And No Birds Sing: A True Ecological Thriller Set In A Tropical Paradise

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And No Birds Sing is a true environmental detective story that explores one of the strangest ecological disasters of this century - the extinction of birds on the island of Guam. As early as the 1960s, game wardens on the Pacific island noticed that the bird population was dwindling. In the late 1970s, the pace clearly accelerated. Yet, there were no carcasses or clues.

Paperback: 283 pages

Publisher: Barricade Books (June 1997)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1569801096

ISBN-13: 978-1569801093

Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 6.5 x 9.5 inches

Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #1,923,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #38 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Ecosystems > Tropical #569 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Endangered Species #5470 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Ecology

This account of efforts to understand and deal with threatened exotic-caused extinctions on Guam is a gem. The paper back's blurbs focus on Jaffe's "ecological detective thriller." But it's the seamlessness of the book's widely-informed joined elements -- including biographical and political sketches of great pith, accessible population biology, and How Modern Science Works to try to save avian species -- that's most compelling. This deftness in weaving many individually fascinating threads recalled for me Neal Ascherson's astonishing "Black Sea."The paperback's Index lists only passing references to DDT -- on pages 26, 27 and 72. Because the bad guy is not a chemical, not one of our products. No, he's one of us. And after the paucity and untimeliness of the legislative response to the Guamanian situation had sunk into my consciousness, it was ironic that in the end, an air force base on the island established the 50-acre "environmental reclamation experiment" Jaffe hopes could begin to turn it all around. Like the ending of William Golding's little masterpiece, with the navy warship rescuing the tribe of island-stranded boys from themselves.

I have found writers that know about bird-watching or archaeology or 'gardening and still can write excellent books for the 'average, non-birding or non-gardening, non-ecologist reader, but this wasn't one. I used to read almost anything labeled thriller, but not anymore. I will try this book again when I run out of others. The fact that I bought a paper book showed my interest, so I was doubly disappointed. I am sure there are others who would find this to be fascinating.

The fact of the brown tree snake wiping out Guam's bird life is well known now, but this account of the initial discovery is compelling. The insistence of bureaucracy on an avian disease being the culprit was infuriating to read about and the dedication of the researchers was more than admirable. Reads like a mystery novel.

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