-- Texas Search Planned/Funded --

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We are approaching the season when the search for Ivory-bills ought be most productive and timely, and searches in Florida, La., Miss., S.C., and Texas (at a minimum) need to be organized. John Arvin reports on the Texas listserv today that he has received funding for a Texas undertaking. If you can assist (volunteer), get in contact; the more hardy, motivated souls the merrier!

For all those who emailed me that J.Jackson's paper is a 'bummer' -- No, no, it is a fine instance of academic writing -- keep in mind that while Jackson is highly critical of certain pieces of Cornell's specific evidence he has NEVER claimed that Ivory-bills are extinct or even non-existent in Arkansas, only that he finds several of Cornell's arguments too weak for the assertions being made (indeed, no one in academia, over the last 20 years has more persistently argued the case for possible Ivory-bill survival than Jackson). By Sun. I'll have more to say on the paper. Jackson himself will be actively searching in Florida this winter (Bob Russell, and others are searching there right now as well).
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-- Jackson Paper Available --

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Jerry Jackson's Jan. "Auk" paper (15 pgs.) is now available on the web (pdf file) through the AOU homepage. Haven't had a chance to read it entirely myself yet, so may say more later.

Addendum: stay tuned, I'll definitely have more to say about the paper before the weekend is out; in the meantime I highly recommend it to all.
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-- Blog Impact !?!?!? --

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Geee, maybe blogs actually have impact (or incredible coincidence of timing?) -- within 24 hours of my mini-rant about the lack of communication from official agencies on the winter search, the Cornell Lab, Nature Conservancy, and even US F&W (after a mere 4-month lapse!), all put out updates! Nothing new in the way of sightings or significant findings reported, but at least it hints at some greater sincerity to keep interested parties informed. Here are a few of the questions I'd like to see addressed in future updates:

1) to what degree, if at all, have searchers moved out from the area of primary focus (of the '04-05 sightings), and are they moving in a certain direction or outward in concentric circles?
2) does Cornell/Nature Conservancy have team members active in any other states, besides AR., at this point, or at the very least are they in close contact with individuals who are on their own in other locales? With the breeding season approaching the need for active teams in many more places besides Arkansas seems paramount.
3) of the 100's of "suspicious" cavities surveyed in the Big Woods how many are currently under regular watch or remote camera observation?
4) are searchers' reports of any leucistic Pileateds being compiled for inclusion/discussion in any future updates?
5) in the event that definitive evidence of IBWO-presence is established are plans in place for how that information will be disseminated (or dependent upon exact circumstances): immediately, or at the end of the search season? through the press, or through a scientific agency/publication? Over the Internet?

And if you, dear readers, have questions you'd like to see addressed in future agency updates, feel free to offer them in the comment section below... ya never know just who might be reading them. . . . .
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-- L. Erickson Clarifies --

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Some days back I made reference to another blogger's wondering aloud about a post Laura Erickson had edited regarding her current search in the Big Woods area -- basically raising the question of whether information was being stifled. Laura has answered that question herself here, generally concurring with others that there simply is no significant news to report as yet out of the Big Woods so far as she is aware. In the meantime, there are at least some individuals actively searching in Florida now (where J.Jackson also intends to search this winter), and I imagine in the Congaree area of SC. as well.
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-- Silence Ain't Golden --

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This Arkansas Gazette update on the search basically says there is no significant news to date (secret or otherwise) to report from the Big Woods thus far. While it's not wholly unexpected that there would be little positive news coming out of Arkansas a couple months into the search... it IS disturbing how little of ANY news (positive, negative, OR neutral) has come out of the Big Woods area despite promises otherwise! Cornell's website has several pages which more-or-less pledged "frequent" or "regular" updates that simply have NOT transpired. Similarly, The Nature Conservancy site promised updates that have been scarce to this point, and finally the US Fish & Wildlife site which began with weekly updates, before going to bi-weekly entries, has not been updated since last September!! (there was originally an Oct. entry which was deleted). Some 'updates' that have appeared have been little more than warmed-over rehashes of info already out there for quite awhile. It would be wonderful to surmise that the available news is SO gooood, SO positive, and SO secret, that it can't be released in any detail just yet (the above article states unequivocally otherwise); BUT it is just as surmiseable that there is such a complete dearth of anything to report that pessimism is precluding anyone from even bothering to post basic information which might easily be disclosed and be of interest (without jeopardizing the ongoing effort). Maybe if enough folks grumble about the lack of communication some of these official agencies will be more forthcoming (...or just maybe, with my usual reverse Midas touch, by playing up the lack-of-news, something will break sooner than later).
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-- Faux Ivory-bill --

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Mike McDowell has posted on his 'Birding and Digiscoping' blog a fake Ivory-bill photo just to demonstrate how easy it is to make such, exemplifying why I think the heavy emphasis on photographic or video (which with more difficulty can also be faked) is a bit misplaced. It still comes down to a matter of trust -- if you don't trust the individual turning in the photo/video it's worth MUCH LESS than a mere observational report from someone you DO trust. (I don't happen to think Mike's quickie example is all that convincing, but it indicates that, with a little additional time and effort, one could make it so.) I say all this only to make the point that, despite what is sometimes implied, photographic evidence will NOT necessarily end the debate; especially if it comes from anyone other than a trusted member of the Cornell team.
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-- Just a Bit of Humor --

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On the website for PBS's "Nova ScienceNow" Ivory-bill segment (Jan. 11) there is a 'comment' section -- I thought this one was worth a small chuckle:

"I could not help but notice while watching the [Luneau] video that the two expert ornithologists [John Fitzpatrick and Jerome Jackson] would be hard to distinguish in a clip as blurry as the disputed woodpecker clip."

In case you're not aware of the surprising similarity that is being referred to go to this page for a good pair of pictures, that makes the commenter's case well:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3302/03-ask.html

And on a completely different note, another one of those pesky leucistic Pileateds has been reported in Arkansas -- this one by Dan Scheiman (with the Cornell recovery team) on the AR. birding listserv:

"A woman near Heber Springs reported a partially leucistic Pileated
Woodpecker -- all white with a red crest. The photos are nothing more than
a white blob, but her inital impression of a woodpecker and her description
of the behavior are telling."

...actually, sounds more like a MOSTLY(not just partially) leucistic individual that no doubt could easily be confused with.... an Ivory Gull with a severe head wound, but not much else (...except maybe a leucistic Ivory-bill!). Anyway, still awaiting a good photo or videotape of one of these oversized leucistic Pileateds with symmetrical trailing white wing edges...
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-- IBWO Conservation/Recovery --

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"Bootstrap Analysis" blog has brought attention to a thoughtful essay regarding potential Ivory-bill conservation and recovery issues, published on the internet at:

http://www.ace-eco.org/vol1/iss1/art6/

....you may want to go to 'Bootstraps' comments first before reading the longer piece:

http://nuthatch.typepad.com/ba/2006/01/implications_of.html
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- Something New From M.Hendrickson -

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Mike Hendrickson has an 'update' of sorts at his "Mike's Soap Box Birding Blog" (go to the Jan. 10 entry) to the reports I posted a few days back from 'David Chaffin' of Tenn. of possible acoustic IBWO evidence in AR. -- depending on your perspective this is all very intriguing or further bizarre. Time will tell... (And I hope Mike, or Bob O'Dear, aren't disclosing more than they should have???)

Addendum (also Jan.10): and now another slightly intriguing post, this time from Mike McDowell on his blog, regarding a subtle change in a Laura Erickson post... maybe means nothing... maybe something. . .
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-- Nothing New On 'Nova' --

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If you missed the 'Nova ScienceNow' piece on PBS you can view it here... BUT, you didn't miss much. As I cautioned previously, in this necessarily very compressed treatment of the Ivory-bill story, there was nothing new reported nor any depth given to the arguments. Focus, as might be expected (in this video/audio-infatuated world), was on the Luneau clip and the 'kent' sounds recorded -- the very evidence I've consistently believed is the weakest (though still intriguing) in Cornell's arsenal.
Let me reiterate what WASN'T emphasized in this piece that I think bears repeating. FIRST there is simply the long history of repeated sightings of this bird over five decades, time and time and time again in various locales, no not confirmed, but repeated sightings by credible observers, probabilistically, MEAN SOMETHING!! -- they can't just be cavalierly blown off as non-existent by saying "never confirmed." Moreover, at least a few searchers had been wise enough to point to the Arkansas Big Woods area as a little-researched area of more-than-adequate habitat that could in fact support the species. SECOND, the specific number of initial credible sightings, 7-16, in a confined area is HUGE and would be difficult to dismiss as anything other than genuine under normal circumstances. Blithely explaining away these multiple sightings as "groupthink" is, in essence, to call the sighters and their interrogators, fools, despite their credentials. "Groupthink" is in fact what has occurred for the past 60 years by those declaring the species extinct based on NO solid evidence WHATSOEVER, and with little thorough reading of the thin literature available. THIRDLY, and largely overlooked, is the fact that many spotters immediately noted the large size of the bird seen as one of their first and major field marks; this is more important than any other field mark that could be witnessed other than the trailing white wing edges, which the sighters also concurred on. The FIRST thing any experienced birder would likely notice upon seeing an Ivory-billed Woodpecker would be the "Pileated-on-steroids" effect or "WHOOOAA"-factor. Yet little weight has been given to the consistency of this basic crucial field evidence, while picayunish details of little consequence have been belabored. (Again, the vast majority of bird ID's in the wild are made on the basis of a very few features and the 'jizz' of the bird -- one cannot suddenly change the criteria for this one species and claim any sighting not meeting the new criteria automatically lacks validity). One can only deal with probabilities, and if you consider the evidence of the last 50 years with an open, objective approach, instead of with a preconceived, biasing notion of extinction, then the probability is that Ivory-bills are in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and yes, Arkansas. When NO credible sightings/claims have occurred for 75 successive years THEN come talk to me about the likelihood of extinction... (of course by then I plan to be extinct myself).
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-- Nancy Tanner Visit --

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A Saturday post on Bill Thompson's blog recounts a recent visit to his and Julie Zickefoose's home from Nancy Tanner, widow of James Tanner, who accompanied her husband on two of his Ivory-bill expeditions, and was among the last folks to see the Singer Tract birds.

http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/blog/2006/01/mrs-ivory-billed-woodpecker.html

Addendum: Julie did another followup post on Nancy's visit on Sunday.

http://www.juliezickefoose.com/blog/2006/01/mrs-tanner-gets-chetted.html
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-- D. Luneau's Field Note #1 --

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Ivory-bill principal David Luneau's first winter search field note on the Nature Conservancy website is now available at:

http://nature.org/ivorybill/current/art16915.html

I'm sorry to have to once again say there's not much real news here that wasn't already available, but am sure folks will want to keep up with David's field entries or any of the other searchers' reports that become available.
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-- AR. Report & 'Nova ScienceNow' --

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The following report from the Big Woods area was posted this morning on the Tennessee Bird Listserv:

" You could have blown me over with a single breath, but at about 4:30pm
Central yesterday during the first day of a 4 day trip, Bob O'Dear and I heard the
bird[IBWO] three times. Twice, it was the single high pitched shrill note, while
the third time, it was the rapid fire cadence call. We are staying at
Mallard Pointe Lodge and Reserve, the only private land adjacent to the restricted area. We have not heard the double pecking notes yet nor seen the bird, which I still think is a long shot, but I now feel better about our chances.
A very memorable #799 ABA.
Will send more details as time allows."

David Chaffin
Cleveland TN

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Without any sight confirmation, don't want to put too much weight on the above report, but we'll see if there's any follow-up.

Also, a reminder of the 'Nova ScienceNow' episode of PBS coming up Jan. 10 in most locales (check your local listings), which will include interviews with Dr. Fitzpatrick and Dr. Jackson regarding the Arkansas IBWO evidence (not sure how far in advance these interviews will have been taped -- unlikely to contain any fresh material not already available -- but always fun to watch scientists present their cases first-hand). And who knows when there might be breaking news; heck, the current overall silence emanating from Arkansas is almost intriguing in its own right...

And, this won't be everyone's cup-of-tea (but fascinating to me), among the other top stories of 2005 that Nova will report on is the story of a Univ. of San Jose mathematician's insights into a "2,300-year-old mystery surrounding prime numbers" which may help "solve the elusive 'twin prime conjecture.'" (even more elusive than Ivory-bills).
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-- For the Children --

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Terri Luneau (David's wife) has of course had a children's book on the Ivory-bill out for some time now, and recently IBWO-sighter Bobby Harrison also released a children's IBWO story. Now, more good news for the young set -- I hear that Lynne Cherry, conservationist and award-winning writer/illustrator of over 30 childrens' books (most famous probably for The Great Kapok Tree), is currently working on an Ivory-bill book for kids. No idea how soon it might be out, but it will no doubt get widespread attention and distribution.
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-- Just a Little Meditation --

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Just a bit of meditative thought while awaiting more news....

The following quote is from an old meditation piece on the web (and expresses a thought common in meditation practice):

"Breath is also powerful because we share the air we breathe with every creature that has ever lived. The breath I take in at this moment may contain molecules that Lincoln or Jesus or Susan Anthony or the Buddha or my great, great grandmother or a giant T-rex breathed in and out. Breathing is a powerful expression of the interdependent web of all life."

And then today I couldn't help but notice that Laura Erickson, preparing for her own venture to Arkansas Ivory-bill country, ended a post in a similar vein with the following words:

"...I'm both hopeful and joyful. Whether or not I see anything at all worth reporting, I'm going to be spending time in Ivory-bill habitat, breathing air molecules that may have touched an Ivory-bill's feathers or glittering eyes..."

Good luck Laura... and breathe deep!

And elsewhere on the web I stumbled upon this quite wonderful sermon from a Unitarian minister on the Ivory-bill, with this same theme of the interconnectedness of all life -- even more amazing, it was inspired solely by Phil Hoose's book and delivered "April 24, 2005," the Sunday BEFORE the announcement out of Arkansas that would shake the ornithological world -- talk about TIMING!... (if you're staying home from church this New Year's Sunday I recommend this piece as your Sunday sermon).


...oh yeah, and HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!
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-- BirdLife Int'l. Year-end Report --

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The Ivory-billed Woodpecker... has company:

In their annual year-end review BirdLife International notes that several bird species were re-discovered in 2005 following decades of of absence:

"A number of birds were seen after decades without confirmed sightings, including the distinctive endemic Peruvian race of the endangered Southern Helmeted Curassow Crax unicornis koepckeae, not recorded since 1969. In Angola, the Orange-breasted Bush-shrike Laniarius brauni and White-headed Robin-chat Cossypha heinrichi (last seen in 1957), and the Black-tailed Cisticola Cisticola melanurus (last seen in 1972), were refound."

An interesting MSNBC report on the story (entitled, "Extinct Birds Are Making a Comeback") starts off as follows:

"Scientists beware: Don't count your extinct bird species, because one of them may hatch. Several supposedly extinct birds have recently been "rediscovered," raising hopes that others not seen for ages may still be taking to the skies. "The real message of rediscoveries is that we didn't look hard enough in the first place," said Nigel Collar of the British-based conservation group BirdLife International. "We think we've explored the planet when we haven't. We have this assumption that we know it all, but we don't."

....Amen
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-- Some More Views --

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Not too surprisingly, the Ivory-bill re-discovery has been ranked the #1 story of 2005 in cryptozoology at the site www.cryptomundo.com (...gotta love that URL name).

A somewhat interesting past post focussed on a Gene Sparling talk is at this site:

http://www.theageofpossibility.com/2005/12/11/wings-of-hope-or-despair/

Here's a bit from it to whet your appetite:

"When he returned from the trip, he posted a trip report on his canoe club’s web site. He told them about the beautiful spot, and made an oblique reference to what he’d seen. He wasn’t going to do anything more with the sighting, but a woman who read the report urged him on, telling him he had a duty to tell more people....
Sparling says that he almost let this amazing gift slip away “because I was too skeptical and cynical and afraid of being called a fool. I thought it was up to someone else to save the bird, that I wasn’t worthy of the task.”

“I learned two great lessons from this experience,” he continued. “I learned to believe that the most wonderful things can happen in this world. And I learned that ordinary people can have an extraordinary impact, beyond our wildest dreams.”

After Sparling concluded his tale, I leaped up—along with everybody else—to give him an enthusiastic standing ovation."

Finally, for a slightly different take on the Ivory-bill search area in Arkansas take a look at this Tenn. "swamper's" account from a recent day's visit to the Big Woods:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/bill_bill/101176.html
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-- Mo' Readin' --

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Some more details on strategies being employed by Cornell during the winter search are available from one of the searchers here, and another more general Cornell newswire report is here.
And in case Ivory-bill news is just not enough for ya, turns out that now the Dodo has been rediscovered!... well, sort of... the bones of about 20 specimens of this little-understood flightless species have recently been found on the island of Mauritius -- quite a significant find actually. Read all about it. (...at least they're claiming they're Dodo bones; since there have never been any photos or videotape of Dodoes I'm not sure we can be certain the species ever really existed ; - )))
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