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Today Cornell released an initial statement of their 2005-6 IBWO search findings, with, as expected, nothing really significant to report. The release begins as follows:
"There were teasing glimpses and tantalizing sounds, but the 2005-2006 search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas has concluded without the definitive visual documentation being sought. The search, led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, with support from Audubon Arkansas, stretched from November through April when ivory-bill activity would be highest and a lack of leaf-cover permitted clear views through the dense forest. The search included 22 full-time searchers and state-of-the-art acoustic and video monitoring technology. To supplement the full-time effort, volunteer groups of 14 spent two weeks at a time helping to search the 550,000-acre area focused on the Cache and White River National Wildlife Refuges.
'The search teams were very skilled, not only technically but in the execution of the search,' said Dr. John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Even though we didn’t get additional definitive evidence of the ivory-bill in Arkansas, we’re not discouraged. The vastness of the forest combined with the highly mobile nature of the bird warrant additional searching.”
(full statement at: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ivory/latest/end_of_season)
(also, related story here.)
Saturday is the official day for their report announcement at the Clarendon Birding Festival so there will likely be additional details available at that point. As the Chicago Cubs would say, 'there's always next season.' But seriously, there are still other searchers to hear from and other locales to scour along with Cache/White River so while skeptics have a field day relax, take some deep breaths, and don't despair...
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Many of us were envious when the state of Arkansas offered a handsome Ivory-bill license plate to it's residents earlier this year -- now a version of that plate is available to anyone living in the 20-or-so other states that permit front license tags on vehicles, for about $20 (other items available as well):
http://www.ivory-bill-woodpecker.com/ivory-bill-license-plate.htm
There continue to be a few Ivory-bill related articles or listserv mentions popping up on the Web, but with no real new or confirmed information -- I'm opting not to make mention of or link to any of these 'more-of-the-same' pieces until Cornell has their say on the 20th, so may not have anything to post next couple of days unless something otherwise merits it.
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I'm still in the midst of moving but hope to finish this weekend and be more regular on the Web by Mon. or Tues.
Luckily, I haven't been missing too much IBWO-wise, and probably won't be much hard IBWO news before Cornell begins releasing their summary report on May 20th -- they apparently are also releasing their contracted volunteers to speak more freely at that time as well... hmmm, do we need a drrrrumroll... or just some piccolo music???
And Mike Collins has just posted an update to his venture in the Pearl River region on BirdChat pleading for more conservation action to be taken in that area (claiming at least a pair of IBWOs):
http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0605b&L=birdchat&P=3378
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Sorry for the lapse; I'm busily in process of moving (...not to Brinkley, AR., unfortunately : - ), and lost internet connection for couple of days (and might lose it again late next week). Anyway, here's a new article of interest from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/magazine/07woodpecker.html
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It was a little over a year ago that birding websites, listservs, email boxes, newsreaders and the like went nuts as rumors flew that the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Nature Conservancy were about to announce the rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas (...will any of us ever forget that evening or next day!) -- now, a year later, after the first real widespread interest in, and search for the species in 60 years, and an ensuing controversy that no one foresaw, we await release of Cornell's current findings.
Rarely has ornithology seen a rift of such major proportions, with so many major players painted into opposite corners, and so widely covered in the media. For the still-perceived-as-genteel hobby of birdwatching we have the equivalent of a backyard brawl. The academics and professionals however can take care of themselves; what has been even uglier to see, and somehwat surprising, is the degree of animosity, aspersions, and frequent incivility generated across the internet at the lower levels of the birding avocation, as the controversy plays out (with the possibility that it may never be resolved, although I still believe it will).
Further, on the bad side, all indications are that Cornell will have no photographic or video evidence, no found nest or roost holes to report, when they release their summary for 6 months of searching (but, hey Cornell, feel free to 'make my day!'). The question in the public mind will be how they could've had 16+ sightings in the course of one year (several in a single month) and established a "hot zone," and then come up with so little on this go-around (except for a fine picture of a very leucistic Pileated, a sort of needle-in-a-haystack itself, shortly after finding it) -- there are possible explanations, but they won't play well in the public arena.
On the good side, there are several additional 'sightings' to report (the number and quality no doubt open to debate), further acoustic evidence to analyze and release, and Cornell remains steadfast in the integrity and accuracy of their original evidence. In short, there will be enough to report to support continuing interest and a second season of searching next winter (and of course other areas outside Arkansas are still to be heard from as well). Moreover, I understand there will be at least some continued monitoring of automatic camera units in the field in coming months, though physical searches have largely halted for the summer. The story is a long way from over, but unfortunately I suspect believers need to brace themselves for yet more skepticism and controversy in the next month rather than less.
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Readers will be interested in the following recent comments from Jerry Jackson (pers. communication) now that the winter IBWO search is largely over. (Not everyone will agree with everything he has to say here, but always worth hearing his latest take on matters.) Dr. Jackson continues to straddle a delicate position between cautious and fading hope. Further updated commentary and analysis is included in the new paperback version of his book soon to be out (which, by the way, he warns me still has several typos in it, caught too late, though many errors from the first edition have now been corrected):
"In March, Dr. Peter Pechacek, a German woodpecker specialist, and I spent time in Bayou DeView, White River, the Singer Tract, and the Pearl River Swamp. We were interested in getting a close juxtaposition of those habitats in mind.... same season, etc. Bayou DeView (where I've been several times since October 2005) simply doesn't offer much of the right kind of habitat. White River has some wonderful habitat, but lots and lots of human visitors... Interestingly, Some of the habitat at White River is very much like that at the Singer Tract. Both were cut over at about the same time in the late 1930s and both have been more or less protected (some commercial logging) ever since. Species composition and presence of some nice large old trees are similar. If the birds are anywhere, they could be in either area. A key question is "What happened to the birds from the Singer Tract?" They could have just died, but I doubt it. Life is too resilient ... the will and urge to survive, too strong. The Singer Tract birds could have moved north along the Mississippi, ending up in White River, or they could even have remained in the "wings" at Singer Tract.... just to the south along the Tensas or elsewhere nearby. There's no evidence of Ivory-bills in recent decades in the Singer Tract, but I wouldn't discount the possibility. The habitat has been improving for more than 60 years and I believe they easily could survive there now. A pilgrimage to search for Ivory-bills should include time in that area.
We went into the Pearl River Swamp with the generous help and company of Mike Collins. The area was simply devastated by Hurricane Katrina... most large trees are on the ground. We kayaked up the Pearl River and into the swamp and I saw nothing that looked very promising, although habitat might be better in a few pockets deeper in.... not to say that they couldn't have been there or that they might not still be hanging on and trying to survive... but I'm not optimistic.
The bottom line is that we simply don't know and that the odds of there being Ivory-bills anywhere are rapidly fading as more and better search efforts come up empty-handed.
The Fakahatchee Strand area was cut over in the 1950s, although there are still a few bigger trees in there. It and the adjacent Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Big Cypress National Preserve, and some good private lands offer some hope.
I feel that the Congaree is possible too, but perhaps less of a possibility than more southern areas... don't know. I haven't been back there in nearly 20 years, though I'd love to get back there.
The Big Bend Area of north Florida (Aucilla, Wacissa, Apalachicola, Chipola, lower Suwannee rivers) was once the IB capitol so too speak.... more specimens from there than anywhere else. It still has some remote, more or less suitable habitat and offers possibilities as good as anywhere. But a lot of that land is owned by St. Joe Paper Company and is currently being sold off for "ranchettes."
I would be hard-pressed to say that any one of the sites I've mentioned stands above any of the others in terms of hope for the Ivory-bill.... they're all slim possibilities that deserve the search efforts going on. The efforts are needed now because habitat is being destroyed or isolated rapidly in many areas.
I'm also not discounting a few areas in Mississippi and eastern Georgia.
I want to believe.... and I'll keep searching and following leads."
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Though not verified in Cuba since the late 1980s, a renewed search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker on that island nation is commencing in a portion of its eastern mountains that had been off-limits to scientists for decades.
http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y06/apr06/28e13.htm
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Ivory-bill searcher Chris Geraghty of Canada has established his own IBWO internet site to report on his own searches as well as other basic information and links:
http://www.birdviewing.com/?page=ivorybillcenter
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Below is a Wed. news article out of Arkansas as the IBWO search winds down for this season, and we await Cornell's summary of the number and quality of sightings attained as well as any additional acoustic evidence to be presented (according to the article Cornell will be holding a series of public meetings in May in AR. reporting their findings -- a number of other talks around the country on the Ivory-bill are scheduled in May as well).
http://www.arkansasleader.com/2006/04/from-publisher-woodpecker-search-takes.html
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Even though the majority of commenters are respectful and thoughtful, as a result of the number of trolling comments, repetitive comments, quickly deteriorating civility, and personal attacks, I've again cancelled the 'comment' feature to the blog for now. I tried running the blog in "comment moderation" mode whereby all comments are okayed or rejected ahead of publication with the intent of simply picking out a few of the better comments representing different viewpoints and discarding the rest -- even this however has proved impractical and time-consuming. However, if you feel you have something truly important or new to say you can still email it to me, and if I find it worthwhile enough I can transfer it to the comments section myself or to a post -- if you do send something via email for possible inclusion in the blog, please sign it as you would want it posted (name, "anonymous," or whatever other designation).
With snake and mosquito season rapidly approaching the official Arkansas search will soon end for this season, and unless Cornell has a surprise up their sleeve, there may be only further less-than-convincing, undefinitive sightings and recordings to summarize, which will give skeptics yet a further adrenalin boost. There are however at least 3 obvious explanations proposable:
1) (the skeptics' favorite) the original claims were mistaken IDs, followed by Cornell painting themselves into a corner from which they could not release themselves, and there are NO Ivory-bills in Arkansas.
2) the Ivory-bills in the Big Woods are fewer than we had all hoped for and it will take far more time to document them in such a large area.
3) the few Ivory-bills that were spotted in the Big Woods in 2004 have since departed the area and none are left there currently.
In any event, the search continues in multiple areas that, previous to 2004, were considered far more likely to hold IBWOs than Arkansas, and the Arkansas search itself (whatever this season's results) will commence anew next winter.
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Mike Collins has ended his stint in the Pearl River region of Louisiana. His last post (4/20) runs as follows:
"After an 1100 mile drive, I made it back home to Virginia. I'm pleased to report that my wife still recognized me, even though I never took the time to get a haircut during nearly three months in the field. I will now get to work seriously analyzing the data. I thought about this during the drive home. The white trailing edge of the right wing and the left dorsal stripe are clear and unambiguous in the video. Various counter arguments have been put forth, but they don't hold water as I will show. Thanks to all for your support."
http://www.fishcrow.com/winter06.html
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Tim Gallagher's book (The Grail Bird) has been out now for awhile in paperback, and Jerome Jackson's book, In Search of The Ivory-billed Woodpecker, is due out May 9th in an updated and paperback version (the hardback version appeared prior to the Arkansas excitement); seems like odd timing given that Cornell's initial summary of the winter search will just be coming out in May and likely be fodder for yet another updated version (unless Jackson is fully privy to what those findings will have to say). No telling who else may be working on a volume on the subject at this point.
At any rate, if by any chance any reader doesn't already own a copy of Jackson's work, I highly recommend you get the paperback for its comprehensive account of Ivory-bill history (no matter what you think of Jackson's published views of the current AR. evidence).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060891556/sr=8-2/qid=1145720838/ref=sr_1_2/102-7770595-9031309?%5Fencoding=UTF8
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We'll approach the weekend on a light note -- a recently published poll ranked the "most beautiful" birds in North America and I was a bit surprised (considering how few of us have seen one) that the Ivory-bill made it onto the list which ran as follows from the referenced article:
"Just as People magazine annually crowns the most beautiful people, six of the nation's leading ornithologists have selected the most beautiful birds in North America. There were several ties, so 15 birds emerged as winners: <>
1. Scarlet tanager
2. Blackburnian warbler
3. Golden-winged warbler
4. Prothonotary warbler
5. Baltimore oriole
6. Green jay; swallow-tailed kite; wood duck
7. Harlequin duck
8. Chestnut-sided warbler
9. Magnolia warbler
10. Hooded warbler; ivory-billed woodpecker; northern cardinal; painted bunting"
One could certainly debate over which species did and didn't make the cut (although I think generally it's a pretty fair list), and with some additional sightings and glossier video/photos, a few years hence the Ivory-bill may be even higher up in the rankings!
Full article here:
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/opinion/14391831.htm
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Another Cornell volunteer recounts his search participation at White River NWR during spring break for 2 weeks. Good variety of pics...:
http://www.angelfire.com/ab6/birdpics/ark.html
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Article from a Wed. Pittsburgh paper by another professional ornithologist and Ivory-bill searcher with a possible prior Big Woods sighting:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06109/683110-115.stm
and here's a listserv post of interest from Tim Barksdale (associated with the Cornell team) which is several weeks old, but I just now discovered:
http://www.surfbirds.com/phorum/read.php?f=94&i=17583&t=17583
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...might be a day or two before I have any new posts while I'm busily engaged collecting, sorting, scrutinizing, collating, and running multivariate analysis on a data-base gathered for submission to the Guinness Book of Records regarding trolling of the inane, insipid, boneheaded variety. In the meantime just sit tight and continue to assume that Ivory-bills Live! since there's never been any solid evidence to the contrary....
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Bobby Harrison's comrade, Tim Gallagher, is speaking at another birding festival in Carbondale, IL. near the Illinois Cache River wetlands on the evening of April 28:
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/illinois/press/press2389.html
and, author Phil Hoose will be speaking at an Audubon meeting in Brunswick, Maine on April 25:
http://www.maineaudubon.org/merrymeeting/mmauct.shtml
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While we await Cornell's May analysis/summary of their current search evidence we can also wait for a presentation by Ivory-bill sighter Bobby Harrison on May 5 at a Birding Festival in Decatur, Alabama. Bobby, of course, has been travelling around giving his version of events to enthusiastic crowds for quite awhile now, but this particular talk is promoted with a bit more promise than the usual presentation:
<>"Harrison said presently he can't comment about whether he's had more bird sightings, but he said he will show new video that proves the bird's existence.
'One of the videos has not yet been made public and will be shown for the first time during the catfish and barbecue dinner,' he said."
http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/060417/woodpecker.shtml
Addendum: here are some additional talks Bobby has scheduled in May:
- May 6: Tennessee Ornithological Society meeting: Nashville, TN
- May 13: Friends of Point Pelee Fund Raiser: Point Pelee, CN
- May 20: Kirtland's Warbler Festival: Roscommon, MI
- May 24-25: Francis M. Weston Audubon Society: Pensacola, FL
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