-- Wistful Thinking --

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Thanks to all who sent along tidbits about Herbert Stoddard and his IBWO experiences. It all further confirms for me the established view of Stoddard as being a widely-credible figure who was confident he'd seen Ivory-bills on multiple occasions, at least through the 50's; but, as expected, I've seen no indication that he ever claimed to know the specific location of an active nest-site for the birds, and chose not to reveal it --- moreover I've always presumed that if anyone ever did find a nest and not want to disclose it, they would take copious photos thereof and at some future date release the pics... such is one of my occasional wistful scenarios...:

John Q. Birder dies. A note and key found in his desk direct survivors to a safety-deposit box. In the box is a manila envelope. In the manila envelope is a plain piece of paper with a rubber band around it. Removing the band and opening the paper reveals a stack of clear, time-dated photos of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers at a nest cavity, sometimes with a juvenile bird protruding its head out. And attached is a sheet of lined paper with a simple handwritten note:

"Pictures taken between March 18 and April 7, 1988. My love for these majestic creatures prevents me from divulging the location. May they long-live. As of April 1988 Ivory-billed Woodpeckers most certainly dwelled upon the planet! Bless their wildness! I'll have no more to say or write about them."

.... or, fill in your own dates and words. Perhaps not a likely scenario... but to paraphrase some older words from Julie Zickefoose, no one can tell me it's implausible, and, it seems no one can tell me it is plausible.

(...if nothing else, hey Steven Spielberg, I've got a movie plot for ya!)
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