-- Bob Russell's Top 10 Hunches --

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Mary Scott has finally posted long-time Ivory-bill researcher and USF&W employee, Bob Russell's 'Top 10 Sites' to look for Ivory-bills:

http://www.birdingamerica.com/toptenibwpsites.htm

Somewhat interesting that he ranks the Congaree National Park in S. Carolina above both the Atchafalaya region of Louisiana and the Apalachicola area in Florida. Not sure many would do that despite a lot of S.C. rumors through the years. And disappointed to see him 'definitely write off' Missouri and Tennessee, which, if only because of their proximity to northeast Arkansas and their great LACK of attention over the decades, I think deserve greater scrutiny. But nonetheless, a nice, compact, thoughtful list. Given that most folks tend to focus on areas of the most recent sightings/rumors, his mention of the Wacissa and Aucilla River Swamps in Fla., based on more distant history, is also interesting. And finally worth noting, the Cache River area falls into his also-ran category, not even breaking into the Top 10...

Read, enjoy, and contemplate....
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-- South Carolina Hopes --

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South Carolina has long been on many people's short-list of likely Ivory-bill homes (actually I have a rather longer list), since the 1930's when James Tanner named it is as one of only 3 states remaining he suspected of harboring the birds. The Santee and Congaree River regions have long been the source for IBWO rumors, and a credible-sounding 2004 spotting report of 2 IBWOs off the Waccamaw River near the Green Swamp area brought attention to that locale.
Cornell has earlier stated they would be conducting winter IBWO searches throughout the species' former habitat range (from S.C. to Texas), but Federal, State, and private biologists in S.C. apparently couldn't wait and are already organizing a search plan similar to Cornell's Arkansas efforts for their state:

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/sports/outdoors/13323461.htm
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-- Epiphany --

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HEY, I suddenly realized last night that the name "Elvis" is an anagram for the word "lives" --- hmmmm... do ya sense some sorta Karma at work here...?!!
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-- Jerome Jackson Talk --

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I mentioned some upcoming Ivory-bill programs a few posts back; here's another one: IBWO expert Dr. Jerome Jackson will be speaking at the Collier County Audubon Society (Fla.) on Wed. Dec. 7. What intrigues me is the stated title of his talk: "The Ivory-billed Woodpecker Lives !!" (...sounds like a good title for a blog : - )
Some have pointed to Jackson as a skeptic of the Arkansas findings -- actually, he has been more of an agnostic, pretty much stating there may or may not be Ivory-bills in Arkansas, and the Cornell evidence just isn't conclusive one way or the other. I would be interested to know if by now he has shifted his opinion, or is the title just in some way rhetorical, and he still has reservations about Cornell's specific findings (for anyone who doesn't know, Dr. Jackson has been the most consistent, prominent, vocal proponent of possible Ivory-bill survival over the last 20 years).
If any of my readers by chance attend that presentation I would certainly enjoy hearing what he has to say.
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-- Meet The Search Team --

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On this page Cornell introduces their current search team (paid staff, not all the volunteers) for the winter endeavor now underway in AR. Looks like a talented, skilled, yet diverse group of folks. May the force be with them! :

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ivory/field/from_field_html/searchteam2005
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-- Field Museum Talk --

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Here's an article on the Chicago Field Museum talk of a couple nights back. Nothing too new, but a couple of quotes to whet your interest if you care to peruse it:

"Based on several sightings, evidence for one bird has been found, there is circumstantial evidence for the existence of three birds, and there is enough contiguous, old forest habitat, possibly, to support 12 pairs.

"He [Scott Simon] loves working in Arkansas and said scientists regularly find new species on their holdings."This year we found three species that were not previously known to science," he said. These include Pelton's rose gentian, a freshwater shrimp and a type of cave crayfish."
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-- Arkansas Sighting Report --

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This report was part of a much longer post on the AR. birding listserv yesterday:

".....Met Dave Rogles looking over the gulls and we sat talking in the
horizontal rain. We naturally got around to the Ivory-billed
Woodpecker, and he still harbored some skepticism. My news for him was
that my friend in Eureka Springs, Dale Becker, had seen Elvis about ten
days previously, an excellent sighting of a flying and perching bird, in
sight for about ten, maybe more, seconds. At 50-70 yards. He'd seen
bill, crest, chin, back and flying wings as the bird moved from one tree
to another, each time quickly moving to the far side and peeking around
at Dale. When he called Cornell later, they said it was probably the
best sighting they'd had.... J Pat Valentik Nov 29 2005

PS. I'll have a transcript of Dale's notes sometime soon and will post
them, minus location info.

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-- IBWO e-newsletter --

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The Nature Conservancy is offering an e-newsletter pertaining to the Ivory-bill search.
Go here to view online copies or sign up for email delivery:

http://nature.org/ivorybill/current/art16784.html
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-- Just For Fun --

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OK, call me a "Pterosaur Skeptic," but just stumbled upon this story on the possibility of prehistoric pterosaurs escaping extinction (and for those so adament about photographic evidence I would especially direct you to pg. 2 of the article) -- Kind of a fun read (...actually, I'm just trying my best to distract the Nelson brothers on to other topics).
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-- Chicago Talk --

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Tonight (Nov. 30) at Chicago's venerable Field Museum, John Fitzpatrick and others involved with the Arkansas search will give another interactive talk on rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Maybe he will explain how not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, but 7 to 16 people, at different times, on different days, from different positions, at different angles may have all mistaken a Pileated Woodpecker for an Ivory-bill... or, maybe not.
These talks are still travelling around the country so be on the lookout for one in your area sometime. A presentation is scheduled for Jefferson City, MO. Dec. 8, in Raleigh, NC. sometime in Feb., and Bobby Harrison speaks in Lakeland, FL. on Dec. 3, among other talks.
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-- A Truly Incredible AR. Finding! --

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Snowy Owls are one of my mostest favoritest grandest birds in the whole entire world so felt compelled to pass along this post which appeared today on the AR. birding listserv:

"I was just e-mailed a picture of a bird from the local weekly paper, Heber Springs Sun Times, to identify for them.Yes, no kidding, it was a Snowy Owl. Details are sketchy so far but it was apparently taken this past weekend north of Quitman along Hwy. 356 in Cleburne Co.The landowner said the bird appeared to be injured so he captured it and apparently turned it over to the AG&FC. Of course more info is needed to know if this truly a wild bird and a bonafide occurence but what other records are there for Arkansas ?"

Apparently (according to another poster) there are only 4 records of Snowys in AR., and those occurred between 1946 and 1955 -- I'm guessin' there have been a whole lot more Ivory-bills than Snowys in the state both before and since then!!
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-- Like Father Like Son --

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No real news here, but slightly interesting article from the Baltimore Sun, if only because it's the first I've heard of a father-son team involved in the AR. search -- and it's no less than IBWO expert Jerome Jackson and son Jerry, who is a photographer for The Sun:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/ideas/bal-id.ivorybill27nov27,1,4418820.story?
coll=bal-ideas-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true
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-- Imperial Woodpecker Update --

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Not too promising -- The following note from John Spencer was posted on a Mexican birding listserv a few days past summarizing his recent search for the Imperial W. in an area it had been purportedly spotted a short time back:

"I am now home in La Ribera, Baja Calif Sur. A ten day round trip to El
Furete and Copper Canyon now over. I spent the time looking for the Imperial Woodpecker.
Spent four days carefully searching the area that my friends (Ron and
Sarojam Mankau) sighted the Imperial. I personally covered the area
from Divisadero to Posada Barranca, from road to rim (about 4 miles by
about 1 mile). Did not sight the bird and did not I find any 'old
growth' snags/trees that had nesting/resting sites. All along the rim
is second growth, with few/no old growth trees. Not prime habitat.
On the Friday morning (18th) Greg Homel checked into the Mirador
Hotel. Greg has the time, resources and skill to find the bird. He is
a 'pro' and has been looking for this bird for twenty years. I pass
the 'baton' on to him and wish him all the luck in the world. I'm just
a plain old birdwatcher and really have neither the skill or resources
to continue the search. 
I believe that the bird has left the sighting area, and Greg will find
her by searching the proper habitat. I have no doubt that the bird is
in the area, I couldn't find it as much as I wanted to.
Let's wish Greg all the luck in the world.
If you want a more complete report of my trip I'll post it on
www.bajajohn.com in the next couple of days. Or email me and I'll
attach a copy in reply.

Bajabirdwatcher ... John Spencer" 
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-- Gotta Spare $2000 ? --

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for my many readers with more expendable income than you know what the hey to do with :

A few posts back I commented that 'capitalism thrives'; maybe I should've said capitalism runs amok -- in 2002, during the official Pearl River search I was surprised to see original copies of James Tanner's monograph on the Ivory-billed Woodpecker going for over $500 on the internet. On another quick check of eBay today I just noticed that someone now has a copy up for bid and is asking $2000 for a quick sale! (the Dover reprint is $12.95) -- for that price I would expect it to have, at a minimum, James Tanner's autograph and some fresh Ivory-bill droppings...
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-- New USF&W Website, and more --

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US Fish & Wildlife Service has put up a new site to aid those making their way to Big Woods to look for 'Elvis'. Worth a look even if you're not headed down that way:

http://Arkansas-ES.fws.gov/BigWoodsBirding

Possibly worth mentioning (though I'm very wary of them), there have been a number of undetailed, individual reports of possible IBWO sightings briefly mentioned on the Web in the last few months in Fla., LA., MS., MO., and I think either GA. or AL., in addition to AR. Not terribly meaningful at this point, but with more time, maybe. No idea how many reports have flowed into Cornell through their solicitation, or how many of those have any credibility whatsoever in their eyes.

....and a final editorial note: All creatures have a 'will to live' and a drive to reproduce far stronger I think than humans (and particularly, skeptics) give them credit for, regarding them instead more like automatons obedient to OUR hypotheses and expectations. But the intelligence, instinct, and individuality of woodland creatures far surpasses what we tend to acknowledge, often proving our flimsy notions false. Quite simply, this is especially so for creatures with wings who are not gravity-bound, and who possess a freedom (and evasiveness) we fail to appreciate or factor in. If documentation of IBWOs is attained, words like "incredible," "miracle," and "unbelievable" will be grossly overused -- it will be nothing of the sort; just creatures who can, on a whim, fly to new habitat, drawing upon their will to live under changing conditions as they always have and always will... and defying simple-minded human considerations in the process.
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-- Tomorrow... --

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"If the only prayer you say in your entire life is 'Thank you,' that will suffice."

-- Meister Eckhart

To all you readers out there, at this time, in this illustrious Year-of-the-Ivorybill, wishes for a HAPPY, HEALTHY, & GRATEFUL THANKSGIVING!....

(...and may we all get what we're hoping for for Christmas! ; - )
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-- Start the Bidding --

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Just out of curiosity I now check eBay once-a-month-or-so just to see what "Ivory-billed Woodpecker" items might be showing up there (usually mostly books and art works of one sort or another), and on a recent check the item that caught my eye is a copy of the "Brinkley Argus" newspaper in which the "original announcement" of the IBWO "in its hometown" was announced -- asking starting bid, $5.00... ahhh, yes, capitalism thrives in America! (from the same town that brings you Ivory-bill haircuts and Ivory-bill burgers) -- actually, it looks like a possible great souvenir for some lucky reader of this blog... and hey, Christmas is right around the corner!

Try this link (maybe half-way down the page) for a look-see, or look it up yourself on eBay.
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-- Macaulay Library of Sounds --

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While we're biding time here's a link to a fairly interesting (and longish) article from The American Scholar (Summer 2005 issue) on the Ivory-bill and the Macaulay Library of natural sounds at Cornell that may be of some interest:

http://journalism.nyu.edu/portfolio/narechania/hearing.html
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