in Hawaii, "the extinction capital of the world." The text encompasses studies by biologists, ecologists, wildlife officials, and philanthropists whose combined efforts are focused on halting the decline of bird populations. Most encouraging are modern scientific initiatives to uncover the source of bird decimation with ride-along migration banding trackers, bioacoustic engineering, community birdhouse building, and a wetlands habitat development program incentivized for California rice farmers. In the closing chapters, which feature conservationist case studies, the authors firmly reiterate that progress is possible. Throughout the book, they demonstrate that bird behavior and population levels serve as "real-time barometers of environmental stability." The authors also include a selection of vivid, four-color photos. Passionate reportage from the world of birds and a cautionary tale for the future of Earth. A no-brainer for birders.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from April 1, 2023
Beginning with vignettes of two of North America's most endangered birds--one very familiar, the northern spotted owl, and one little-known, the Florida grasshopper sparrow--this account of scientific efforts to protect the continent's vanishing bird species sounds an alarm. In the past 50 years, almost one third of the population, three billion birds across all species and habitats, have vanished. Facing this crisis are scientists, nonprofits, landowners, government agencies, and bird groups, as the Gyllenhaals, birders and distinguished former reporters, detail in their survey of the response to the loss of these charismatic indicators of an overall environmental catastrophe. Written partially as a travelogue as the authors journeyed thousands of miles by road around the continent, the combination of personal story and scientific reportage is compelling. Starting with the grasshopper sparrow, the authors track the possible rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker, look at the science that reveals the numbers of lost birds, discuss the recovery of the bald eagle, show how new technologies of radar and radio tracking allow intimate looks at birds' lives, and otherwise delve into the commitment and love that is demonstrated by all the disparate groups working to save the continent's birds. The Gyllenhaals end with a call for all of us to become conservation birders.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.