"The Thing with Feathers"

In “The Thing with Feathers”, Wells Tower explains the journey that his research took him through in finding the ivory billed woodpecker. To start off by answering Rachael’s question I think I would have kept the news to myself because I liked what Sparling mentions in the last part of the article. He says, “Seeing it’s not nearly as important as restoring the habitat. If we give him a place to live, he can take care of himself. It doesn’t matter whether we know where he is or not.” I agree with that, and I know that it is some people’s life mission to find this bird but then once they find it and take a picture and gather their money will they care about it anymore? And if the ivory bill were to come back the few left would be bothered and followed and tracked and so it makes me feel bad for the bird. The hype about this bird is contagious as Rachael said because after reading this I felt the same way as she did. I have never particularly been interested in birds but after reading about the towns that are hoping the new discovery makes them famous it makes me want to search these birds too. It’s ironic how humans are the ones who have killed these birds off and now they are also the ones to search high and low for them. Here these birds were being used for decoration and good luck charms and now the rediscovery of their existence becomes a whole town’s mission. It becomes so big that hobo’s are driving all over the country to become “nomadic” bird hunters. It’s crazy how one species can make such an impact.