Chasing the ghost birds

You might think that a book about bird conservation would be dull and boring. This one is not.

Chasing the Ghost Birds is filled with interesting characters and exciting adventures:

• Close encounters of the moose kind while gathering trumpeter swan eggs in Alaska
• A historic trip across Siberia by private plane, to visit Siberian crane nesting sites
• Dancing with whooping cranes, and a female crane with very particular tastes in (human) men
• Using a military-surplus ambulance to lead crane chicks on migration across Arizona
• Fending off eagle attacks during the first ultralight-led crane migrations
• Attempting to lead Siberian crane chicks on a 5,500-mile migration behind a hang glider
• Three people dressed in sacks, carrying a cardboard box, trying to capture a wayward "whooper" and more.

In 1946, fewer than 20 wild whooping cranes remained on the planet. Saving the species from extinction has been described as "the wildlife conservation equivalent of putting a man on the moon." Chasing the Ghost Birds tells the whoopers' story from the first federal protection of the species, through struggles to breed the birds in captivity, unsuccessful efforts at cross-fostering, and early migration experiments in Idaho and New Mexico, up to the ongoing Wisconsin-to-Florida ultralight-led migrations. The book traces the trumpeter swans' return, from cross fostering and hand-raising, to successful reintroduction in the Midwest Flyway. And it recounts the 30-year international struggle to save the elusive and endangered Siberian cranes. The 283-page paperback includes illustrations, maps, andblack & white and color photographs. If your interests include birds, wildlife, conservation, wilderness travel, or outdoor adventures, Chasing the Ghost