The Lord God Bird — Russell Hill

Jack Hamrick is age 19 and has a fascination with the Ivory-billed woodpecker. He meets a girl named Robin and after showing her his copy of Audubon's "Birds in America," he tells her that he wants to go to Louisiana to The Big Woods, where the woodpecker was last seen. Caught up in his enthusiasm, Robin agrees to go with him.

The couple find a bare home to rent and enter the bayou to search for the bird. After not having success, Robin dresses up as a bird to attract the woodpecker. She covers herself with white mud, puts crow feathers on a cloak and wears that, then dyes her hair bright red. Impressed, Jake calls her "The Lord God Bird," the nickname for the woodpecker.

They come across two hunters and an incident occurs. After being questioned by the sheriff, one hunter returns with his friends and they pursue the couple deep into the bayou where they meet an elderly black man, Robert, who hides them.

The story is told with picturesque style. It is obvious that the author has written poetry as the words flow beautifully across the pages,i.e., "The scent of the lilac bush permeated the air and it was a perfume that women wore and drew hummingbirds."

The author seems to be telling of a time gone by and how some people tend to destroy the beauty of nature but a few people search out and attempt to preserve that beauty.

A timely novel with the devistation being caused by the Gulf oil spill on the Louisiana wildlife.