Natural history of a silent forest

How do you learn about something that has disappeared? You watch and listen closely. And patiently. In the silent tropical jungle of Guam, there are no Såli whistles or Totot coo’s. The culprit behind this eery scene is silent too, skulking around at night when plant ecologists are sleeping. I’ve spent the last 13 years trying to understand these lonely jungles, continuously revisiting places and talking to people who remember when birds and bats filled their skies and bellies. And just as I’m starting to comprehend what’s missing, there’s a flicker of hope that the forests will sing again.