-- End Of Year --

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wheeeeeeww... glad to kiss this year good-bye.... ;-)

And by way of yearly wrap-up, at this time of top ten lists, a rough slate of my own 10 semi-favorite Ivory-bill posts from the year just passed:

1. Close Encounters of the Bird Kind (from April)
2. Tanner Redux (May)
3. Say What? ( Jan.)
4. Population Stasis (July)
5. Sunday Contemplation (Dec.)
6. Thangs That Be a Buggin' Me ( June)
7. The Natives Are Restless (July)
8. Schrodinger's Cat (Feb.)
9. Birder's World Compendium ( Jan.)
10. Dogness ( April)


And a couple of NON-Ivory-bill-related posts I also enjoyed:

Obama Victorious... You Betcha
Science At The Edge (Jill Bolte Taylor)

Happy, Healthy, Brighter 2009 Everyone!.....

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-- "On Being Certain" --

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Epistemologists long ago explained why it's impossible to be certain about the nature of reality... then physicists explained why uncertainty underlies all science... and now a neurologist, Dr. Robert Burton, explains, in terms of brain chemistry, why certainty is a mirage:

http://us.macmillan.com/onbeingcertain
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-- 'nuther Center of Controversy Goes To Grave --

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Colorful Fielding Lewis, whose claims of Ivory-bill encounters in Louisiana in the 1970s could never be confirmed nor disproven died a week ago at age 78. Lewis persuaded premier ornithologist George Lowery Jr. of the reality of Ivory-bills in Louisiana in 1971, only to taint Lowery's reputation in the process.
Tim Gallagher devoted one chapter ("The Boxer") of his book "The Grail Bird" to the Louisiana character here (courtesy of Google).

One of Lewis's famous controversial photos of an Ivory-bill near the Atchafalaya leads off (and is colorized) this Dec. 2001 Birding Magazine article by birder Jim Williams.

Lewis's own book "Tales of a Louisiana Duck Hunter," which includes some of his Ivory-bill accounts, is available here.
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-- I Digress --

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Infinity, Cantor, and the Continuum:



...and for those who can hardly wait for more, the second part of this video is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhgNiqI-bt0&feature=related
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-- New and Improved? --

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David Luneau reports that a newly-fashioned "peeper-cam" (essentially a camera at the end of a pole) has been devised for use in the Arkansas IBWO search, checking out prospective woodpecker cavities.

Geoff Hill will be using newly-designed vibration-triggered cameras from National Geographic in the Florida search to better, and more selectively, capture images at prospective woodpecker sites in the Choctawhatchee.

And Bobby Harrison reports he will be setting up both still and animated (head-moving) IBWO decoys in January in his pursuit of Ivory-bills in Arkansas.

Finally, I believe Alan Mueller's ARK. team will be making greater use of recordings and double-knock sounds than was done in the past to try and attract the elusive quarry.
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-- Just More Holiday Fare --

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Just a couple more seasonal offerings today:

Some more seasonal music for the Holiday...:
(George Winston's "The Holly and the Ivy" arrangement)



And another blogger has posted this old 25-min."Twilight Zone" Christmas episode (it's 50's-ish schmaltzy, but so-be-it, still classic).
(P.S. -- if you're a Rod Serling fan, most all the old Twilight Zone episodes are available on the Web, for free, at various sites.)

http://classicshowbiz.blogspot.com/2008/12/twilight-zone-christmas-episode-1960.html
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-- Peace On Earth, Goodwill To All --

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May it someday be so. . . .



Merry Christmas and a Bright New Year to all.
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-- An Old Joke --

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(...that just might have some bearing):

A scientist and his wife are driving out in the countryside. The wife turns to her husband and says, "Oh look over there... those sheep have been shorn."
To which the scientist-husband replies: "Why yes, on this side."
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-- Scott Crocker Talks About Film --

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Scott Crocker, producer of the independent documentary film, "Ghost Bird," is interviewed on a local NPR station here.

[ A few folks have emailed to ask what's up with IBWO Researchers Forum website, which seems to be down... I don't know, so if anyone can shed light on that feel free to send a comment here, or maybe it'll be back up before most of you read this post (Addendum: it's back up now.). (Oddly, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Foundation website also went down for about 24 hrs. a couple days back.) There have been a number of general internet glitches in the last week, so possibly it relates to that??? ]
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-- Places To Look --

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I've been trying to encourage USFWS's Bob Russell to send me an updated list of his top places to look for Ivory-bills, since Mary Scott's website, which previously included such a list, was taken down. He hasn't had time to do that as yet, but with a new search season getting underway, folks might enjoy perusing his old Top Ten list (2006) which I located at Mary's former site using the internet "wayback machine," and can be viewed here.
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-- Mary Scott on Tape --

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Mary Scott interview excerpt from the "Ghost Bird" documentary movie now available here:

http://ghostbirdmovie.com/preview/maryscott.html

Mary is the rather non-conventional/controversial Ivory-bill searcher who many credit with actually instigating in many ways the widespread interest in modern searches for the species (she formerly ran the popular BirdingAmerica website, which she has since taken down). Tim Gallagher devoted a chapter of his book, "The Grail Bird," to her. The "Bob" she repeatedly refers to in the film clip is "Bob Russell" of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and another long-time Ivory-bill researcher.

Addendum: well, leave it to Google; just discovered parts of "The Grail Bird" are online, including the chapter on Mary, here.
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-- Biding Time --

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While we await for news from what could be the last large scale season of searching for the Ivory-bill, here's a relatively recent YouTube addition pertaining to the search in Arkansas:



The nearly 2-hr. original Cornell rendition of this story presented to the AOU back in 2005 that started it all is available on YouTube as well:



On a different note, I continue to get some comments/emails asking about the fate of Mike Collins' IBWO paper: I have no special information, and presume Mike will post at his site if/when he has further specific details worth mentioning (I'm guessing there may be some resolution with the possibility of publication within the next 3 weeks, but that's STRICTLY a guess on my part). In the meantime, for any who missed it at the time, here an interview Mike did with another blogger a year ago:

http://birdist.blogspot.com/2007/12/mike-collins-ivory-billed-woodpecker.html
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-- Irrigation Project Back On Tap --

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The irrigation plan (from the White River) for Arkansas farmland is back on track after a lawsuit stalling it (largely due to Ivory-bill concerns) has finally been dismissed. The legal doings are actually a bit convoluted and hard-to-follow, but story here.

Meanwhile, Cornell plans to start its new search season in early January (this is separate from Alan Mueller's USFW effort in Arkansas -- already underway).

Finally, if you haven't read the comments to the prior post, I believe the gist is that Mike Collins' 'flight dynamics' paper may yet be published by PLoS afterall; time will tell (if I am misconstruing things, or someone knows otherwise, please correct me).
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-- No Collins Paper --

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Well, nothing is ever simple in the Ivory-bill world... Mike Collins is announcing that his paper, "Flight Mechanics of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker," has been "pulled" from publication at PLoS. His brief explanation is at his website (12/16 entry).
I'd heard about certain problems that had arisen, and that publication would be delayed at least a minimum of two-to-three weeks from last Friday, and I could take an educated guess about some of what transpired, but since I don't know with certainty, won't speculate here. Nothing in this arena much surprises anymore.
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-- Having It Both Ways --

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What the prior article on population dynamics calls to mind is the most trenchant argument skeptics make in the Ivory-bill debate. Can a creature have relatively few sightings over 60 years, with no sightings followed up by photographic documentation or definitive confirmation, and in fact still exist... OR, can a creature at very low population density successfully carry on reproductively for decades?... (The answer to both questions, singly, is indubitably yes.)
But the rub comes in combining the two questions (or as skeptics would say, 'trying to have it both ways' --- can there BOTH be so few IBWOs that they're rarely encountered, and yet enough to be reproductively viable for 60 years) --- the numbers of Ivory-bills must be just great enough (whatever that threshold is) to have at least maintained population stasis over decades (more recently they could be either increasing, or decreasing), and yet scarce enough to help account for the overall paucity of sightings and difficulty of photography. It is a somewhat fine line and balancing act, but yet once again, given the habitat and habits and history of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (an upper canopy and cavity-dwelling flying creature of deep forest) it is much more plausible with this species than it would be for many others --- indeed, it is easily as plausible, as the notion of every single sighting since 1950 being written off as a 'mistake.' And it is funny how often in nature if something is possible, it occurs (sort of the inverse of 'Murphy's Law').

Finally, in another "stay-tuned" story, Mark Bailey sends along this report of supposedly-extirpated pumas in Alabama.

Addendum: Mark seems to have taken this story down; I assume this means its authenticity (which he was trying to check on) did not check out; or if he re-posts it, I'll mention it again here.
Addendum II : Mark confirms now he has determined picture and story to be a hoax.
He now has this explanatory post up on the matter.
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-- A View To The Past --

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Speculative, but interesting post here, from a more paleontological viewpoint, about causes of extinction/decline in various species (including the Ivory-bill, which may have been "doomed 12,000 years ago").
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-- IBWO Population Dynamics --

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Here an open-access published paper using population dynamics/stochastics to argue for how a small population of Ivory-bills or certain other large woodpeckers could persist for many years with few human encounters.

The variables in such an analysis will always be difficult to precisely define or measure (which goes for most ecology/field biology work) and such a study must be viewed with a grain of salt --- I'm sure skeptics will find much to quibble with, including certain assumptions made. And I'm certainly not competent to judge the specific technical mathematics involved, but I don't think there's anything overly profound in the general conclusions reached here, part of which read as follows:

"...based on our model, an initial population size of 5 females would have ensured likely persistence through modern times if annual demographic rates remained at least moderate, i.e., ≥ 1.1 recruited females/adult female and an adult survival rate ≥ 0.8, and their variances remained at most moderate, i.e., ≤ 0.04 for recruited females per adult female and ≤ 0.016 for adult survival rate, (Appendices 2–4). Second, if there were 30 or more females, then the population would likely have persisted despite a relatively strong Allee effect, as long as variance in survival was at most moderate and either survival or fecundity was high (i.e., 1.65 recruited females per adult female or an adult survival rate of 0.9; Appendices 2–4)."

Many years ago I did some simple common-sense paper-and-pencil calculations based on about 24 Ivory-bills starting in the 1940's (at the upper end of Tanner's estimate for the population then, but several folks think Tanner was too conservative), which convinced me that that number of IBWOs could easily have achieved population stasis for many decades (and still be with us), prior to either increasing in numbers or dying out.

In a similar vein, a related blog-post here 3 years back, started with an initial population of just 16 birds to make some points:

http://ivorybills.blogspot.com/2005/09/ivory-bills-by-numbers.html

The simple point being, under a variety of circumstances, small populations of vertebrate creatures can hang on for a very long time (not growing in numbers substantially, but not dying out either) if certain minimal conditions are met.
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-- IBWO Miscellany --

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'nuther article on the Arkansas search, headed up by Alan Mueller, getting underway this Saturday.
Still have heard no official details on at least 3 other states where I assume there will be searches this winter. And (somewhat incredibly) still no official release of a summary report from USFW for last search season.
Cornell lists their 2008-9 Search/Recovery Team here (mostly familiar names/faces from past searches, but also a few new names added).

In the entertainment category, a fictionalized play based on the the Ivory-bill wins a competition here.
And trailer for Scott Crocker's "Ghost Bird" documentary movie (January release) here.

Not expecting much in the way of news for at least next few of weeks.
While skeptics continue to await a photo or video of a bird that can be definitively ID'd as an Ivory-bill, I on-the-other-hand, continue to await photos or video of a leucistic Pileated with white dorsal wing patches that truly mimic the wings of an Ivory-bill, as the only really likely explication for skeptics to hang their hat on for many of the IBWO claims over decades....
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-- Sufjan Stevens Song --

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Sufjan Stevens' song, "Lord God Bird" put to video on YouTube:



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-- Sunday Contemplation --

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The actual probability that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker exists is 100%... OR... 0%, since it either does or it doesn't. When I tell folks I view the probability of its survival somewhere around 70-80%, I invariably hear from some who say they've seen it and that I am WRONG because they know with 100% probability it does; and of course I hear from skeptical others, who scold me for voicing such hope, proclaiming, equally assuredly, the probability is 0% (for now I'll stick with my own numbers). Unfortunately, even if the species does survive, the probability that they will be documented definitively to the satisfaction of all is yet some other number. And then there's always the thorny issue of whether documenting them is even in the birds' best interest or not. In rummaging through my files I find more words I wrote (a tad dramatically) back in 2002 following the unsuccessful Van Remsen search in Louisiana:

"...The forest holds her secrets well. And we humans, despite vaunted wisdom and technology, are really ‘babes in the woods’ when we enter the domains of other creatures. In remote woodland we are bumbling clods while any remaining Ivorybills, having honed their woodsy intelligence over millenia, likely bear a genius I.Q. So I'm not surprised that hundreds have failed to find the bird; nor even that the most organized and strategized search of all time in Jan.-Feb. of this year came up empty-handed. The 2002 Zeiss-sponsored expedition planned for months before sending 6 highly qualified searchers and modern equipment into Pearl River for 30 days to seek out the birds. They received widespread news coverage, from "The Wall Street Journal " and "New York Times" to NPR, but in the end could only report the same sorts of ‘possible signs’ of the birds that others had glimpsed/heard.

Christopher Cokinos spent ten years researching and writing about six bird species wiped out by Man, including the Ivorybill, for his 2000 book "Hope Is The Thing With Feathers." The subject matter drove him to major depression. What humans have done, and continue to do, to other species, is a sorrowful tale. I do not wish to proceed on false hope, but am even less willing to give up too easily on a creature as grand as the Ivorybill.

If the Ivorybill is ever found thousands may stampede to view it, and managing such a ‘mob’ of birders, biologists, naturalists, photographers, newsmen, curiosity-seekers, could be an insurmountable task. So for its own sake, in my more rational moments, I often hope the bird is NOT found, lest it be hounded to death by humans, after having made it this far. But I must admit in my ideal dream-world, the Ivorybill IS found... by ME! --- a pair... with a nest!! They raise young. I watch them for weeks and take hundreds of photos before they depart. Then I show the world my pictures and prove to the naysayers that the species survives after-all; that only ignorance and naivete allowed “experts” to prematurely write the species off; that our science and academia lacks deep understanding of the natural world. We have sacrificed intuition for cold rationality; replaced respect for nature with exploitation of her. Wake up I say and listen to the world out there; listen to the forest’s pleas... Listen... to the forests... please!
And then I die, never breathing a word of where I found the birds or when or how; nary a hint; leaving behind me a trail of wide-eyed seekers, achingly frustrated, panting in my dust, pleading for information. I die giving the Ivorybills the last full ounce of my respect. And though I know it is too little too late, they and their kind deserve nothing less."

And that is the real dilemma... any Ivory-bills (and many other creatures) that hang on, need more than we as a species, are likely able or willing, to bestow them. In the short-run, with concerted effort, we can temporarily postpone certain outcomes, preserve patches of habitat, do some feel-good conservation, even captively breed California Condors and the like... but long-term... well, I don't even like to think about it.

(However, one of the greatest scholars in this arena, E.O. Wilson, is far more optimistic than I about the future.)
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-- '08-'09 Arkansas Search Commencing --

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Article here (or here) on the upcoming scaled-back search for Ivory-bills in Arkansas this winter, headed up by wildlife biologist Alan Mueller of previous endeavors. Happily surprised to read there will be 26 volunteers and 3 "expert field biologists" involved --- didn't actually expect that many participants this go-around. (And presumably there will also be a 'Mobile Team' afoot as well, mostly outside Arkansas.) As reported earlier, a $50,000 reward potentially awaits some lucky claimant...
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-- Bit More on Mississippi --

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Following up a bit on yesterday's post... Even though there hasn't been a documented sighting of an Ivory-bill in Mississippi in well over 60 years (although there were at least 13 unverified reports since 1944), based on the literature, I've long thought Mississippi one of the three most likely states to harbor the species (along with Florida and Louisiana). In his Ivory-bill book, Jerry Jackson spends more pages discussing the potential of Mississippi than any other state except for FL. and La.
There are many areas of interesting habitat in the state, and not only does the Mississippi River run the entire length of the state's western border, but internally there are many riverine/tributary systems which connect up to many wildlife refuges, rural forests, or bottomland/delta areas. Much (not all) of the state was part of the original historical distribution for the species and of course it is adjacent to Louisiana's original Singer Tract where Ivory-bills were last studied. Cornell's "Mobile Team" (as well as many others) has spoken especially favorably of the Pascagoula region in the southeast corner of the state. The state's southern end is also adjacent to Louisiana's Pearl River region, site for ongoing claims. Besides those areas, the Yazoo River Delta is probably the other most-commonly-cited search-worthy area, but there are plenty of other tracts that hold some potential, especially for dispersing young birds to hang out awhile before they search for more permanent homes and mates.
Bill Pulliam looked over the state's habitat using Terraserver a couple of years back and deduced some areas of possible interest as well --- see here (his state-by-state analysis begins here).
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-- Mississippi Searching --

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Brief article here on a pair searching areas of western-central Mississippi for the Lord God Bird.
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-- Just Passing It Along --

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Just passing along for anyone who may be interested:

Apparently, freelance writer Richard A. Lovett has an article in the October edition of Analog Magazine entitled,
"Here There be Dragons: The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker and Other Mysteries of an Explored Planet."
Analog is a long-standing, well-established science fiction magazine (that also publishes non-fiction), but other than that I'm not directly familiar with the author or article, so not endorsing it, just saying it's out there, FWIW.

Also, Mike Collins has made his pertinent videos of the last few years available here for download for burning onto dvd.
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-- Thanksgiving Eve --

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Around this time each year, I've traditionally done a Top 10 things I'm-thankful-for-post, so without further adieu and a tad hastily-contrived, ten things I be grateful for this holiday season:

10. Sarah Palin (for pretty much handing over the election to the Democrats on a platter)
9. Nature bloggers, who share with all of us their joy, interests, and personal slants on the natural world
8. Europe for not hating us anymore
7. political cartoonist Tom Toles (for always hitting the mark and making me smile)
6. computer geeks (who keep making this stuff user-friendly enough that the rest of us can play with it)
5. "Scrubs" reruns (for pure wackiness, an underappreciated commodity)
4. YouTube
3. Air America (radio)
2. 'True believers' everywhere
1. Barack Obama and Joe Biden (...needless to say)


Happy Holiday to all, and in these particularly rough times, may you yet find much to look upon with gratitude and appreciation.
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-- Just For Fun --

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Below a fun YouTube video relating to "awareness" (...hat tip to David Sibley who linked to this a month ago over at his blog):



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-- Even the House Sparrow Declining --

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Not directly related to the Ivory-bill story, but under the general heading of bird decline, even the 'lowly' House Sparrow is now affected. Recent severe decline in the species observed in the United Kingdom is given a possible explanation in this article pointing to insect decline in the UK as the culprit. (Of course, decline in food, consequent to decline in habitat, is a common explanation for IBWO decline as well.) The news of bird decline across the world over the last couple decades is truly staggering, and while it might be slowed slightly through human actions, is likely (I hate to say it) irreversible long-term.
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-- The Audacity of Hope... Indeed --

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For all who continue to 'keep the faith' just a few paragraphs I wrote over 8 years ago, after the Kulivan La. sighting, but well before all the Arkansas excitement (a personal paper):

"In the biological sciences what we don’t know still far exceeds what we do know, and what is mysterious far exceeds that which is understood. It is only our faith in our small scrap of knowledge that permits people to doubt the further existence of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. What we need in this case is to put more faith in our ignorance! --- to acknowledge in short that we know too little to draw firm conclusions.
Photographs we have of Ivory-bills show a creature so vital, so wild, so determined, as almost to belie the possibility of their vanishing from the face of the planet. The will to live, the urge to reproduce, are among the most compelling drives in nature, and no doubt the Ivory-billed Woodpecker possessed these as much as any creature (bird artist Eckelberry wrote of its “rigor” and its “almost frantic aliveness”, and Alexander Wilson noted its “noble and unconquerable spirit”), such that it would seek with all its energy, facility, and acumen to overcome Man’s trampling upon its home and somehow, somewhere, in some way, simply continue on out of our view, aloof to our intense curiosity.
Indeed, in the farther recesses of my intuition and imagination, where sunlight glimmers and woodland shadows dance, I can just hear its clarinet-like toot reverberating, while patches of white flash with every wingbeat like lightning bolts through a forest canopy, and the heart of this most majestic of North American birds beats wildly in defiance of both Mankind and probability. Some may call it wishful thinking, or sheer fantasy, or even simplemindedness on my part, but I simply call it hope... a hope which, like the bird itself clinging tightly to some remote unseen sweet gum tree, clings securely to the human mind and heart, until much more evidence than we currently possess demonstrates once-and-for-all this bird’s survival... or demise."

And 8 years later, strangely enough... I feel much the same.
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-- Mike Collins Paper --

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The perseverent Mike Collins, back in Virginia after another brief trip to the Pearl (La.), reports (11/20 entry on his website) that his paper on the flight mechanics of the Ivory-bill, as it relates to his videos from the Pearl, has been accepted for publication by PLoS (the Public Library of Science), the leading peer-reviewed open-access publisher --- no word on how soon.

I realize public-access publishing has its pluses and minuses, proponents and critics, and don't wish to debate that here. On the positive side this permits Mike's analytical work to reach a wider audience more quickly than would be the case with traditional publication. I wouldn't expect largely entrenched views on the subject matter to change much at this point, but congratulations to Mike on his persistence and steadfastness getting recognized.
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-- Wanted: Alive! --

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Looking a tad reminiscent of an old-timey 'dead or alive' poster this notice has gone up in parts of Arkansas, detailing the recent $50,000 reward offer for direct evidence of Ivory-bill presence (reported here on Nov. 8).
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-- And On It Goes --

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Sightings claims for Ivory-bills continually trickle in. I get a few directly via email each year, and Cornell or official agencies likewise get reports that are never shared on the internet. However, naturally, it is only those claims that do show up on the Web that create any buzz for discussion, the latest one being from a Louisiana hunter (as linked to in prior post comments, or now appearing on IBWO Researchers Forum as "34striker" or Mike Pratt). Too early to tell if his report will lead any further than dozens of other reports, but the one element that does intrigue me is that it emanates from the Three River WMA of Louisiana. The Three River and adjacent Red River WMAs constitute around 70,000 acres of habitat that I've long thought had interesting, but overlooked, IBWO potential. Moreover, though I don't recall any credible IBWO reports coming from there in the last 60 years, it is situated in-between other areas of La. and Mississippi that have produced reports. These WMAs are fairly well-trafficked by hunters and recreationalists, though am not certain how well the interior reaches of them are ever covered by birders.
...Won't be too long now before the leaves are off the trees and organized winter searches are fully underway.
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-- No Telling Where This Might Lead --

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This news piece reports that an anonymous donor has now offered $50,000 (nope, 'twasn't cyberthrush ;-) for photographic proof of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, hoping to "rekindle" interest in the Ivory-bill search effort (I'll assume for now, unless I hear otherwise, that it applies to the species being documented anywhere and not just in Arkansas?). This is a considerable increase over the $10,000 reward previously posted by agencies for such evidence. No doubt $50,000 will rekindle further interest... just no telling what else it may rekindle in terms of wackadoodles running loose in the swamps or at their Photoshop software!
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-- OBAMA VICTORIOUS!... You BETCHA!! --

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And the torch Is passed...


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-- TAKING AMERICA BA(ra)CK! --

-- A Lil' Blog Housekeeping... and Music --

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For the next month or more, regular work will keep me away from a computer for long stretches during day and evening. I'll try to post semi-regularly, but comments received could sit for hours before being moderated and posted, depending on when sent. So if you send along a comment and don't see it for awhile don't be overly concerned unless it goes a full 24 hrs. without appearing. (Am also involved with 3 other (non-bird) blogs now that strip away from IBWO time!)

Have received a few email queries regarding the optimism expressed by a prior commenter... There's plenty I'm not privy to, including much of the work involving that particular individual, but of things I am aware of, which aren't in the public domain, I've not seen anything that is more compelling than what is already part of the public record; nor do I happen to believe, based on various information, that any substantial new evidence is waiting in the wings that will alter the IBWO debate. That judgment could be in error (and obviously, I hope it is --- Bill Pulliam's latest post BTW, also alludes to further evidence awaiting release). That said, there is certainly still reason for hoping the new 2009 search season may yet produce convincing evidence, and a cautious, patient wait-and-see attitude remains in order. I understand why many/most are well beyond the point of patience, but also understand why impatience could still prove erroneous.

And lastly, a little musical interlude for today:


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-- Jobs, Anyone --

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As several of you know, tangential to the Ivory-bill search over the last several years has been research on the behavior/habits of Pileated Woodpeckers in IBWO-like habitat. Brandon Noel, one of the principals in that work in Arkansas has just posted a notice on the Arkansas listserv for 5 technician positions to be filled for their ongoing research this coming winter season. I've copied verbatim below for anyone who might be interested and able (...NOT for the weekend city-park birder):


*Title:* Pileated Woodpecker Research Technician
*Agency:* Arkansas State University, Dept. of Biological Sciences
*Location:* Cache River and White River NWR, eastern Arkansas

*Job Description:* *Five* technicians will be needed to work on the third
year of a Ph.D. project conducting home range movements, foraging ecology
and nesting ecology of Pileated Woodpeckers in eastern Arkansas, with
reference to the conservation of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.
Responsibilities include assistance with capture, attachment of
radio-transmitters, tracking, nest searching and monitoring, arthropod
sampling, habitat measurements, and deployment of high resolution video
cameras at nest cavities in the Cache River and the White River National
Wildlife Refuges. Field work will require long work hours in adverse
conditions (wading through/canoeing through swampland, hot/humid weather,
biting insects). *Three* technicians will work in the Cache River NWR
(low-elevation bottomland hardwood forest) and *three* will work in the
White River NWR (high-elevation bottomland hardwood forest). Individuals
will work alone and in groups of two. *Two* "senior" technicians will
expected to begin around 1 February and continue through June (5
months). These technicians will work between both study sites with the Ph.D. student until
1 April, when other technicians will arrive. The other three technicians
will be expected to begin around 1 April and continue through June
(3 months). Depending on conditions (e.g., flooding conditions, # nests
located), technicians will be in teams of *3* between the study sites more
or less permanently at one of the two sites.

*Qualifications:* Experience in wildlife biology or closely related field.
Preference will be give to individuals with a completed undergraduate degree
and field experience. Ability to collect and process field data accurately
with strong attention to detail. Working independently and well with
others while maintaining a positive attitude in a remote setting is a must.
Enthusiastic, well-organized, and in good physical condition. Experience
with nest searching, radio-telemetry, GPS and compass navigation, and some
experience handling wildlife or birds (PIWOs will be feisty). This habitat
is unpredictable to work in (e.g., flooding in 2007 exceeded 30 feet in some
areas); therefore, a willingness to work through tough field conditions
should be expected. Use of a personal vehicle will be necessary at times,
but technicians will be reimbursed for mileage.

sorry, this all got cut off the original posting:

To Apply - submit a cover letter, CV or resume and at least 3 references to
Brandon L. Noel (see below for contact information).

*Salary:* $1,200-1,400/month depending on qualifications. Housing will be
provided

*Last Date to Apply:* 15 January 2008, however applications will be
considered as they are received.

*Contact:* * Brandon L. Noel*
Email: BrandonL.Noel AT smail.astate.edu
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-- "Festival of the Trees" --

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The latest "Festival of the Trees" (blog carnival) is up over at "via negativa," interspersed with nice pics of IBWO-like habitat in Mississippi (...and, even excluding that, includes some fine reading).
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-- In Other News --

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Dr. Irene Pepperberg's 'memoir' of her life with Alex the African Grey Parrot, "Alex and Me,"is now out in bookstores.

2008-09 Duck Stamps available for purchase here.

Taking note of the near insurmountable travails that will face the next U.S. President (passed along from the current wretched Administration), columnist Hal Crowther concludes a recent essay, simply and aptly stating, "God help Barack Obama if he wins the election. God help us all if he loses."

And I'll end with the same verbatim quotes from T. Gilbert Pearson, one of America's premier 20th century naturalists/ornithologists, that I used in a blog post here exactly one year ago today:

"The supreme moment of my life as a bird student came in May, 1932, when in a great primeval forest in northern Louisiana, I saw, for the first time, a living ivory-billed woodpecker... The ivory-bill is decidedly larger than the pileated, and this difference in size is very apparent, as we had ample opportunity to observe, when by chance birds of both species fed at the same time on a tall decayed stump within 80 feet of our hiding place."

"The reduction in abundance in this species is due most probably to persecution by man, as the species has been shot relentlessly without particular cause except curiosity and a desire for the feathers or beaks."

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-- Time Slogs On --

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A tad annoying of course to still not have an official overall summary released of last year's search. I believe it's safe to say that possible IBWO sounds were heard and/or recorded in at least four states, and sightings were made in at least two of those states (of course more sightings if you count those from individuals not officially part of the "Recovery Team" ). Whether the summary delay is due to the chilling effect critics have had on the public reportage of findings that are short of definitive, or reflective of a low-level of credence attributed to results from last year, don't know??? Also worth noting that last season Cornell's "mobile team" again named additional habitat areas in need of more thorough exploration. While it's disappointing to see the manpower put forth thus far yielding such a small number of possible sightings/sounds, it is entirely false to say or imply that NO evidence has thus far been found, as is sometimes reported.

It is possible there will be no lengthy summary released, but simply a brief summation of last year tacked onto a forward-looking document for the upcoming season released shortly before the new season gets underway. There seems to be much disagreement on how best to even proceed at this point in terms of specific techniques, protocols, methods, assignment of personnel, etc. as the Government (and other agencies) enter their likely last organized effort in the field, unless the species is photographically documented in the next six months.
Also, I've seen no further word on the additional analysis Cornell did earlier this year on the Luneau video attempting to compare a digitally-created Ivory-bill to the real bird in that video... inconclusive, no match found, or, yet to be published???
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-- Tad More on the Search --

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Here.
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-- "Backs Against A Wall" --

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Further brief piece on Cornell's scale-back in Arkansas here.

I assume that there will still be some sort of "mobile search team" activity this year, but article doesn't say. Also, assume that some official searching will continue in at least 2-3 other southern states, besides AR., this season, but again specifics not given. Nor has an official USFW summary from last season yet been released.
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-- Cornell Scaling Back in AR. --

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Arkansas Public Radio segment here confirming that Cornell will be scaling back it's efforts in Arkansas this coming season (although efforts by other agencies will continue). No mention made of the specific search plans for other states at this point.

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-- West Virginia Tragedy --

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Still no major IBWO news (...Bobby Harrison does report, after almost a year wait, finally getting permission to utilize decoys in the search for IBWO). Most of what I've been reading lately about birds in general, especially on the conservation front, is extremely pessimistic stuff, even though often quite predictable. For one rather more unpredictable and bizarre story, this dispiriting news item out of West Virginia:

http://www.timeswv.com/westvirginia/local_story_274113358.html
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-- Physics --

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Again, off on a NON-Ivorybill tangent today. This will probably be of interest to only a small percentage of you, but still feel it is too good not to pass along: The Large Hadron Collider, recently 'switched on' in Europe, has been the focus of much science news of late, and on "bloggingheads.TV" Sean Carroll (from Cal Tech) and science writer Jennifer Ouellette elucidate some of the particle physics and cosmology involved that make this such a momentous science story (before wandering into miscellaneous math and probability toward end). Hour-long video presentation from two excellent science communicators for anyone who finds modern-day physics fascinating.
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-- Old Reading Material --

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A couple of emailers in last month have suggested that an official extended summary report of last season's Ivory-bill search might not be publicly released this year. Don't know if that's true or not --- and if true, don't know if that would be a reflection of a paucity of significant findings from last season, or rather because the quick burst of cynicism that now follow such reports make it less worthwhile to issue one (I'd think however, that legally, this type of Federally-sponsored work requires routine public disclosure in summary form).

In any event, while awaiting such a report, or the start of 2009 searching, LAST year's summary can be viewed here (as a pdf). I imagine any summary from this year will read quite similarly in its conclusions, though with dwindling funds, a smaller number of state areas may be included for future study efforts.

And the much longer (180 pg. pdf.) "Draft Recovery Plan" is available here, if you need more reading material to review while awaiting news.
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-- Collins Back in Louisiana --

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Mike Collins has returned to Stennis Space Center, in pursuit of indisputable documentation for Ivory-bills' persistence in Louisiana's Pearl River region (...well, I s'pose he'll do some Gov't. work while there too ;-). His new "2009" search season log here.
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-- IBWO Foundation Update --

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Bobby Harrison's Ivory-billed Woodpecker Foundation blog has now been updated after an extensive lapse, here. Bobby is continuing to focus on certain areas with additional signs/sounds from Arkansas, while reviewing images captured by automatic cameras. Thanks for the update, Norma.
The official IBWO Recovery Team apparently met in Atlanta the first week of this month in preparation for the upcoming search season.
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-- Hoping I'm Wrong --

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This coming week a further short-term search of prime habitat in South Carolina gets underway. Over the past two years various key Ivory-bill researchers have pointed to S.C. as having the best, oldest, largest stretch of habitat (primarily the Congaree, but other areas as well) suitable for Ivory-billed Woodpeckers anywhere in the United States. Several signs/sounds of possible IBWOs have been reported in the state (more than publicly disclosed), and of course S.C. was one of the last bastions where Tanner himself believed the species held on 60 years ago.
Having said all that, and for a different set of reasons, I've never personally held out great hope of Ivory-bills being documented in S.C., or at least not ahead of other states. Of course, I'd be thrilled to be wrong. GOOD LUCK to all involved.

For further inspiration, this recent story of the elusive Okapi (ehhh, not exactly a tiny creature) finally being caught on film in the wild for the first time in 50 years:

http://www.itv.com/News/Articles/Unicorn-captured-on-camera-321272489.html
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-- Science At The Edge (OT) --

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Sorry, not IBWO, nor birds, nor nature today, but feel like I oughta post something pre-weekend (in case we all get sucked into a Black Hole from CERN's Large Hadron Collider by then --- not that THAT would be a BAD thing) --- so this clip of one of Jill Bolte Taylor's talks about the experience of her own brain stroke at age 37 (18 mins. long, but worth reaching the end). She's the neuroanatomist author of the bestselling "My Stroke of Insight" that describes what she learned about the left and right brain hemispsheres, and herself, from that personal experience. (And actually, truth be known, I'm not so sure that there isn't a smidgen of applicability submerged in all this, to the whole IBWO debate.) Enjoy....





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-- Whatever --

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Summary of recent new species discoveries here.


A couple of folks emailed me last week asking if I knew any more about Bill Smith's purported Florida Ivorybill book... I certainly have no special knowledge of the book Mr. Bill has dangled before folks for 2 years (...and I prefer not to be emailed about it or his claims). I do know that he continues to post regularly on at least one aquarium group website (a subject about which he actually appears to have at least some first-hand knowledge, and puts aside plenty of time for... the IBWO, uhhhh, nnnot so much).
Some folks believe the supposed IBWO volume will NEVER appear, and some think it will eventually appear, and easily be categorized, like many other monthly releases, as fiction (ought we dare say 'science' fiction?).
I'm guessin' that given the miniscule interest he has generated, Bill must be insanely jealous of the Georgia yahoos who received weeks of international attention for their inane Bigfoot hoax. Some folks have all the luck...
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Request For Volunteer

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The following not-terribly-cryptic message/request for a volunteer appeared on a bird listserv today in case any reader has particular interest:

"Permitted research project on Picidae [woodpeckers] in prime habitat in SC is looking for one volunteer to complete a 6 man team for 6 days starting Monday, Sept. 15 and ending Sat. the 20th. Should know all field marks, calls and knocks/drums of E. Picidae, be able to camp and meet others in SC if possible. Project being done in cooperation with non-profit and govt. entities. Send contact info to NBP@comcast.net"

-- Whazzup? Not Much --

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Sorry for lapse of posting, but warned earlier on that I wasn't expecting much to report on through the summer months, prior to USF&W issuing a final summary report from last season, or the next winter search season getting underway. For the moment, am occupied with other things as well, but to keep folks entertained in the interim go ahead and play with this film clip if you like, or have only seen it 922 times before:



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-- More Notes --

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Duly noted... I only recently discovered (though it's been around for almost a year) Scott Weidensaul has his own blog going at:

http://ofafeather.blogspot.com

Hmmm, David Sibley was blogging for awhile; now we just need to get Pete Dunne blogging (I mean the guy writes about 10 hours a day anyway, doesn't he?).
Speaking of Pete, he will be the keynote speaker at the Georgia Colonial Coast Birding and Nature Festival coming up in October. The times they are a changin': this, and other yearly birding festivals are no longer including Ivory-bill themes or presentations as was almost obligatory a couple years back. Let's hope the upcoming search season changes all that, but then again don't be holdin' your breath.

Last year USF&W released their summary of the prior search season before the end of Sept. Given a slightly more restricted search this past season and less to report maybe the release date this year could be a tad earlier...
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-- Side Notes --

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I've previously mentioned the newly-revised Peterson Guide to Birds of North America, but only this weekend saw and held it in my hands. Very handsome, wonderful volume. Call me old-fashioned, nostalgic, or clinging to the past, but I still find Peterson's artwork unmatched in field guide circles (and these are of course mostly the same old depictions already published numerous times) --- simple yet alive; not too minimal, and not too detailed; just right. The text is, as always, succinct but instructive. The images are enlarged (for us ol' codgers I guess ;-) I still think this is potentially the best guide for beginning and intermediate birders. (For those who don't know, this new version combines the earlier Eastern and Western editions into one volume, and is almost as large as the original Sibley guide, but not quite as unwieldy.) The cover is fittingly a beautiful portrayal of yellow-shafted flickers, the bird that started it all for Roger. With all the new bird field guides flooding the market in the last few years, nice to see this old friend still holding its own.

'Rip' Lyttle reports a couple of partially leucistic Pileated Woodpeckers in the part of South Carolina he is searching (additional white on wing/back area). He has posted a few pics on the Ivory-bill Researchers Forum site (you need to be a member to access pics I believe) -- nothing that would be readily mistaken for IBWO. Still awaiting for someone to capture on film one of these birds having symmetrical patterning across the wings that actually mimics an Ivory-bill's large patches (Noel Snyder claims to have seen one years ago, but no pic). Even statistics for the number of significantly leucistic Pileateds that are recorded across the southeast would be interesting to know. But for now this is just auxiliary information. [SEE comment/clarification below]
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-- N. Carolina Ivorybill Position --

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Audubon is advertising for a field technician to head up the search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in southeastern North Carolina (stationed in Wilmington):

"The North Carolina Ivory-billed Woodpecker Search Field Technician will be responsible for implementing standardized protocols developed for systematically searching for the presence of Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the swamp forests and associated woodlands of southeastern North Carolina. Simultaneously, the field technician will survey the study area to assist in research pertaining to the North Carolina Important Bird Areas program. The study locations include the Waccamaw River bottomlands and associated tributaries, selected areas along the Lumber River, and other site TBD. Search efforts will require long days in remote locations and will be physically demanding. After each search day, the field technician will be required to download and enter field data, and maintain all field equipment. Other duties will include: camping, use of canoe or motorized boat, organizing and training volunteers, use of audio and video recording equipment."

The position is currently funded for one year; more details given at the above link.
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-- Cody and Britney --

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For your weekend entertainment...

No rhyme or reason for this post whatsoever, except that I love shelties:





please adopt from your local shelter and rescue groups whenever possible...
(p.s. - for more info on shelties visit sheltienation.com)

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-- In Other News --

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Here's Bill Pulliam's take on a story that's been widely-reported recently about the latest population census for lowland gorillas.

Meanwhile Chuck Hagner, of Birder's World Magazine, reports that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker doesn't even appear as a topic on the program for the American Ornithologists' Union, at their annual meeting in Portland, Oregon this week.
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-- ? Imperial ? --

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Recently, an unusual number of hits to the blog have come from folks who've googled "imperial woodpecker" and been directed to my site (because of past posts on the Imperial here). Also, a couple of emailers have made inquiries to me about the Imperial. Don't know for sure why the subject is suddenly arising, though it may be in part due to a recent post (8-3-08) by Mike Collins which ran as follows:

"There exists footage of an Imperial Woodpecker, and the bird is in flight according to what I have heard. Why haven't the details been made public? The flap rate, flight speed, and flap style might shed light on the ivorybill."

I've occasionally heard/seen very loose vague glimmers about a possible Imperial sighting months ago, but nothing substantive or that I give any credence to at this point. I think Mike's reference may actually be to a supposed brief film of an Imperial in flight from the 1950's, which I believe is in the possession of Cornell. Whether they have utilized it in any way, or have any reason not to release it, I don't know.

May be worth pointing out that the Imperial Woodpecker was MUCH larger than the Ivory-billed. So even though the two species are from the same genus, the IBWO is probably actually closer to the Pileated in both size and mass (i.e. not sure if analysis of Imperial flight pattern would be all that helpful in drawing conclusions about IBWO flight pattern or not --- not to mention that it's difficult to generalize from a single short flight clip of any bird; but still, I understand Mike's interest in the clip if it exists).

Anyway, that's as much (next to nothing) as I know, so no need to inquire further here. If someone does know more about such putative ;-) Imperial footage and wants to pass info along for posting here to enlighten others, feel free.
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-- Housekeeping --

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As many know by now there was a major problem accessing this and LOTS of other blogs over the weekend due to problems with Microsoft's Internet Explorer (surprise, surprise); actually, the problem related back to changes at "Sitemeter," a blog traffic tabulator, but seemed to only affect IE, and should now be remedied.
At any rate if you are STILL using IE as your main web browser, please get with the program and switch over to Firefox (or almost anything other than the Microsoft product).
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-- More On Virtual Ivory-bill --

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'nother tidbit (see prior posts for July 8 and 11) on Cornell's computer creation of a 'virtual' Ivory-bill here:

http://spie.org/x26125.xml

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-- Pileated Redux --

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For them there who never tire of such things, another Pileated Woodpecker (chased by a blackbird) video here:

( http://birdcinema.com/view_video.php?viewkey=95af115de1c414a1849c )

....And for those who never tire of such other things more old Steve Martin comedy here.
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-- Bedtime and Other Reading --

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Some bedtime reading perhaps: if you've never read them before here is the famous account of Agey and Heinzmann reporting Ivory-bills in central Florida back in the 1960s:

http://www.coastalgeorgiabirding.org/misc/agey_heinzmann1.pdf
http://www.coastalgeorgiabirding.org/misc/agey_heinzmann2.pdf
http://www.coastalgeorgiabirding.org/misc/agey_heinzmann3.pdf

Good news (for a change) for N. American birds here, about preserving Canada's boreal forest. Scott Weidensaul calls this "One of the biggest conservation stories ever" though it "received relatively little press here in the States." Scott notes the boreal forest is "the great bird factory of North America, producing billions of migratory songbirds, waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors; this is arguably the single biggest win in history for bird conservation." He recommends sending "a note of thank you to Premier McGuinty via BSI's website, http://www.borealbirds.org/ -- something every American birder who reaps the benefits of the boreal forest should take a moment to do."

In the 'Not-exactly-the-bluebird-of-happiness' Dept., this bit of bird humor from the press:

http://tinyurl.com/5mnsvt

Finally, this coming Monday marks the anniversary of Roger Tory Peterson's death. Twelve years ago upon that occasion the inimitable Pete Dunne wrote a wonderful tribute to Roger for "Birding Magazine." Below, the last paragraph from that eulogy:

"Roger was fond of saying that God, in all his wisdom, had crafted but two creatures with feathers: birds and angels. God, in his wisdom, gave us Roger Tory Peterson to interpret and instruct us. And although I do not wish to presume, and I cannot possibly be certain, I have a hunch that by the time I reach the hereafter, there will be a "Field Guide to the Angels" waiting for me. With luck, it might even be in its second or third edition."

--- at which point Pete can commence to writing a short text on how to pish for angels ;-)

(And here's another look at the newly-revised Peterson Field Guide to be released next month.)
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-- Saturday Entertainment --

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No Ivory-bill schtuff; just books, ducks, condors, storklets, and.... west coast news:

Another stop in a bookstore yesterday, and another wonderful find: Artist Charley Harper's "Birds and Words" (originally published in the 1970's) has been re-issued, full of Charley's uniquely minimalist and delightful bird art and short incisive verbal blurbs on each depicted bird. This book will bring a smile to most any birder, but also makes a fine introduction to birds for youngsters who can take delight in the artwork as well, while parents read and explain the wonderful short commentaries.

And for all the duck lovers out there, I have to pass this one along for heart-tugging enjoyment:

http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2008/07/duck-darwin-awa.html

Hasn't been a lot of good news of late for endangered species, but somewhat positive outcome for the California Condor recovery efforts here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25724478/

To my surprise, stork youngsters are still hanging out in the nest here (German webcam), but probably not for much longer :

http://www.stadtpark-mannheim.de/webcam/cam33.htm


And finally, here's some satire(?) I could endorse:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/17/BA7A11QU1S.DTL

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-- Into the Weekend --

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An Ivory-bill post from biologist Mark Bailey at his blog a couple months ago here:

http://hogfoot.blogspot.com/2008/05/of-ivory-bills-and-bigfoot.html


... and a bit of home-made humor for today here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOK9rdLJwAw&feature=related
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-- A Lil' Culture --

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For poetry aficionadoes:

An acquaintance recently sent me a poem by David Wagoner she found in the Jan. 1983 edition of "The Atlantic Monthly" which recounts, of all things, Alexander Wilson's famous encounter, 200 years ago, with an Ivory-billed Woodpecker near Wilmington, NC. The poem is available on the Web in a few places, including here.
Another blogger who posted the poem several years ago followed it with this sentiment, that I sorta like:

"... The poem deals with the impossibility of a mutual understanding between man and nature argues Czeslaw Milosz in his introduction. I think that's wrong. I think the poem shows what happens when man tries to learn too much, tries to compartmentalize and categorize nature in ways that nature shouldn't be confined. "

....but enough culture already; for humor today, and on behalf of all the 'believers' out there who feel they don't get any respect, here be the late Rodney Dangerfield:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FPv2toi5og&feature=related

Ohhhh, and p.s., in case you've recently had any inclination to contact "The New Yorker Magazine" for any particular reason, contact info is here.
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-- More On Cornell's Digitized Evidence --

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A bit more info about the Ivory-bill computer graphic simulation carried out by Cornell which I referenced a few days ago (July 8 post). This work was done in part as the master's thesis of Cornell grad student Jeffrey Wang under the guidance of Dr. Don Greenberg, and is available here in pdf form (~200 pgs.):

http://www.graphics.cornell.edu/pubs/2007/Wan07.pdf

Jeff's academic home page, BTW, is here:

http://www.graphics.cornell.edu/~jwang/

I'm slowly reading through the dissertation (and for a technical Master's Thesis it's a fairly lively read), but since computer graphics aren't "my thing" don't know how much I'll glean from it --- I assume some of my readers though will find it informative. And I presume a more formal journal publication is in the works.


....for another comedy moment, one of my favorite old posts from "Cute Overload" blog (be sure to read the 'comments' section below picture):

http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2007/11/this-just-in--1.html


ADDENDUM --- just a few things I'll note, having now scanned Wang's thesis more:

In addition to flight mechanics and computer graphics, the paper is VERY HEAVY, for obvious reasons, on underlying bird anatomy. We live in an age of academic specialization, and clearly Wang's thesis delves into highly specialized areas (as a sidenote, found it interesting that out of the 100's of Ivory-bill specimens residing in museums, it turns out there is ONLY ONE 'pickled' in fluid, and thus well-preserved for detailed anatomical studies, at the Smithsonian Museum --- Cornell was able to obtain that single specimen on loan for these specific studies --- fascinating... where pursuit of the Luneau video leads us!).

Anyway, Wang's paper (submitted in Jan. 2007), ends prior to actual testing of the computer-generated Ivory-bill against the bird captured in the Luneau clip, which has since been done; i.e. the thesis describes in great detail the creation of a 'virtual' (computer-graphic) Ivory-bill (and seems very convincing), but not the actual running of that bird in a flight path and environment matching the Luneau bird --- and there's the rub! No matter how precise and accurate a created 'virtual' Ivory-bill is, the real crux of the matter comes when applying the flight mechanics and lighting (and the MULTITUDE of variables that arise therein) to the specifics of the Luneau bird's context, and gauging whether the result better matches a PIWO or IBWO (just using a Pileated as a flying 'surrogate' for an IBWO is grist for debate all by itself, but there are likely a myriad more issues skeptics may raise as well). It will be interesting to see how Cornell explicates all of this in a final paper, and I'll also be interested to see who the co-authors (and those cited for assistance/input) are on any such final paper. I hope such a paper is at least as persuasive as Wang's work is... but one suspects the debate is destined to continue.
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