Ghost Bird - Special feature length screening

A Documentary by Scott Crocker, this thrilling eco-noir investigates the strange but true story of a small town in Arkansas overrun by a nation of birders all searching for the “Grail Bird” – the Ivory-billed woodpecker.

"Crocker has turned a bird-watching tale into a multilayered story that will fascinate practically everybody...a witty, wistful documentary." -Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times

"Beautifully crafted...by turns, wry, heartbreaking, ironic and infuriating. It's a stunner." -Michael Fox, NPR

Ivory-billed Set in a murky swamp full of birders, scientists, and reporters, Ghost Bird explores the limits of certainty, the seductive power of hope, and how one phantom woodpecker forever changed a Southern town. Eastside Audubon is thrilled to be able to bring you the film Ghost Bird for our November program night!

This thrilling eco-noir investigates the strange but true story of a small town in Arkansas overrun by a nation of birders all searching for the “Grail Bird” – the Ivory-billed woodpecker. Presumed extinct for over half a century, scientists announced the miraculous return of the Ivory-bill in 2005 after seeing it flying through the bayous of eastern Arkansas. Or was it?

Other creatures have wrongly been presumed extinct, but the reappearance of the Ivory-bill was celebrated around the world as the rediscovery of a lifetime, prompting the largest recovery effort ever undertaken for a lost species. Millions of dollars poured in from the government while ornithologists and birders flooded the swamps to find the rare bird. Down the road, the town of Brinkley, Arkansas - itself on the brink of extinction – was transformed by the hope, commerce and controversy surrounding their feathered friend. But continued sightings by expert birders only highlighted the mysterious absence of credible evidence.

Now six years later, despite years of searching, the woodpecker remains as elusive as ever and the bird’s fate remains a mystery. This witty, insightful documentary brings the Ivory-bill’s blurry rediscovery into focus, revealing our uneasy relationship with nature and the increasing uncertainty of our place within it.

Doors open at 6:30 pm. Join us for socializing and refreshments before the program which starts at 7:00pm. There is a suggested donation of $4 for Eastside Audubon members; $6 for non-members.

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Ghost Bird - Special feature length screening

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