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Have your Prozac ready and within arm's reach....
The (de)press(ing) news coverage has begun of Cornell's 2005-6 Ivory-bill search results. Following are some of the initial articles reporting on the (lack of) findings. The first one, from a Chicago Tribune writer, is probably the best of the lot and most thorough (2nd from Reuters, 3rd from Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 4th the NY Times). The number of possible 'sightings' being reported is even lower than anitcipated: four (3 from the public, only one from a Cornell volunteer). And even more disheartening than the scarcity of human sightings is the lack of current evidence from automatic remote cameras, or truly strong indications for roost holes, nestholes, or bark scrapings (acoustic data still being analyzed, but nothing dramatic reported); possibly there will be more hopeful details given at tomorrow's official presentation in AR., or possibly not. The rift between those who believe in the species' persistence and those who don't is bound to only worsen, but as that great ornithologist Yogi Berra always said, 'It's not over 'til it's over...' and it ain't over yet, as for the first time in 60 years real searches in multiple areas are finally taking place, but it certainly can't be a happy day in Brinkley or Clarendon, AR.... or Ithaca, NY :
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/nation/14613990.htm
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/36456/story.htm
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/science/stories/0518woodpecker.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/science/19bird.html?ex=1305691200&en=40a8cc170868fce2&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
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