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The Ghost with Trembling Wings: Science, Wishful Thinking, and the Search for Lost Species
A round-the-world detective story about rediscovering vanished species
Three or four times an hour, eighty or more times a day, a unique species of plant or animal vanishes forever. It is, scientists say, the worst global extinction crisis in the last sixty-five million years -- the hemorrhage of thirty thousand irreplaceable life-forms each year. And yet, every so often one of these lost species resurfaces, such as the Indian forest owlet, considered extinct for more than a century when it was rediscovered in 1997. Like heirlooms plucked from a burning house, they are gifts to an increasingly impoverished world.
In The Ghost with Trembling Wings , naturalist Scott Weidensaul pursues these stories of loss and recovery, of endurance against the odds, and of surprising resurrections. The search takes Weidensaul to the rain forests of the Caribbean and Brazil in pursuit of long-lost birds, to the rugged mountains of Tasmania for the striped, wolflike marsupial known as the thylacine, to cloning laboratories where scientists struggle to re-create long-extinct animals, and even to the moorlands and tidy farms of England on the trail of mysterious black panthers whose existence seems to depend on the faith of those looking for them. The Ghost with Trembling Wings is a book of exploration and a survey of the frontiers of modern science and wildlife biology. It is, in the end, the story of our desire for a wilder, bigger, more complete world.
Three or four times an hour, eighty or more times a day, a unique species of plant or animal vanishes forever. It is, scientists say, the worst global extinction crisis in the last sixty-five million years -- the hemorrhage of thirty thousand irreplaceable life-forms each year. And yet, every so often one of these lost species resurfaces, such as the Indian forest owlet, considered extinct for more than a century when it was rediscovered in 1997. Like heirlooms plucked from a burning house, they are gifts to an increasingly impoverished world.
In The Ghost with Trembling Wings , naturalist Scott Weidensaul pursues these stories of loss and recovery, of endurance against the odds, and of surprising resurrections. The search takes Weidensaul to the rain forests of the Caribbean and Brazil in pursuit of long-lost birds, to the rugged mountains of Tasmania for the striped, wolflike marsupial known as the thylacine, to cloning laboratories where scientists struggle to re-create long-extinct animals, and even to the moorlands and tidy farms of England on the trail of mysterious black panthers whose existence seems to depend on the faith of those looking for them. The Ghost with Trembling Wings is a book of exploration and a survey of the frontiers of modern science and wildlife biology. It is, in the end, the story of our desire for a wilder, bigger, more complete world.
341 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
9 people are currently reading
1070 people want to read
About the author
Scott Weidensaul
54 books130 followersBorn in 1959, Scott Weidensaul (pronounced "Why-densaul") has lived almost all of his life among the long ridges and endless valleys of eastern Pennsylvania, in the heart of the central Appalachians, a landscape that has defined much of his work.
His writing career began in 1978 with a weekly natural history column in the local newspaper, the Pottsville Republican in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, where he grew up. The column soon led a fulltime reporting job, which he held until 1988, when he left to become a freelance writer specializing in nature and wildlife. (He continued to write about nature for newspapers, however, including long-running columns for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Harrisburg Patriot-News.)
Weidensaul has written more than two dozen books, including his widely acclaimed Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds (North Point 1999), which was a finalist for the 2000 Pulitzer Prize.
Weidensaul's writing has appeared in dozens of publications, including Audubon (for which he is a contributing editor), Nature Conservancy and National Wildlife, among many others. He lectures widely on conservation and nature, and directs the ornithological programs for National Audubon's famed Hog Island Center on the coast of Maine.
In addition to writing about wildlife, Weidensaul is an active field researcher whose work focuses on bird migration. Besides banding hawks each fall (something he's done for nearly 25 years), he directs a major effort to study the movements of northern saw-whet owls, one of the smallest and least-understood raptors in North America. He is also part of a continental effort to understand the rapid evolution, by several species of western hummingbirds, of a new migratory route and wintering range in the East.
- excerpted from his website
His writing career began in 1978 with a weekly natural history column in the local newspaper, the Pottsville Republican in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, where he grew up. The column soon led a fulltime reporting job, which he held until 1988, when he left to become a freelance writer specializing in nature and wildlife. (He continued to write about nature for newspapers, however, including long-running columns for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Harrisburg Patriot-News.)
Weidensaul has written more than two dozen books, including his widely acclaimed Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds (North Point 1999), which was a finalist for the 2000 Pulitzer Prize.
Weidensaul's writing has appeared in dozens of publications, including Audubon (for which he is a contributing editor), Nature Conservancy and National Wildlife, among many others. He lectures widely on conservation and nature, and directs the ornithological programs for National Audubon's famed Hog Island Center on the coast of Maine.
In addition to writing about wildlife, Weidensaul is an active field researcher whose work focuses on bird migration. Besides banding hawks each fall (something he's done for nearly 25 years), he directs a major effort to study the movements of northern saw-whet owls, one of the smallest and least-understood raptors in North America. He is also part of a continental effort to understand the rapid evolution, by several species of western hummingbirds, of a new migratory route and wintering range in the East.
- excerpted from his website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
December 22, 2008
If you follow the world of ornithology, you know the name ivory-billed woodpecker, the famous “Ghost Bird” of the South. Is it extinct or not? In 2004, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology announced they had rediscovered the bird in the Big Woods of Arkansas but the most revered lab has yet to get clear, indisputable photos of the bird. There have been “teasing glimpses and tantalizing sounds,” but no definitive visual documentation.
What does that mean? Is Cornell wrong? And is the "Ghost Bird" just that? Well, not really. As Scott Weidensaul points out in his book, "The Ghost with Trembling Wings," it’s not easy finding rare and endangered species. Underline the words “not easy.” As the analogy goes: it’s like trying to find a moving needle in a haystack. If they’re gone, they’re gone; but in some cases, they are just very, very well hidden.
Subtitled "Science, Wishful Thinking, and the Search for Lost Species," Weidensaul investigates ghost species—both plant and animal—around the planet. Case in point: Indian clover, a plant once common on the grasslands north of San Francisco Bay. It hadn’t been seen in years and was declared extinct in 1984, only to be found, very much alive, in 1993 near the town of Occidental.
Then there’s the completely nocturnal night parrot from Australia. It is nine-inches long and looks like an over-sized, dark budgie. The species roosts in burrows during the day and hunts for seeds at night but hadn’t been seen in decades. That is until October 17, 1990, when Walter Boles found a night parrot in western Queensland, not alive, but flattened on the highway. The discovery of the roadkill sparked new interest.
Weidensaul is always a joy to read and his book on lost species takes you on curious searches looking for incredibly hard to find creatures.
Ever heard of Gilbert’s potoroo? It’s a rabbit-sized marsupial unseen in Australia in 125 years, that is until one turned up recently in a live trap very much alive. If only the folks at Cornell could be so lucky.
What does that mean? Is Cornell wrong? And is the "Ghost Bird" just that? Well, not really. As Scott Weidensaul points out in his book, "The Ghost with Trembling Wings," it’s not easy finding rare and endangered species. Underline the words “not easy.” As the analogy goes: it’s like trying to find a moving needle in a haystack. If they’re gone, they’re gone; but in some cases, they are just very, very well hidden.
Subtitled "Science, Wishful Thinking, and the Search for Lost Species," Weidensaul investigates ghost species—both plant and animal—around the planet. Case in point: Indian clover, a plant once common on the grasslands north of San Francisco Bay. It hadn’t been seen in years and was declared extinct in 1984, only to be found, very much alive, in 1993 near the town of Occidental.
Then there’s the completely nocturnal night parrot from Australia. It is nine-inches long and looks like an over-sized, dark budgie. The species roosts in burrows during the day and hunts for seeds at night but hadn’t been seen in decades. That is until October 17, 1990, when Walter Boles found a night parrot in western Queensland, not alive, but flattened on the highway. The discovery of the roadkill sparked new interest.
Weidensaul is always a joy to read and his book on lost species takes you on curious searches looking for incredibly hard to find creatures.
Ever heard of Gilbert’s potoroo? It’s a rabbit-sized marsupial unseen in Australia in 125 years, that is until one turned up recently in a live trap very much alive. If only the folks at Cornell could be so lucky.
September 15, 2007
A knockout book. Weidensaul is a very, very good writer. He's uproariously funny when he's relating hardships from the bush and heartbreakingly understated when he's discussing species teetering on the brink. I liked this book so well that before I'd finished it I was online ordering everything he's ever written from my library. Highly recommended for nature geeks.
February 24, 2018
This zoology/natural history book is at times depressing to read if you're an animal lover. Author Scott Weidensaul describes his travels to a few different places around the world in search of survivors of animal species purported to be extinct (Sembler's warbers on the island of St. Lucia, ivory-billed woodpeckers in Louisiana, thylacines in Tasmania, cone-billed tanagers in Brazil), obviously without achieving any success in his endeavor. Not necessarily to say that there are definitely no remaining survivors of these species anywhere out there in the wild (that's my optimistic-yet-sometimes-delusional side desperately clinging to that belief), just that Weidensaul unfortunately wasn't able to locate any specimens during his travels.
When he delves into the background stories behind these animals, as well as others that he cites as examples, it is heartbreaking to keep reading about yet another species forever wiped off the face of the earth. The redeeming aspect of this book for me was the examples mentioned by Weidensaul of animals previously declared extinct that miraculously turned up years later, such as black-footed ferrets (yay!) or the cahow (Bermuda petrels), which were believed extinct for 300 years until 18 pairs were discovered in 1951 on tiny offshore islets (thanks to strict governmental protection and extensive restoration programs, there are now over 100 pairs-a big yay!)
However, a depressing point brought up is that even when a lost species is rediscovered, it still faces the prospect of extinction in the face of such predicaments as habitat loss. An example is the Indian forest owlet, which was believed extinct since no specimens had been seen in the wild since 1884 until a search in 1997 discovered two, and since then more of them have been sighted; great news of course, but the forests in the plains of its original range have been completely cleared and what little habitat they have remaining is shrinking day by day. Unless measures are taken to ensure that what remains of the owlet's habitat is preserved, it's going to go extinct for real this time. What good does it do to rediscover a lost species if nothing is done to help that species survive and thrive after it is found?
Another topic broached by Weidensaul is cloning. I appreciated how he dispelled the misconception taught by such sci-fi movies as Jurassic Park that extinct species can be easily brought back from the grave using cloning technology, specifically mentioning the proposal to create wooly mammoths using DNA from a frozen mammoth carcass: "the genetic code of a mammoth probably contains billions and billions of base pairs, all of which would have to be reassembled in exactly their correct order just to read its genome" (228). Clearly, we are not going to be seeing any live wooly mammoths, velociraptors or any other long lost animals anytime soon. Besides, even if it were hypothetically possible to clone such extinct species, Weidensaul points out that it might "serve to deaden the public's worry over critically rare organisms by planting the comfortable but incorrect notion that there's a scientific quick fix even for something as permanent as extinction" (278). The last thing that the conservation movement needs is for people to adopt a mentality of it not mattering if a creature goes extinct since it can just be cloned and "brought back to life", what with so many animals already on the brink of extinction and unfortunately numerous other endangered species quickly heading in that direction.
The Ghost with Trembling Wings is an informative and engrossing book, and I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in endangered or extinct animal species. But if you find the thought of animals being eradicated forever profoundly saddening (as I do), you may want to think twice before picking this book up as you'll probably find it too depressing to read. You might, however, be encouraged by the fact that lost species are sometimes rediscovered. When reminiscing on his endeavor of traveling the world in search of these long lost creatures, Weidensaul describes it as "a pursuit that forced me to look at the world in a new and more auspicious way, alive to hope, however tentative, in the face of great and grievous biological loss" (298). Sometimes hope is all that we have to keep us from falling into despair when faced with adversity, and although the rate at which mankind is destroying the planet is alarming, and the thought of so many species being wiped off the face of the Earth is so distressing, there is always hope that the future won't be as bad as it seems regardless of how bleak the outlook. I, for one, am clinging to the hope that at least some of the critically endangered animals out there can be saved in spite of the widespread destruction that we humans as a species have wrought upon the Earth.
When he delves into the background stories behind these animals, as well as others that he cites as examples, it is heartbreaking to keep reading about yet another species forever wiped off the face of the earth. The redeeming aspect of this book for me was the examples mentioned by Weidensaul of animals previously declared extinct that miraculously turned up years later, such as black-footed ferrets (yay!) or the cahow (Bermuda petrels), which were believed extinct for 300 years until 18 pairs were discovered in 1951 on tiny offshore islets (thanks to strict governmental protection and extensive restoration programs, there are now over 100 pairs-a big yay!)
However, a depressing point brought up is that even when a lost species is rediscovered, it still faces the prospect of extinction in the face of such predicaments as habitat loss. An example is the Indian forest owlet, which was believed extinct since no specimens had been seen in the wild since 1884 until a search in 1997 discovered two, and since then more of them have been sighted; great news of course, but the forests in the plains of its original range have been completely cleared and what little habitat they have remaining is shrinking day by day. Unless measures are taken to ensure that what remains of the owlet's habitat is preserved, it's going to go extinct for real this time. What good does it do to rediscover a lost species if nothing is done to help that species survive and thrive after it is found?
Another topic broached by Weidensaul is cloning. I appreciated how he dispelled the misconception taught by such sci-fi movies as Jurassic Park that extinct species can be easily brought back from the grave using cloning technology, specifically mentioning the proposal to create wooly mammoths using DNA from a frozen mammoth carcass: "the genetic code of a mammoth probably contains billions and billions of base pairs, all of which would have to be reassembled in exactly their correct order just to read its genome" (228). Clearly, we are not going to be seeing any live wooly mammoths, velociraptors or any other long lost animals anytime soon. Besides, even if it were hypothetically possible to clone such extinct species, Weidensaul points out that it might "serve to deaden the public's worry over critically rare organisms by planting the comfortable but incorrect notion that there's a scientific quick fix even for something as permanent as extinction" (278). The last thing that the conservation movement needs is for people to adopt a mentality of it not mattering if a creature goes extinct since it can just be cloned and "brought back to life", what with so many animals already on the brink of extinction and unfortunately numerous other endangered species quickly heading in that direction.
The Ghost with Trembling Wings is an informative and engrossing book, and I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in endangered or extinct animal species. But if you find the thought of animals being eradicated forever profoundly saddening (as I do), you may want to think twice before picking this book up as you'll probably find it too depressing to read. You might, however, be encouraged by the fact that lost species are sometimes rediscovered. When reminiscing on his endeavor of traveling the world in search of these long lost creatures, Weidensaul describes it as "a pursuit that forced me to look at the world in a new and more auspicious way, alive to hope, however tentative, in the face of great and grievous biological loss" (298). Sometimes hope is all that we have to keep us from falling into despair when faced with adversity, and although the rate at which mankind is destroying the planet is alarming, and the thought of so many species being wiped off the face of the Earth is so distressing, there is always hope that the future won't be as bad as it seems regardless of how bleak the outlook. I, for one, am clinging to the hope that at least some of the critically endangered animals out there can be saved in spite of the widespread destruction that we humans as a species have wrought upon the Earth.
August 7, 2020
An incomplete list of topics I did NOT expect to encounter in this book, but was (mostly) delighted to read about anyway:
- The Loch Ness Monster
- Mothman
- Nazis
- Jurassic Park
- Bubonic Plague
- Cave Paintings
- Tasmanian Tigers
- Occam's Razor
- The Russian Revolution
- Reconstituted Aurochs
Overall: highly enjoyable! Come for the birds, stay for the weird and cool digressions.
- The Loch Ness Monster
- Mothman
- Nazis
- Jurassic Park
- Bubonic Plague
- Cave Paintings
- Tasmanian Tigers
- Occam's Razor
- The Russian Revolution
- Reconstituted Aurochs
Overall: highly enjoyable! Come for the birds, stay for the weird and cool digressions.
March 12, 2014
big shout out to all the Cone-Billed Tanagers out there
April 4, 2013
(review originally written for Bookslut)
The Ghost with Trembling Wings is easily the most enjoyable science book I have read since The Botany of Desire. Tidbits from this book brought up in conversation have made me sound more intelligent and well-read at parties, and isn't that why we read non-fiction? The main topic of the book, the search for lost species, is something most of us have thought about. Although few people lose any sleep over the thought of an invertebrate species being lost to the void, I believe that most, when faced with the irrevocable loss of a more charismatic species, are at least temporarily saddened -- providing their personal property is not determined to be the final natural habitat of the endangered species in question. In this book, Scott Weidensaul wisely confines most of his attention to birds and mammals, straying only for terribly noteworthy amphibians and fish, like a brilliant gold toad, and the Loch Ness monster.
Yes, really, the Loch Ness monster. Along with the majestic ivory-billed woodpecker, and the disappearing and reappearing black-footed ferret, Weidensaul devotes quite a bit of inquiry to species that probably never existed. Like the Loch Ness monster, Yeti, and the Black Beast of Inkberrow. While he never seems to expect to actually locate these creatures, his hypotheses about how these creatures came to exist in our collective unconscious are enlightening.
Despite the attention given to myth, this book is far from frivolous. It covers all the bases. From attempts at reintroducing species that are extinct in the wild to attempts to locate a species that was only seen once, by one man, who didn't record where he saw it. He also documents attempts to recreate species that are completely extinct.
As interesting as all these searches are, it is again the author's speculations on why we go to such lengths to find them that really draw me into the book. Why would anyone want to spend millions of dollars trying to clone the DNA of an extinct marsupial? Why are there so many unconfirmed sightings of species long after they have been declared extinct? Why do so many people report seeing black panthers in places where it is nearly impossible that they should be? Why do so many cultures have myths of an abominable snowman, yeti, large hairy man with claws? What are we really losing when a species finally disappears forever? And what should we do if we suddenly discover ten of them living on some tiny island?
If any of the above questions interest you, I wholeheartedly recommend that you read this book.
The Ghost with Trembling Wings is easily the most enjoyable science book I have read since The Botany of Desire. Tidbits from this book brought up in conversation have made me sound more intelligent and well-read at parties, and isn't that why we read non-fiction? The main topic of the book, the search for lost species, is something most of us have thought about. Although few people lose any sleep over the thought of an invertebrate species being lost to the void, I believe that most, when faced with the irrevocable loss of a more charismatic species, are at least temporarily saddened -- providing their personal property is not determined to be the final natural habitat of the endangered species in question. In this book, Scott Weidensaul wisely confines most of his attention to birds and mammals, straying only for terribly noteworthy amphibians and fish, like a brilliant gold toad, and the Loch Ness monster.
Yes, really, the Loch Ness monster. Along with the majestic ivory-billed woodpecker, and the disappearing and reappearing black-footed ferret, Weidensaul devotes quite a bit of inquiry to species that probably never existed. Like the Loch Ness monster, Yeti, and the Black Beast of Inkberrow. While he never seems to expect to actually locate these creatures, his hypotheses about how these creatures came to exist in our collective unconscious are enlightening.
Despite the attention given to myth, this book is far from frivolous. It covers all the bases. From attempts at reintroducing species that are extinct in the wild to attempts to locate a species that was only seen once, by one man, who didn't record where he saw it. He also documents attempts to recreate species that are completely extinct.
As interesting as all these searches are, it is again the author's speculations on why we go to such lengths to find them that really draw me into the book. Why would anyone want to spend millions of dollars trying to clone the DNA of an extinct marsupial? Why are there so many unconfirmed sightings of species long after they have been declared extinct? Why do so many people report seeing black panthers in places where it is nearly impossible that they should be? Why do so many cultures have myths of an abominable snowman, yeti, large hairy man with claws? What are we really losing when a species finally disappears forever? And what should we do if we suddenly discover ten of them living on some tiny island?
If any of the above questions interest you, I wholeheartedly recommend that you read this book.
September 7, 2015
A powerful and beautiful nonfiction book about animal extinction and all its permutations. I didn't give it five stars because I didn't finish it--it was a little slow moving for me.
However, I did learn a lot about how species become extinct, how human react to this, how we try to save species from extinction, attempt to breed ancient species in contemporary times, and search for mysterious creatures like the Loch Ness monster.
My big takeaway was: by the time we notice a species is on its way to extinction, there is nothing we can do. Habitats will continue to disappear before our concerned eyes because of business interests. The book isn't an indictment of progress. Rather it is a measured, researched, and knowledgeable exploration of vanishing and mysterious species.
An excellent choice for readers interested in science and learning about what scientists do. One of the nice things about the book is its episodic nature: the chapters are self contained so you can skip around if you wish without sacrificing comprehension.
However, I did learn a lot about how species become extinct, how human react to this, how we try to save species from extinction, attempt to breed ancient species in contemporary times, and search for mysterious creatures like the Loch Ness monster.
My big takeaway was: by the time we notice a species is on its way to extinction, there is nothing we can do. Habitats will continue to disappear before our concerned eyes because of business interests. The book isn't an indictment of progress. Rather it is a measured, researched, and knowledgeable exploration of vanishing and mysterious species.
An excellent choice for readers interested in science and learning about what scientists do. One of the nice things about the book is its episodic nature: the chapters are self contained so you can skip around if you wish without sacrificing comprehension.
August 27, 2010
I read this book last semester for a paper on animal conservation. It was pleasantly written so that I really enjoyed the project. Through Weidensaul's research I really learned a lot about how destructive mankind has been in the past.
September 1, 2014
Terrific. I recommend reading this, as I did, with a tablet or computer nearby to look up the animals he mentions. Even when the author write about things I wouldn't have thought would interest me, I found myself easily swept up in the topic. I can't wait to read more of Weidensaul's books.
May 17, 2024
Like eating a slice of warm chocolate cake that just keeps getting warmer and moister. This hits all the sweet spots in terms of fascinating biology and insightful psychology. Why do people become so obsessed with endangered or extinct animals while harassing or ignoring common ones? Ultimately it's mostly to do with deep human needs...the need for wonder and the need to project our fears and desires. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
I'm as guilty of this as anyone. When I lived in Singapore, I would occassionally find myself walking in the woods around dusk and I'd breathlessly strain my senses, hoping to see a sunda pangolin trundling through the undergrowth. Of course, sunda pangolins are now endangered throughout most of Southeast Asia. If I had been strolling around decades ago, I would have seen many and likely regarded them as interesting but not exceptionally exciting, a slight tweak on an armadillo.
My only note, as always (and he doesn't go as overboard on this as other authors do) is that Weidensaul could have trimmed some of the "I'm on a trip paid for by my publisher, so here's a section in which I walk around and observe my surroundings" bits. These just always come off as padding to me.
I'm as guilty of this as anyone. When I lived in Singapore, I would occassionally find myself walking in the woods around dusk and I'd breathlessly strain my senses, hoping to see a sunda pangolin trundling through the undergrowth. Of course, sunda pangolins are now endangered throughout most of Southeast Asia. If I had been strolling around decades ago, I would have seen many and likely regarded them as interesting but not exceptionally exciting, a slight tweak on an armadillo.
My only note, as always (and he doesn't go as overboard on this as other authors do) is that Weidensaul could have trimmed some of the "I'm on a trip paid for by my publisher, so here's a section in which I walk around and observe my surroundings" bits. These just always come off as padding to me.
June 23, 2019
Book was fine.
Clearly the author has a talent for writing, although a lot of it seemed like I was reading fluff. Nothing felt overly connected and was just reading seperate pieces from his travels and his search for lost species. Have read other books with same general premise that are much more thorough and felt that I learned a variety of things. Didnt really make any points until the final couple paragraphs. Not a huge fan and would not say I gained a great deal in perspective from reading.
Clearly the author has a talent for writing, although a lot of it seemed like I was reading fluff. Nothing felt overly connected and was just reading seperate pieces from his travels and his search for lost species. Have read other books with same general premise that are much more thorough and felt that I learned a variety of things. Didnt really make any points until the final couple paragraphs. Not a huge fan and would not say I gained a great deal in perspective from reading.
December 2, 2020
Scott Weidensaul is a treasure, and this book is one of his best. His whole-hearted curiosity about and love for the natural world leaps from every page. He is a master at balancing the rational skepticism of a scientist with the lyric hopefulness of a poet. He brings us along as he travels the world chasing mythic beasts and long-lost species. The chapters on the thylacine of Tasmania are especially poignant.
Spoiler alert: the Cone-billed Tanager of the final chapter was rediscovered in 2003 and has now been seen by many lucky birders. I just hope Scott went back for it!
Spoiler alert: the Cone-billed Tanager of the final chapter was rediscovered in 2003 and has now been seen by many lucky birders. I just hope Scott went back for it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2018
This book needed a good editor and chapters that stuck to one topic. Combines actual fieldwork searching for extinct birds, mythical panthers in Cornwall, and interviews with other researchers in cryptobiology and natural history museums. The only chapters I found easy to read and coherent were the ones where the author actually went out with researchers looking for rare birds. I would not recommend this book to any of my friends, especially the ones who do actual field research.
October 28, 2018
Very well written treatment of the topic. The writing is elegant in places and informative throughout. As a taxonomist myself, it was jarring to see species names abbreviated to a single letter in order to cite a subspecies name. Not good. All chapters are about the right length other than the one on thylacines, in which the topic of cloning is beaten to death; I flipped through more than a few of those pages without reading.
December 3, 2017
I have enjoyed other books by Scott Weidensaul but delayed reading this one because I was afraid it would be depressing. It is not. It's a well written and very readable book about people's desire to find lost species and/or mythic creatures such as the Loch Ness Monster.
September 20, 2019
Really a survey of some extinct animals and a bit of a travelogue. Have an iPad handy so you can look up the creatures mentioned. Some people object to the cryptozoology he included, but honestly, I think the hunt for the thylacine is pretty much equivalent now to the hunt for Nessie or sasquatch
September 10, 2017
I don't share the author's interest in tracking down elusive species, very tough to read even when I have no other books in the offing ....so have re-read.
October 5, 2018
Book started off strong, but I could have done without the chapters on big cats in Great Britain and cryptozoology.
February 1, 2022
A great overview of the search for potentially extinct species and the hope that keeps the scientists and searchers optimistic. A good read if you are a science, wildlife enthusiast.
August 28, 2024
A wonderfully written book by a guy who does interesting things and thinks interesting thoughts about those things. This book was one of the early ones in the recent thinking about extinction -- which, of course, has come to dominate so much of the conversation since this book came out. Here's a little review I did back when it was first published:
Scott Weidensaul is a nature writer, but beyond that, he defies categorization. His books are informed by a personal voice, yet they also offer explanations for lay audiences of scientific — particularly ornithological — research by someone who earned his credentials by long years in the field banding birds and studying their life histories. He puts it all together in an evocative prose style that raises his work out of its generic limitations. His last book, Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds, was short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize.
Weidensaul has just published The Ghost with Trembling Wings: Science, Wishful Thinking, and the Search for Lost Species, a much quirkier book that's even more interesting for its quirks. He recounts the search for animals that probably never existed — like the remnant dinosaur famously resident in that lake in Scotland, or feral panthers prowling the moors of England. "We paint the blank spots on maps with our deepest fears and secret longings," he writes, "and today we still grasp at straws, unwilling to admit that we've wrung most of the mystery out of the world."
But Weidensaul is primarily interested in stories about attempts to rescue species that border on extinction. A memorable chapter details efforts to save the black-footed ferret, a graceful weasel-like creature that lives with and feeds on prairie dogs. As the prairie dogs were largely eliminated to make way for cattle, the ferrets all but disappeared. Several times we thought they were extinct, and then small populations were discovered in remote areas. Our first efforts to save them seemed to do more harm than good, but recently, Weidensaul tells us, we've gotten better at it, reintroducing ferrets bred in captivity back into the wild.
My favorite parts of this book are the chapters where Weidensaul goes into the forests and the mountains looking for animals that have just recently been called extinct. He goes into the swamps of Louisiana looking for ivory-billed woodpeckers after a reputable observer claims to have seen a pair of those extraordinary birds thought vanished for nearly half a century. He wanders around western Tasmania, looking for the thylacine — a wolflike marsupial — following the hunch of an aging Tasmanian scientist. And in the best chapter of all, entitled "Sweet Bees Ate Our Earwax," he fights off the insects of western Brazil to look for the cone-billed tanager, a bird seen only once more than sixty years ago. He doesn't find it, but the search has its own meaning: "I'd been following the faint track of lost animals for nearly two years, immersing myself in many exotic landscapes like this one — a pursuit that forced me to look at the world in a new and more auspicious way, alive to hope, however tentative, in the face of great and grievous biological loss."
https://annarborobserver.com/articles...
Scott Weidensaul is a nature writer, but beyond that, he defies categorization. His books are informed by a personal voice, yet they also offer explanations for lay audiences of scientific — particularly ornithological — research by someone who earned his credentials by long years in the field banding birds and studying their life histories. He puts it all together in an evocative prose style that raises his work out of its generic limitations. His last book, Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds, was short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize.
Weidensaul has just published The Ghost with Trembling Wings: Science, Wishful Thinking, and the Search for Lost Species, a much quirkier book that's even more interesting for its quirks. He recounts the search for animals that probably never existed — like the remnant dinosaur famously resident in that lake in Scotland, or feral panthers prowling the moors of England. "We paint the blank spots on maps with our deepest fears and secret longings," he writes, "and today we still grasp at straws, unwilling to admit that we've wrung most of the mystery out of the world."
But Weidensaul is primarily interested in stories about attempts to rescue species that border on extinction. A memorable chapter details efforts to save the black-footed ferret, a graceful weasel-like creature that lives with and feeds on prairie dogs. As the prairie dogs were largely eliminated to make way for cattle, the ferrets all but disappeared. Several times we thought they were extinct, and then small populations were discovered in remote areas. Our first efforts to save them seemed to do more harm than good, but recently, Weidensaul tells us, we've gotten better at it, reintroducing ferrets bred in captivity back into the wild.
My favorite parts of this book are the chapters where Weidensaul goes into the forests and the mountains looking for animals that have just recently been called extinct. He goes into the swamps of Louisiana looking for ivory-billed woodpeckers after a reputable observer claims to have seen a pair of those extraordinary birds thought vanished for nearly half a century. He wanders around western Tasmania, looking for the thylacine — a wolflike marsupial — following the hunch of an aging Tasmanian scientist. And in the best chapter of all, entitled "Sweet Bees Ate Our Earwax," he fights off the insects of western Brazil to look for the cone-billed tanager, a bird seen only once more than sixty years ago. He doesn't find it, but the search has its own meaning: "I'd been following the faint track of lost animals for nearly two years, immersing myself in many exotic landscapes like this one — a pursuit that forced me to look at the world in a new and more auspicious way, alive to hope, however tentative, in the face of great and grievous biological loss."
https://annarborobserver.com/articles...
February 20, 2011
Intriguing and hopeful, Scott Weidensaul’s book – part travelogue, part natural history, part treatise on humankind’s tendency to compromise, annihilate and then, often, venerate a species – is somehow far less depressing reading than I expected. This is in large part due to his own variety of faith, one shared by most biologists with a personal ‘holy grail’ of brink-of-extinction creature… the belief in a beleaguered scrap of life being just out of reach and just out of sight, secretive and stalwart rather than simply gone. He ponders this scientific optimism while taking the reader on a global tour of a sample of missing, endangered, overlooked, and highly unlikely creatures that are being sought or contemplated in varying degrees of earnestness and despondency.
Weidensaul spends some amusing chapter space covering the fascination with, and possible scientific explanations for, the cryptozoological; beasties such as the Loch Ness Monster and her ilk. He also has an enjoyable, engaging writing style that also helps mitigate some of the ‘the hell are we doing to this planet?’ fallout, but this is a subject that is going to leave any remotely eco-conscious reader with a share of reasonable guilt. He kindly does not make the point that optimism (or even cloning an individual) isn’t enough to revive the Tasmanian tiger, in the sadly likely event that its destruction is absolute, or ensure the ongoing existence of the cone-billed tanager (the author’s own obsession), but the thought is unavoidable… unavoidable, but not conclusive. Optimism is contagious, and I felt the author’s thrill of possibility with every new search, track, sighting and perfectly depicted view over some expanse of habitat that might – yet – hold something waiting to be newly rediscovered.
Weidensaul spends some amusing chapter space covering the fascination with, and possible scientific explanations for, the cryptozoological; beasties such as the Loch Ness Monster and her ilk. He also has an enjoyable, engaging writing style that also helps mitigate some of the ‘the hell are we doing to this planet?’ fallout, but this is a subject that is going to leave any remotely eco-conscious reader with a share of reasonable guilt. He kindly does not make the point that optimism (or even cloning an individual) isn’t enough to revive the Tasmanian tiger, in the sadly likely event that its destruction is absolute, or ensure the ongoing existence of the cone-billed tanager (the author’s own obsession), but the thought is unavoidable… unavoidable, but not conclusive. Optimism is contagious, and I felt the author’s thrill of possibility with every new search, track, sighting and perfectly depicted view over some expanse of habitat that might – yet – hold something waiting to be newly rediscovered.
October 17, 2008
I read The Ghost With Trembling Wings for pleasure. And I was hooked. I was glued to it. It is a wonderful book.
It's written by author and naturalist, Scott Weidensaul, and it chiefly deals with extinction; the definition of which I found particularly interesting ie. a species is considered extinct if it hasn't been seen by a western scientist in x number of years. Not particularly watertight then. I'll not go into too much detail (I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone and there's a terrific review at Vulpes Libris here: http://vulpeslibris.wordpress.com/200...) but much of the book is Scott's accounts of searching for 'extinct' species.
It is fascinating.
Also fascinating (and sad, and terribly worrying) is the rate at which creatures are disappearing now - I'll let you guess who's to blame for an extinction rate close to that of the dinosaurs' time. (There's a quote I particularly like on this: "At least you can't accuse a meteor of premeditated stupidity.")
There are also terrific sections on the Crypto (mythological beasts and monsters, like Nessie), the big cats of Britain, and the Tasmanian Tiger. What stands out throughout the book is Scott's passion for ecology and animals (and birds, and fish), his common sense and level-headedness, but also - and the most appealing to me - a burning hope; the light of which I, personally, would like everyone to see.
I should also mention that it is really nicely written, so along with finding interesting stuff out, you also get a great sense of what it's like doing what he does.
I really loved it, and I'd recommend it in an instant.
[from http://nikperring.blogspot.com/ - 17.10.2008]
It's written by author and naturalist, Scott Weidensaul, and it chiefly deals with extinction; the definition of which I found particularly interesting ie. a species is considered extinct if it hasn't been seen by a western scientist in x number of years. Not particularly watertight then. I'll not go into too much detail (I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone and there's a terrific review at Vulpes Libris here: http://vulpeslibris.wordpress.com/200...) but much of the book is Scott's accounts of searching for 'extinct' species.
It is fascinating.
Also fascinating (and sad, and terribly worrying) is the rate at which creatures are disappearing now - I'll let you guess who's to blame for an extinction rate close to that of the dinosaurs' time. (There's a quote I particularly like on this: "At least you can't accuse a meteor of premeditated stupidity.")
There are also terrific sections on the Crypto (mythological beasts and monsters, like Nessie), the big cats of Britain, and the Tasmanian Tiger. What stands out throughout the book is Scott's passion for ecology and animals (and birds, and fish), his common sense and level-headedness, but also - and the most appealing to me - a burning hope; the light of which I, personally, would like everyone to see.
I should also mention that it is really nicely written, so along with finding interesting stuff out, you also get a great sense of what it's like doing what he does.
I really loved it, and I'd recommend it in an instant.
[from http://nikperring.blogspot.com/ - 17.10.2008]
October 19, 2012
Ostensibly about the author's attempts, or accounts of those of others, to rediscover supposedly extinct animals (mostly birds), with some off tangent forays into cryptozoology, which I felt to be off topic. While the author seems to be an optimist who harbors hopes that many species remain even though labelled extinct, I could not share his enthusiasm given the sheer pervasiveness of humanity that has left its mark on every square inch of this planet. I even think it dangerous to encourage the thought that there are still truly vast enough wild places and habitats left on Earth for species to get lost in, since this would merely reduce the importance of conservation in the public mind. After all, why bother to protect an animal if somehow there will always be space for it to remain undiscovered by man? The chapter on thylacines is especially disheartening, proving how destructive we can be in persecuting an animal such that it can be driven to extinction despite the abundance of suitable habitat and food resources.
May 31, 2016
I loved the book but hate something like this has to be written. Extinction has been going on as long as there has been an earth and critters of all kinds on it. BUT, the fact that it is not nature or natural processes fueling the current extinction gives the lie to the myth than homo sapiens is somehow superior to other life forms, or has much in the way of rational reasoning power. The disappearance of habitat is critical, and for what? Often to grow crops for fuel. Money is the name of the game, and to too many the only game in town. The day is not far off when we will have fouled our own nest to the point that we will be the next pending extinction----to which I say, let's see if the next reincarnation of earth can produce a more thoughtful species than we are.
P. S. I am writing this while listening to the sad story of the death of the gorilla in the Cincinnati zoo to "save" a kid who crawled into it's habitat. Gorillas are endangered; kids who don't behave and inattentive mothers unfortunately are not.
P. S. I am writing this while listening to the sad story of the death of the gorilla in the Cincinnati zoo to "save" a kid who crawled into it's habitat. Gorillas are endangered; kids who don't behave and inattentive mothers unfortunately are not.
August 21, 2013
A fascinating look at the power that extinct species has on the human psyche. Some people long for a particular vanished animal, like the ivory-billed woodpecker or the thylacine, and continue to search for it. Alleged sightings continue decades after most biologists have agreed that the creature is extinct. Some people are not satisfied to simply look and hope, but have tried to recreate these missing creatures through breeding programs or cloning experiments. Finally, there is a chapter on the realm of cryptozoology, and those who search for Big Foot or the Loch Ness Monster.
I found the book to be both fast-paced and informative. Sometimes books about extinct species are depressing, but this one was, overall, upbeat. Every once in a while an animal presumed long dead does reappear, and Weidensaul sums up with his intention to keep on looking.
I found the book to be both fast-paced and informative. Sometimes books about extinct species are depressing, but this one was, overall, upbeat. Every once in a while an animal presumed long dead does reappear, and Weidensaul sums up with his intention to keep on looking.
February 13, 2011
Weidensaul does a great job of writing about a subject in terms that the average person can understand. The biological and preservation field that the book covers can be laden with scientific terms and jargon (trust me I studied it briefly and sometimes my head would hurt). It covers a range of topics such as lack of evidence not necessarily being lack of specimens, sightings, new discoveries, cloning, and that pesky ivory-billed woodpecker. As an animal lover it opened my eyes to several aspects of preservation that i never thought of such as the thought of saving those big, cute, cuddly animals vs all animals. While some aspects may seem very daunting it also gives us a bit of hope. Overall, a nice read.
December 26, 2015
Despite what the title may imply The Ghost with Trembling Wings: Science, Wishful Thinking and the Search for Lost Species by Scott Weidsensaul is not only about birds. Wiedsensaul sets out on a quest to find species that are thought to be extinct. If you are a birder you may have chased a particular bird this is similar but on a much grander scale.
Species that have been declared extinct have years later been found. So it's not so far fetched. What a life this guy leads, going on worldwide adventures. He even takes on big foot and the Loch Ness monster.
While Weidsensaul's history of American Birding Of A Feather is an easier read The Ghost with Trembling Wings is the story of an adventure or adventures and wider in scope.
Species that have been declared extinct have years later been found. So it's not so far fetched. What a life this guy leads, going on worldwide adventures. He even takes on big foot and the Loch Ness monster.
While Weidsensaul's history of American Birding Of A Feather is an easier read The Ghost with Trembling Wings is the story of an adventure or adventures and wider in scope.
March 12, 2008
Of course it has a fabulous hook, species which may or may no be extinct, and the mysteries which surround last sightings and mythical recordings etc. 'Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence' as a central edict. He writes with the grace of a mystery writer, pulling us along, interweaving species' risky survival, rumored demise, and leaves us hanging as to what really happened, making us read, turn those pages, until the next chapter, the next ideological/geographic link... This is a book of ideas and theories on loss, as well as a book of stories of survival and extinction. If you like that sort of stuff, this is quite compelling.
July 17, 2013
Purchased on clearance because I was in Australia and out of reading material, I expected the Ghost with Trembling Wings to be dry or overly philosophical, but I was wrong. Each chapter focuses on a different species and a different aspect of species preservation, lost species, and even cryptozoology. Readable and fascinating, the book has a refreshing hopeful tone without ignoring the alarming rate at which species are disappearing.
I particularly enjoyed the fact that Weidensaul actually got out and got his hands dirty, so to speak, traipsing across all kinds of inhospitable places (I've been to a lot of them) with the people who are so invested in these species.
I particularly enjoyed the fact that Weidensaul actually got out and got his hands dirty, so to speak, traipsing across all kinds of inhospitable places (I've been to a lot of them) with the people who are so invested in these species.
July 17, 2008
While not labeled as a book about conservation or environmentalism, this book covers both topics well. It the exploration of extinct species we learn about the impact that humans have had on the planet. it is inevitable that species will become extinct, even without human intervention. However, we have had some impact in the years that we've existed.
This book helped me see the impact that everyone has on the environment, whether intended or not.
This book helped me see the impact that everyone has on the environment, whether intended or not.
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