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One of my readers has sent in the following link to his search report from the Choctawhatchee:
http://www.southfloridabirding.com/html/Choctawhatchee.html
Search took place in early Sept. and was unsuccessful, but nice reporting on the area and lots of photos to give a feel for the habitat. Best chance of a 'successful' search for the birds (with photos) will be during the winter months when leaves are off the trees.
By the way, Cornell is continuing their call for participants for the continued search of the Arkansas Big Woods this winter. Don't know if they will have a hard time filling slots, given the re-directed interest in Florida now, but I would urge those who are able to lend them a hand. They'll be concentrating on the White River Refuge this season and the vast majority of that habitat was NOT searched last year. I, for one, believe there are still Ivory-bills waiting to be found there.
Finally, in the "gotta-give-'em-a-plug" Dept. I noticed on the "Partners" section of Dan Mennill's Ivory-bill website several of the usual sorts of conservation participants, but then one a little more unusual, the Pelee Island Winery. If they support the search for the Ivory-bill then I'm all for... hic... supporting... hiccup... them... hic... (seriously, they look to be a very environmentally-conscious business deserving our patronage). Check out some of their red wines here, complete with birds on the labels, and then browse the rest of their site:
http://www.peleeisland.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_main.html?catid=5
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Friday, October 06, 2006
Thursday, October 05, 2006
-- Those Nonchalant Florida Birders --
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Laura Erickson, at the Veracruz conference, posted some thoughts/impressions on her blog following Dr. Hill's and Mennill's presentation at yesterday's proceedings: http://www.birderblog.com/post.php?id=1591
I think it worth pointing out that while in front of such a professional gathering Dr. Hill must speak modestly and of the need for yet further (photographic) evidence to prove the Ivory-bill's existence, but there should be no doubt of his own personal certainty that he, Tyler Hicks, and Brian Rolek have all seen one or more Ivory-bills in the Florida Panhandle.
Maybe Floridians are just more accustomed than most folks to dealing with unusual and rare bird reports, or more particularly, maybe they're just more accustomed to hearing Ivory-bill rumors over the decades than other birders... It was somewhat interesting, during the months prior to the official Florida Ivory-bill announcement, when rumors were bubbling in many quarters, to see that nothing at all was showing up about it on Florida birding listserv postings. Now, even since the official announcement, relatively few Florida posters have concerned themselves with the woodpecker excitement in their own backyard. Since there have been many previous purported sightings in the Panhandle over time, I'm a bit surprised that the listserv has not seen a small rush of folks piping up to say that they too (or their friend, or brother, or mother-in-law) thought they saw an Ivory-bill in the Panhandle back in such-and-such a year but never reported it, or maybe such claims are being turned in through private channels (or it may simply be explainable by the small % of Fla. birders who actively participate in the Fla. listserv). In any event the nonchalant, unruffled reaction from Floridians, is still much preferred to the cynical, derisive tone emitted from some other quarters (...where a lot of folks are so gosh-darn sure of themselves they post under the "anonymous" handle). And just maybe if we ever truly know the total number of Ivory-bills throughout the state of Florida, it will indeed be something to be nonchalant about.
On a sidenote, Mike Collins posted this photo of some rather unusual bark-scaling in the Pearl River area (La.) yesterday; an Ivory-bill on meth. perhaps, or an Ivory-bill on Matisse???
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Laura Erickson, at the Veracruz conference, posted some thoughts/impressions on her blog following Dr. Hill's and Mennill's presentation at yesterday's proceedings: http://www.birderblog.com/post.php?id=1591
I think it worth pointing out that while in front of such a professional gathering Dr. Hill must speak modestly and of the need for yet further (photographic) evidence to prove the Ivory-bill's existence, but there should be no doubt of his own personal certainty that he, Tyler Hicks, and Brian Rolek have all seen one or more Ivory-bills in the Florida Panhandle.
Maybe Floridians are just more accustomed than most folks to dealing with unusual and rare bird reports, or more particularly, maybe they're just more accustomed to hearing Ivory-bill rumors over the decades than other birders... It was somewhat interesting, during the months prior to the official Florida Ivory-bill announcement, when rumors were bubbling in many quarters, to see that nothing at all was showing up about it on Florida birding listserv postings. Now, even since the official announcement, relatively few Florida posters have concerned themselves with the woodpecker excitement in their own backyard. Since there have been many previous purported sightings in the Panhandle over time, I'm a bit surprised that the listserv has not seen a small rush of folks piping up to say that they too (or their friend, or brother, or mother-in-law) thought they saw an Ivory-bill in the Panhandle back in such-and-such a year but never reported it, or maybe such claims are being turned in through private channels (or it may simply be explainable by the small % of Fla. birders who actively participate in the Fla. listserv). In any event the nonchalant, unruffled reaction from Floridians, is still much preferred to the cynical, derisive tone emitted from some other quarters (...where a lot of folks are so gosh-darn sure of themselves they post under the "anonymous" handle). And just maybe if we ever truly know the total number of Ivory-bills throughout the state of Florida, it will indeed be something to be nonchalant about.
On a sidenote, Mike Collins posted this photo of some rather unusual bark-scaling in the Pearl River area (La.) yesterday; an Ivory-bill on meth. perhaps, or an Ivory-bill on Matisse???
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Wednesday, October 04, 2006
-- One Year Ago --
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Nobel Prizes are currently being doled out, which reminded me of the blog post here from one year ago, and worth repeating:
Speaking of Ivory-bills, Laura Erickson reports that a talk on the Florida Ivorybill find will be given today over the lunch hour at the conference in Veracruz. Don't expect the talk to have anything new that hasn't already been released, but a chance to gauge some of the reaction to it.
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Nobel Prizes are currently being doled out, which reminded me of the blog post here from one year ago, and worth repeating:
" A couple days ago Larry Marshall and Robin Warren won the 2005 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discovery almost 25 years ago that a bacterium helicobacter pylori was the cause of most stomach ulcers and gastritis. At the time (when it was widely believed ulcers were caused by over-acidity) peers called the contention "preposterous," since bacteria obviously couldn't survive in stomach acid. The findings and discoverers were shunned and denigrated, and it took many years for Marshall and Warren to prove themselves right and the skeptics wrong. Today researchers are looking at what role microbes may play in many other inflammatory ailments, no longer scoffing at this one-time un-establishment notion. Medicine is a field full of instances of entrenched 'accepted knowledge' being overturned in time. So too... field biology."No matter how many people voice a given dogma (in our case Ivory-bill extinction), it doesn't make it so, especially when so little evidence exists to support it. However, in time, regardless of how many are voicing the dogma, they may all appear foolish if the evidence becomes clearcut in favor of a long-held minority view. And at that point the credibility and competency of the dogma-worshippers becomes open to question on additional matters...
Speaking of Ivory-bills, Laura Erickson reports that a talk on the Florida Ivorybill find will be given today over the lunch hour at the conference in Veracruz. Don't expect the talk to have anything new that hasn't already been released, but a chance to gauge some of the reaction to it.
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Tuesday, October 03, 2006
-- Nokuse Plantation --
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While biding time a bit, may want to read about how the beautiful and private, 50,000+ acre Nokuse Plantation, near the Chocatwhatchee WMA, is joining forces with the Auburn team in the search for the Ivory-bill in the Florida panhandle:
http://www.nokuse.org/ibwo.htm
For folks thinking of heading down to the Florida panhandle for a look-see, keep in mind that the Chipola-Apalachicola bottomland areas east of the Choctawhatchee, and the Escambia River forest west of the Choctawhatchee are other areas of intense interest for the Ivory-bill. Throughout Florida, and the entire southeast for that matter, there are so many acres of difficult or limited accessibility, which have only had truly cursory attention by birders over the last half century.
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While biding time a bit, may want to read about how the beautiful and private, 50,000+ acre Nokuse Plantation, near the Chocatwhatchee WMA, is joining forces with the Auburn team in the search for the Ivory-bill in the Florida panhandle:
http://www.nokuse.org/ibwo.htm
For folks thinking of heading down to the Florida panhandle for a look-see, keep in mind that the Chipola-Apalachicola bottomland areas east of the Choctawhatchee, and the Escambia River forest west of the Choctawhatchee are other areas of intense interest for the Ivory-bill. Throughout Florida, and the entire southeast for that matter, there are so many acres of difficult or limited accessibility, which have only had truly cursory attention by birders over the last half century.
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Monday, October 02, 2006
-- Back To The Pearl, and Elsewhere --
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Over the weekend Mike Collins reported that he and another individual saw an Ivory-bill in flight at the Pearl River area in Louisiana. According to Mike they were led to this specific locale by a report passed along from Geoff Hill (of the Fla. sightings) regarding yet another person's recent claim.
Birders are arriving in Veracruz for the conference that gets underway tomorrow. Don't know if I'll get any direct reports from the meeting itself but Laura Erickson, who is there, will no doubt be reporting updates on her blog, as time and internet access allows. Will be interesting to hear how Dr. Hill's and Mennill's work is received since it probably raises as many (or more) questions than it renders answers for. Especially interesting is their use of "bark adhesion" measurements as a potential indicator of Ivory-bill presence (I'm not aware of this sign ever being empirically used before). It involves a great many difficult-to-integrate variables, but if their data stand up under scrutiny it may hold much promise for the study of other forest tracts (ASSUMING similar foraging habits in IBWOs from different geographic locales -- likely, but not necessarily the case).
And in the "fancy-meeting-you-here" dept. a birder on the Fla. listserv noted running into Bobby Harrison (of Big Woods IBWO fame) along the Choctawhatchee River of all places this weekend... hmmm, what'ya bet he was packin' binocs, a camera, and some home-made decoys???
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Over the weekend Mike Collins reported that he and another individual saw an Ivory-bill in flight at the Pearl River area in Louisiana. According to Mike they were led to this specific locale by a report passed along from Geoff Hill (of the Fla. sightings) regarding yet another person's recent claim.
Birders are arriving in Veracruz for the conference that gets underway tomorrow. Don't know if I'll get any direct reports from the meeting itself but Laura Erickson, who is there, will no doubt be reporting updates on her blog, as time and internet access allows. Will be interesting to hear how Dr. Hill's and Mennill's work is received since it probably raises as many (or more) questions than it renders answers for. Especially interesting is their use of "bark adhesion" measurements as a potential indicator of Ivory-bill presence (I'm not aware of this sign ever being empirically used before). It involves a great many difficult-to-integrate variables, but if their data stand up under scrutiny it may hold much promise for the study of other forest tracts (ASSUMING similar foraging habits in IBWOs from different geographic locales -- likely, but not necessarily the case).
And in the "fancy-meeting-you-here" dept. a birder on the Fla. listserv noted running into Bobby Harrison (of Big Woods IBWO fame) along the Choctawhatchee River of all places this weekend... hmmm, what'ya bet he was packin' binocs, a camera, and some home-made decoys???
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Saturday, September 30, 2006
-- How To Get An Ivory-bill Picture --
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thankfully, in time for the upcoming search season, this just in from the desk of David Letterman....
TOP 10 Ways To Get a Photo of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker:
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10. Sneak up on it from behind.
9. Use ‘Google Earth' to zoom in on the Florida panhandle and look for a foraging Ivory-bill; as soon as you spot it snap a screen shot.
8. Travel to the swamp; nail ads to bark-scaled trees saying you’re a photographer with Playbird Magazine seeking centerfold applicants for the April issue; see who shows up.
7. Use mental telepathy... or, if that fails, pray a lot... or, if that fails, use Photoshop.
6. Take a canoe ride with David Luneau.
5. Using a swinging pocketwatch hypnotize the bird, putting it to sleep; then snap all the pictures you want.
4. Strategically place signs in the bayou announcing, “big, juicy, scrumptious, wood-boring beetle larvae sold here!” When an Ivory-bill stops by to check out your prices take its picture.
3. While you’re in the swamp just ask Bigfoot where to find one.
2. Use an MRI machine to take a photo of one of cyberthrush’s nightly dreams.
1. Simple, Sherlock: find Ivory-bill poop; look up; snap a picture!!!
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thankfully, in time for the upcoming search season, this just in from the desk of David Letterman....
TOP 10 Ways To Get a Photo of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Sneak up on it from behind.
9. Use ‘Google Earth' to zoom in on the Florida panhandle and look for a foraging Ivory-bill; as soon as you spot it snap a screen shot.
8. Travel to the swamp; nail ads to bark-scaled trees saying you’re a photographer with Playbird Magazine seeking centerfold applicants for the April issue; see who shows up.
7. Use mental telepathy... or, if that fails, pray a lot... or, if that fails, use Photoshop.
6. Take a canoe ride with David Luneau.
5. Using a swinging pocketwatch hypnotize the bird, putting it to sleep; then snap all the pictures you want.
4. Strategically place signs in the bayou announcing, “big, juicy, scrumptious, wood-boring beetle larvae sold here!” When an Ivory-bill stops by to check out your prices take its picture.
3. While you’re in the swamp just ask Bigfoot where to find one.
2. Use an MRI machine to take a photo of one of cyberthrush’s nightly dreams.
1. Simple, Sherlock: find Ivory-bill poop; look up; snap a picture!!!
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Friday, September 29, 2006
-- Reminders --
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Rightfully so, the Florida news has captured everyone's attention lately, but no one should forget that this winter there will also be organized searches in Arkansas, Texas, and South Carolina at a minimum; and if you time it right you can participate in at least two different states. I would hope that some level of official, organized (academic or FWS-sponsored) searching would take place in Louisiana, Mississippi, southern Georgia, southern Alabama, and western Tennessee as well, but don't know what the chances are. Probably those birders both willing and able to commit to such exploits will already be spread thin enough with just those first four states.
This year's AOU meeting in Veracruz, Mexico, begins Oct 3. Thank goodness all the Florida stuff is out on the table ahead of time so that attendees can actually have some intelligent discussion of it. What may be just as interesting as any empirical discussion of the evidence will be the more human elements, reactions, emotions, chatter, controversy, exhibited. This whole topic is such a hot potato by now, I suspect we will witness the same hesitancy (even cowardice I would say) on the part of many ornithologists to stick their necks out or take the issue seriously as has been exhibited for 50 years -- fearing to voice the minority view that Ivory-bills survive. Rather than take a proactive stance for fear it might turn out to be wrong, they'll instead sit back in a do-nothing-say-nothing, cautious, wait-and-see posture. In the meantime the life of a species hangs in the balance. It is ashame that at a time when we should be encouraging all possible reports/claims from credible sources to be turned in cynics, with their derision, negativity, antagonism, general disparagement are once again discouraging/hindering such disclosures. In regard to the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and the majority of birders/ornithologists who ought to be on its side, that old adage seems to hold forth: "with friends like these who needs enemies."
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Rightfully so, the Florida news has captured everyone's attention lately, but no one should forget that this winter there will also be organized searches in Arkansas, Texas, and South Carolina at a minimum; and if you time it right you can participate in at least two different states. I would hope that some level of official, organized (academic or FWS-sponsored) searching would take place in Louisiana, Mississippi, southern Georgia, southern Alabama, and western Tennessee as well, but don't know what the chances are. Probably those birders both willing and able to commit to such exploits will already be spread thin enough with just those first four states.
This year's AOU meeting in Veracruz, Mexico, begins Oct 3. Thank goodness all the Florida stuff is out on the table ahead of time so that attendees can actually have some intelligent discussion of it. What may be just as interesting as any empirical discussion of the evidence will be the more human elements, reactions, emotions, chatter, controversy, exhibited. This whole topic is such a hot potato by now, I suspect we will witness the same hesitancy (even cowardice I would say) on the part of many ornithologists to stick their necks out or take the issue seriously as has been exhibited for 50 years -- fearing to voice the minority view that Ivory-bills survive. Rather than take a proactive stance for fear it might turn out to be wrong, they'll instead sit back in a do-nothing-say-nothing, cautious, wait-and-see posture. In the meantime the life of a species hangs in the balance. It is ashame that at a time when we should be encouraging all possible reports/claims from credible sources to be turned in cynics, with their derision, negativity, antagonism, general disparagement are once again discouraging/hindering such disclosures. In regard to the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and the majority of birders/ornithologists who ought to be on its side, that old adage seems to hold forth: "with friends like these who needs enemies."
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Thursday, September 28, 2006
-- ...And Another Commentary --
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Thanks to Laura Erickson for clueing me in to this IBWO commentary, in the Miami Herald, from a 'developers' point-of-view:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15624722.htm
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Thanks to Laura Erickson for clueing me in to this IBWO commentary, in the Miami Herald, from a 'developers' point-of-view:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15624722.htm
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-- Are We Having Fun Yet!? --
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Here we go again... the bashing of the Florida Ivory-bill sightings and sighters is under full-swing from the Ivory-bills-are-extinct-because-we-say-so crowd. It is clear that until photographic evidence is obtained other forms of evidence for the existence of Ivory-bills are virtually a moot point in many quarters at this point. This is a horrible state-of-affairs (given again that it is based on an unsupported presumption of the bird's extinction), but it forces the hand of all those doing searches --- effort that might better be expended in other ways and study, must now be concentrated on attaining the demanded photographic evidence, before other progress can follow. With that in mind, just a few suggestions regarding the forthcoming Florida winter search:
1. whenever possible searchers should operate in pairs (one of whom carries a videocamera), and should proceed from opposite ends of search areas -- i.e., if a main search area is a 3 mi. stretch along the Choctawhatchee, half the search teams start at the north end (both sides of river and in the river itself) moving slowly south and half at the south end moving north.
2. at least one person (maybe more) on the project should have significant, if not professional-level, photography skills, operating a quality zoom camera (not just a videocam) under the given habitat conditions. This person need not even be a knowledgeable birder, but rather have the requisite wildlife photography skills and experience.
3. until photographic evidence is obtained, concentrate time looking for and monitoring FRESHLY-made scrapings and cavities, and less time on cataloguing all cavities and foraging signs, and thoroughly search such areas for feathers-of-interest as well. In areas of fresh appearing scrapings slather a molasses-type product on nearby tree trunks/stumps to try and further attract the birds (or attract insects that will attract the birds). Frankly, spend less time in general on sound recordings (but of course monitor areas from which sounds emanate), field notes, routine data collection, going to the bathroom(!), etc. until the necessary video/photo is obtained --- in short, initially forego a lot of normal and potentially valuable study data, in favor of simply documenting the species photographically. Once obtained then the study can proceed in the comprehensive manner that is most important. It is a sad state of affairs when one feels compelled to tell a team of scientists, "DON'T do research for the time being, do PHOTOGRAPHY," but that is where we've arrived at in the current Bizarro world of ornithology. One wonders what scientists a century henceforth will think when they look back at the foolishness of those who would let a species die by sheer neglect for lack of a pretty picture.
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Wednesday, September 27, 2006
-- Summary of Links --
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Just a quick summary of some of the most relevant links from the last 24 hrs. (on Fla. Ivory-bills):
Dr. Geoff Hill's Auburn webpage on the Florida discovery:
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/science_math/cosam/departments/biology/faculty/webpages/hill/ivorybill/index.html
Dr. Dan Mennill's (collaborator with Dr. Hill) website on the discovery and evidence:
http://web2.uwindsor.ca/courses/biology/dmennill/IBWO/IBWOindex.php
current issue of online journal Avian Conservation and Ecology including Dr. Hill et.al.'s research:
http://www.ace-eco.org/
To apply for a position with the Auburn team as a field tech this winter:
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/science_math/cosam/departments/biology/faculty/webpages/hill/ivorybill/Join.html
Good newspaper coverage of the Florida find:
http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/2006/as-columns-0925-jflemingcol-6i25u1829.htm
Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission report on "historical distribution and habitat" for Ivory-bills in the state:
http://myFWC.com/imperiledspecies/reports/FloridaReportRecoveryPlanFinal_June06.pdf
Radio program ("Wildside News") including an interview with Dr. Hill:
http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/wildsidenews/wsnsegments/092806a.wax
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Just a quick summary of some of the most relevant links from the last 24 hrs. (on Fla. Ivory-bills):
Dr. Geoff Hill's Auburn webpage on the Florida discovery:
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/science_math/cosam/departments/biology/faculty/webpages/hill/ivorybill/index.html
Dr. Dan Mennill's (collaborator with Dr. Hill) website on the discovery and evidence:
http://web2.uwindsor.ca/courses/biology/dmennill/IBWO/IBWOindex.php
current issue of online journal Avian Conservation and Ecology including Dr. Hill et.al.'s research:
http://www.ace-eco.org/
To apply for a position with the Auburn team as a field tech this winter:
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/science_math/cosam/departments/biology/faculty/webpages/hill/ivorybill/Join.html
Good newspaper coverage of the Florida find:
http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/2006/as-columns-0925-jflemingcol-6i25u1829.htm
Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission report on "historical distribution and habitat" for Ivory-bills in the state:
http://myFWC.com/imperiledspecies/reports/FloridaReportRecoveryPlanFinal_June06.pdf
Radio program ("Wildside News") including an interview with Dr. Hill:
http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/wildsidenews/wsnsegments/092806a.wax
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Tuesday, September 26, 2006
-- Florida Cliff Notes --
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Here's a brief summary and commentary of the news from Florida -- and I want to stress people should still read as much of the online material on their own as they can in order to get a sense of the detail I am leaving out:
In May of 2005 experienced birder Tyler Hicks (while with 2 other people from Auburn University) spotted an Ivory-bill in flight along the Choctawhatchee river in the Florida panhandle. Since then at least 13 credible sightings have been recorded by the Auburn team consisting of lead investigator Dr. Geoff Hill, Dr. Dan Mennill of U. of Windsor (in Canada), and grad students Brian Rolek, Tyler Hicks, and Kyle Swinston. Hicks' 2 sightings are regarded as 2 of the most detailed (including sighting a female), but Rolek has actually had 10 of the total sightings. Also worth noting, 2 of the sightings were of a pair of the birds. Dr. Hill is quoted as saying, "I am 100% positive I saw an Ivory-bill," and additionally as commenting in regards to the amassed evidence, "I can't imagine how we could be wrong."
7 observers to the area heard either "kent" calls or double-knocks as associated with IBWOs, and these occurred over 41 separate occasions. As many as 50 kent calls and 45 double-knocks occurred during the single greatest instance. 7 automatic recording units that were put in place recorded 210 instances of possible kent calls, and 99 possible double-knocks.
Numerous large cavities were found in the area including 131 that were measured and catalogued. Significant instances of bark scaling were also documented, including the tightness of the bark-adherence, which in some cases only an Ivory-bill could likely accomplish.
The Choctawhatchee has ~60 km of bottomland habitat likely suitable for IBWOs, only a small patch of which was actively explored. Dr. Hill DOES NOT want the specific location of their study given out, for obvious reasons, and would like the birds and his team to be left undisturbed when on premises. However, he does list several other areas on his webpage along the Chocawhatchee that are worthy of study (also, they found no evidence for IBWO north of the Choctawhatchee in Alabama). And I'll just add that there are areas in every single southern state, and also Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky that need some attention, so, please, don't everyone think of rushing to the Florida panhandle. Again I would surmise that IBWOs exist in a minimum of 5 states and possibly as many as 9.
Though the team involved in this find is thoroughly convinced of the presence of Ivory-bills, they concede that in today's atmosphere their evidence falls short of 'definitive, due to the lack of adequate video/photo documentation (they have some very poor video/photo, which they have chosen, I think wisely, not to release -- in today's atmosphere, as they have acknowledged, having no video/photo is better than having fuzzy video/photo, which simply distracts from the rest of the evidence).
Now, for some commentary -- just initial reaction from my first go-over of the data/evidence:
1. any such bottomland backwater area is likely to include many large woodpecker cavities; I don't find anything very convincing in the specific cavities that are exhibited on the website, despite the measurements, which in some cases might be indicative of IBWO (but could've been enlarged by other means or animals, as well). Many of the photoed holes seem clearly not to be IBWO and I'm not clear what the purpose of even including them on the site is (unless it is strictly for comparative purposes).
2. auditory evidence is always difficult to assess due to many variables; the sheer volume of it here however is rather impressive; the fact that 'kents' and double-knocks are often found in conjunction with one-another, and also in conjunction with major bark-scaling is certainly enticing, as well as the fact that so much was picked up on ARUs in addition to what humans heard; intriguing evidence to be sure, but not conclusive.
3. the scaling of tightly-adhering bark (assuming the measurements are accurate) is a very suggestive sign, although in general, we are not at a point yet where scalings can be diagnostic yet for either PIWO or IBWO.
4. finally, yet once again, what is most powerful in this evidence (in my view) are the human sightings/descriptions by credible, experienced birders who know Pileateds from IBWO -- at least 13 total -- including again, different days, different angles, different observers, and sightings of female birds (and yes, there happen to be field notes as well).
From my standpoint we are dealing here with Ivory-bills until shown otherwise, because those on-site who should know, believe so --- this is opposite of how skeptics choose to see it ('they saw Pileateds until proven otherwise'), because of their underlying, ill-supported, but unwavering belief in Ivory-bill extinction which skews their perception of any gathered evidence.
In fairness to skeptics though, let me concede that this still could all be an elaborate hoax involving cleverly-made, remote-controlled mechanical decoys (at least I know of NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER ruling this out) --- until someone catches and cuts open one of these Florida specimens to see if perchance they are filled with mere electromechanical circuits and hardware, in place of muscle and internal organs, we must be open to all alternative explanations... or so at least may run the next line of argument from some cynic out there!! It won't surprise me. Seriously, I fear the eventual result of all this controversy, in an area that simply cannot be policed, will at some point be delivery of a dead carcass. And THEN, maybe, perhaps, we'll ALL be convinced.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's a brief summary and commentary of the news from Florida -- and I want to stress people should still read as much of the online material on their own as they can in order to get a sense of the detail I am leaving out:
In May of 2005 experienced birder Tyler Hicks (while with 2 other people from Auburn University) spotted an Ivory-bill in flight along the Choctawhatchee river in the Florida panhandle. Since then at least 13 credible sightings have been recorded by the Auburn team consisting of lead investigator Dr. Geoff Hill, Dr. Dan Mennill of U. of Windsor (in Canada), and grad students Brian Rolek, Tyler Hicks, and Kyle Swinston. Hicks' 2 sightings are regarded as 2 of the most detailed (including sighting a female), but Rolek has actually had 10 of the total sightings. Also worth noting, 2 of the sightings were of a pair of the birds. Dr. Hill is quoted as saying, "I am 100% positive I saw an Ivory-bill," and additionally as commenting in regards to the amassed evidence, "I can't imagine how we could be wrong."
7 observers to the area heard either "kent" calls or double-knocks as associated with IBWOs, and these occurred over 41 separate occasions. As many as 50 kent calls and 45 double-knocks occurred during the single greatest instance. 7 automatic recording units that were put in place recorded 210 instances of possible kent calls, and 99 possible double-knocks.
Numerous large cavities were found in the area including 131 that were measured and catalogued. Significant instances of bark scaling were also documented, including the tightness of the bark-adherence, which in some cases only an Ivory-bill could likely accomplish.
The Choctawhatchee has ~60 km of bottomland habitat likely suitable for IBWOs, only a small patch of which was actively explored. Dr. Hill DOES NOT want the specific location of their study given out, for obvious reasons, and would like the birds and his team to be left undisturbed when on premises. However, he does list several other areas on his webpage along the Chocawhatchee that are worthy of study (also, they found no evidence for IBWO north of the Choctawhatchee in Alabama). And I'll just add that there are areas in every single southern state, and also Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky that need some attention, so, please, don't everyone think of rushing to the Florida panhandle. Again I would surmise that IBWOs exist in a minimum of 5 states and possibly as many as 9.
Though the team involved in this find is thoroughly convinced of the presence of Ivory-bills, they concede that in today's atmosphere their evidence falls short of 'definitive, due to the lack of adequate video/photo documentation (they have some very poor video/photo, which they have chosen, I think wisely, not to release -- in today's atmosphere, as they have acknowledged, having no video/photo is better than having fuzzy video/photo, which simply distracts from the rest of the evidence).
Now, for some commentary -- just initial reaction from my first go-over of the data/evidence:
1. any such bottomland backwater area is likely to include many large woodpecker cavities; I don't find anything very convincing in the specific cavities that are exhibited on the website, despite the measurements, which in some cases might be indicative of IBWO (but could've been enlarged by other means or animals, as well). Many of the photoed holes seem clearly not to be IBWO and I'm not clear what the purpose of even including them on the site is (unless it is strictly for comparative purposes).
2. auditory evidence is always difficult to assess due to many variables; the sheer volume of it here however is rather impressive; the fact that 'kents' and double-knocks are often found in conjunction with one-another, and also in conjunction with major bark-scaling is certainly enticing, as well as the fact that so much was picked up on ARUs in addition to what humans heard; intriguing evidence to be sure, but not conclusive.
3. the scaling of tightly-adhering bark (assuming the measurements are accurate) is a very suggestive sign, although in general, we are not at a point yet where scalings can be diagnostic yet for either PIWO or IBWO.
4. finally, yet once again, what is most powerful in this evidence (in my view) are the human sightings/descriptions by credible, experienced birders who know Pileateds from IBWO -- at least 13 total -- including again, different days, different angles, different observers, and sightings of female birds (and yes, there happen to be field notes as well).
From my standpoint we are dealing here with Ivory-bills until shown otherwise, because those on-site who should know, believe so --- this is opposite of how skeptics choose to see it ('they saw Pileateds until proven otherwise'), because of their underlying, ill-supported, but unwavering belief in Ivory-bill extinction which skews their perception of any gathered evidence.
In fairness to skeptics though, let me concede that this still could all be an elaborate hoax involving cleverly-made, remote-controlled mechanical decoys (at least I know of NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER ruling this out) --- until someone catches and cuts open one of these Florida specimens to see if perchance they are filled with mere electromechanical circuits and hardware, in place of muscle and internal organs, we must be open to all alternative explanations... or so at least may run the next line of argument from some cynic out there!! It won't surprise me. Seriously, I fear the eventual result of all this controversy, in an area that simply cannot be policed, will at some point be delivery of a dead carcass. And THEN, maybe, perhaps, we'll ALL be convinced.
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-- Florida IBWO Webpage/ Addendum --
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Dr. Geoff Hill's IBWO webpage appears to be back up at same URL used yesterday (can't tell at a quick glance what changes/updates there may be), but assume this is the updated version. It includes a link to their online journal article.
Having a lot of problems this morning uploading posts on Blogger --- great timing Blogger ! : - (((
I know some others around the country are having same difficulty, so not sure how often I'll be on today, but at some point today or tomorrow will try to summarize the Florida findings. In the meantime read and digest... For others having same difficulty I did have some luck switching from Firefox to a different browser just for uploading purposes, FWIW.
===> Addendum: those interested in APPLYING FOR POSITIONS with the search team can go directly to this page for application info:
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/science_math/cosam/departments/biology/faculty/webpages/hill/ivorybill/Join.html
Also, just realized that the first issue of the online journal in which Dr. Hill's paper appears contains an additional Ivory-bill article (essay) on saving the the species' habitat:
http://www.ace-eco.org/vol1/iss1/art6/
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Dr. Geoff Hill's IBWO webpage appears to be back up at same URL used yesterday (can't tell at a quick glance what changes/updates there may be), but assume this is the updated version. It includes a link to their online journal article.
Having a lot of problems this morning uploading posts on Blogger --- great timing Blogger ! : - (((
I know some others around the country are having same difficulty, so not sure how often I'll be on today, but at some point today or tomorrow will try to summarize the Florida findings. In the meantime read and digest... For others having same difficulty I did have some luck switching from Firefox to a different browser just for uploading purposes, FWIW.
===> Addendum: those interested in APPLYING FOR POSITIONS with the search team can go directly to this page for application info:
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/science_math/cosam/departments/biology/faculty/webpages/hill/ivorybill/Join.html
Also, just realized that the first issue of the online journal in which Dr. Hill's paper appears contains an additional Ivory-bill article (essay) on saving the the species' habitat:
http://www.ace-eco.org/vol1/iss1/art6/
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-- More Reading --
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Given that we have yet to see a summary report of last season's Arkansas search come out of Cornell yet, good article here on the past and upcoming more-streamlined Cornell efforts:
http://www.cornellsun.com/node/18563
If you like being able to say "I read it in The New York Times" you can peruse their initial (somewhat weak) coverage of the Florida find here (requires free registration), but hardly worth bothering with since the Anniston article below is MUCH better.
Also, for anyone interested in a one-year position in South Carolina take a look at this post over on Birdchick's blog requesting applicants for an Ivory-bill search leader in prime S.C. locales:
http://www.birdchick.com/2006/09/ivory-billed-woodpecker-job.html
no doubt there will be many more coverages of the Florida news in next day or two, but once Dr. Hill's webpage is posted (soon) I probably won't cite very many other references unless they truly add additional news or perspective to the story.
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Given that we have yet to see a summary report of last season's Arkansas search come out of Cornell yet, good article here on the past and upcoming more-streamlined Cornell efforts:
http://www.cornellsun.com/node/18563
If you like being able to say "I read it in The New York Times" you can peruse their initial (somewhat weak) coverage of the Florida find here (requires free registration), but hardly worth bothering with since the Anniston article below is MUCH better.
Also, for anyone interested in a one-year position in South Carolina take a look at this post over on Birdchick's blog requesting applicants for an Ivory-bill search leader in prime S.C. locales:
http://www.birdchick.com/2006/09/ivory-billed-woodpecker-job.html
no doubt there will be many more coverages of the Florida news in next day or two, but once Dr. Hill's webpage is posted (soon) I probably won't cite very many other references unless they truly add additional news or perspective to the story.
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-- News Article --
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While awaiting the re-posting of Dr. Hill's Florida IBWO-sightings website it is worth reading this nice, extensive coverage of the announcement in the Anniston Star newspaper (if you need a registration to open the article you can get a free 24-hour trial under the "services" section). Some good quotes and additional info:
http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/2006/as-columns-0925-jflemingcol-6i25u1829.htm
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While awaiting the re-posting of Dr. Hill's Florida IBWO-sightings website it is worth reading this nice, extensive coverage of the announcement in the Anniston Star newspaper (if you need a registration to open the article you can get a free 24-hour trial under the "services" section). Some good quotes and additional info:
http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/2006/as-columns-0925-jflemingcol-6i25u1829.htm
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Monday, September 25, 2006
-- The Florida Announcement + Addendum--
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The announcement of Ivory-bills found in Florida was, by mistake, briefly posted on the internet today 24 hours earlier than intended. It has since been removed and I assume will be re-posted on Tues. as originally intended. Even though many saw the site and have begun reporting on it, following the original plan I will leave out most details and simpy relay in a general way what will be found there:
multiple sightings of Ivory-bills by multiple individuals, including 10 sightings by one individual alone, have been recorded within a small area on the Florida panhandle over about a 15-month period; these include a clear sighting of a female in flight by Tyler Hicks (as most know, FEMALE sightings are particularly significant in IBWO reports). There have also been a significant number of detections of Ivory-bills by sound, both by humans on site and by automatic recorders. Scrapings and large cavities also recorded.
However, due to the current lack of adequate video/photographic evidence or direct DNA evidence the authors are unable to call their find absolutely definitive at this point in time, although they themselves are confident of the presence of Ivory-bills and obviously searching will proceed this winter. Many skeptics who now have a very vested interest in Ivory-bills never being found or confirmed will no doubt latch onto this lack of videotape to continue their cause. The team involved will be releasing all of their evidence for public perusal (except for the precise location of the sightings, for obvious reasons), and will be further presenting the evidence both in publication form and at the AOU meeting next week. Assuming their IBWO website is re-posted tomorrow I will link to it at that time, possibly with further comment (or I may have no further comment 'til after the AOU presentation).
Addendum: I've been informed the website mistakenly posted today is also an OUTDATED version with some old information; so tomorrow morning please be sure and link to the updated version (I assume this means possibly a new URL).
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The announcement of Ivory-bills found in Florida was, by mistake, briefly posted on the internet today 24 hours earlier than intended. It has since been removed and I assume will be re-posted on Tues. as originally intended. Even though many saw the site and have begun reporting on it, following the original plan I will leave out most details and simpy relay in a general way what will be found there:
multiple sightings of Ivory-bills by multiple individuals, including 10 sightings by one individual alone, have been recorded within a small area on the Florida panhandle over about a 15-month period; these include a clear sighting of a female in flight by Tyler Hicks (as most know, FEMALE sightings are particularly significant in IBWO reports). There have also been a significant number of detections of Ivory-bills by sound, both by humans on site and by automatic recorders. Scrapings and large cavities also recorded.
However, due to the current lack of adequate video/photographic evidence or direct DNA evidence the authors are unable to call their find absolutely definitive at this point in time, although they themselves are confident of the presence of Ivory-bills and obviously searching will proceed this winter. Many skeptics who now have a very vested interest in Ivory-bills never being found or confirmed will no doubt latch onto this lack of videotape to continue their cause. The team involved will be releasing all of their evidence for public perusal (except for the precise location of the sightings, for obvious reasons), and will be further presenting the evidence both in publication form and at the AOU meeting next week. Assuming their IBWO website is re-posted tomorrow I will link to it at that time, possibly with further comment (or I may have no further comment 'til after the AOU presentation).
Addendum: I've been informed the website mistakenly posted today is also an OUTDATED version with some old information; so tomorrow morning please be sure and link to the updated version (I assume this means possibly a new URL).
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-- The N.C. Chainsaw Massacre --
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This article isn't about Ivory-bills, but it does give some indication of why any discovery of Ivory-bills can't just be announced willy-nilly to the public in the manner a lot of cynics might like to have done. A lot of preparation and planning (months if not well over a year) must precede any such announcement... why?... because homo sapiens are boobs... read away.
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This article isn't about Ivory-bills, but it does give some indication of why any discovery of Ivory-bills can't just be announced willy-nilly to the public in the manner a lot of cynics might like to have done. A lot of preparation and planning (months if not well over a year) must precede any such announcement... why?... because homo sapiens are boobs... read away.
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Sunday, September 24, 2006
-- Fitzpatrick Talk --
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This article tells a little about the talk Ivory-bill sighter Jim Fitzpatrick gave at the Meadowlands a week ago. One passage caught my eye:
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This article tells a little about the talk Ivory-bill sighter Jim Fitzpatrick gave at the Meadowlands a week ago. One passage caught my eye:
"How the bird survived is the $64,000 question," he said. "The speculation is that while all of the bird's habitat was being removed, parts of the ivory billed woodpecker population were driven into the heart of the big thickets in Texas. There, away from people, it could have been breeding for decades"I've never heard this "theory" put forth before and don't know where it stems from. Personally, I have some doubts that any Ivory-bills remain in the Big Thicket, but wish this winter's searchers there the best of luck. What seems likely to me is that Ivory-bills have been breeding in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi all the while, and surviving along the bottomland river corridor system that links these states (and in many minds, of course, S. Carolina remains highly viable as well). The more intriguing question, by far though, is just how far north (in locales possibly rarely ever searched) might they have established themselves? In that regard folks may want to be on the lookout for an Ohio publication cited in this internet posting which apparently will discuss some of the historical evidence for the Ivory-bill in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.
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Friday, September 22, 2006
-- Final Note on Field Techs --
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To those of you who sent me your names/qualifications for the winter (NON-Cornell) IBWO study and have not heard anything back yet here is an update: as presumed, the P.I. is currently "swamped," not actively hiring at this moment, but will be soon. When the official announcement-of-the-finding is made there will be simultaneously a call for field techs; I would guess they'll be asking for a full resume and letter(s) of recommendation at that time. Watch for that notice (it should be easy to spot, and I'll no doubt link to it as well); when you see it respond with whatever is requested directly to the signified individual (some of you sent me fairly extensive 'blurbs' that were passed on, but an official resume will likely still be wanted). To the extent that there are qualified individuals who can free up enough time to take part in this project I'd expect the competition for slots to be significant. I'm already very excited for 2 people (including 1 personal acquaintance) who are joining the project team, and would love to see others of my readers get picked for this historic endeavor (...except uhhh, Tom Nelson probably need not apply, even though he reads me absolutely religiously).
Have a splendid weekend all; leaves are falling, it's a marvelous time of year... and, it's a marvelous time to be a birder in America.
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To those of you who sent me your names/qualifications for the winter (NON-Cornell) IBWO study and have not heard anything back yet here is an update: as presumed, the P.I. is currently "swamped," not actively hiring at this moment, but will be soon. When the official announcement-of-the-finding is made there will be simultaneously a call for field techs; I would guess they'll be asking for a full resume and letter(s) of recommendation at that time. Watch for that notice (it should be easy to spot, and I'll no doubt link to it as well); when you see it respond with whatever is requested directly to the signified individual (some of you sent me fairly extensive 'blurbs' that were passed on, but an official resume will likely still be wanted). To the extent that there are qualified individuals who can free up enough time to take part in this project I'd expect the competition for slots to be significant. I'm already very excited for 2 people (including 1 personal acquaintance) who are joining the project team, and would love to see others of my readers get picked for this historic endeavor (...except uhhh, Tom Nelson probably need not apply, even though he reads me absolutely religiously).
Have a splendid weekend all; leaves are falling, it's a marvelous time of year... and, it's a marvelous time to be a birder in America.
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