“The Thing with Feathers”

When I first looked at this article and it began printing, I was worried because it was so long. However, I ended up really enjoying it. I identified with and pictured in my mind what Wells Towers was describing throughout the article because of some of the humor he used.

I thought it was interesting how Sparling played such a big role in the rediscovery of the bird. Even Sparling “a wayfaring, neo-beatnik entrepreneur whose resume; includes a failed Baja whale-watching concern and an abandoned shiitake mushroom operation” has made a difference in the search for the bird. I thought that this was a sign that anyone has the potential to play a part in the conservation or environmentalist movement.

Something else about this article that I enjoyed was the vivid language that was used throughout the whole piece. By the end of the article I found myself hoeing that the “far off flare of red, white and black” was the ivory-billed woodpecker. Wells Towers effective use of descriptive language gives the readers the opportunity to wallow in his journey and decide for themselves if they have hope for the return of the Lord God bird.

To answer Rachael’s question I would have no idea how to go about spotting the bird, because bird watching is something I have tried to avoid. To me the idea of sitting outside with some binoculars and a bird book is quite comical. On the off chance that I spotted an ivory-billed woodpecker I would probably try to capture an image or video of it on my iPhone.  If I failed to do so, I would probably keep the sighting to myself. If the bird wanted to be found, I think it would have been found by now.