-- AOU Meeting --

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The American Ornithological Union's annual meeting opens in Laramie, Wyoming Wednesday, where Dr. Geoff Hill's group will present their latest evidence/analysis from Florida's Choctawhatchee area; at least a couple of possible sightings from the last season, further acoustic evidence, and the fuzzy video that was taken over a year ago (but never released) of a possible Ivory-bill will all be presented. Wouldn't expect any minds to change, and I'm not aware of Cornell even making any IBWO-related presentations this year. Nor likely that much significant Ivory-bill-related news will pop during the next couple months, of hot/humid summer (though automatic cameras continue to be monitored).
So again we're in a long wait for the winter search season to begin (and for the release of written summaries of the prior season). And again, we have possible sounds, cavities, foraging sign, and sightings that stretch across 50+ years, and lack only an agreed-upon photo, yet some wish to close the door on this story, just as it was closed in 1900, 1920, and the 1930's before Cornell documented the birds that non-birders had known were there all along. As for those who argue that money is being wasted I suspect someone could argue the same for a significant percentage of the presentations that will be given at the AOU, if so inclined (...former Sen.William Proxmire might have a field day if he saw the titles of some of those 'scientific' papers --- justifiable expenditures are often in the eye of the beholder).
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-- Quirky Blog --

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A slightly quirky Ivory-bill post from a slightly quirky website called "The Speculist" I was previously unfamiliar with, here:

http://www.blog.speculist.com/archives/001441.html

If you're into quirky things might want to check out some of his other posts (from a La. lawyer named Stephen Gordon and 2 others). And his right-hand blogroll here also looks strangely intriguing as well! --- although I haven't yet had a chance to check out many of the sites.

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-- Frustration Builds --

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A birder clearly frustrated with the status quo wrote this herein-edited post pertaining to the IBWO-search on the Carolinabirds listserv recently:

"...The fundamental problem is that people are pussyfooting around the problem.
The "professionals" need to set up nets at the sites where the birds are, and watch them as you watch the Kirtland Warbler nets, or better. BE there to extract the bird. All we need is probably one feather.
I do wonder why people are not vacuuming the supposed (larger diameter) IBWO nest cavities.
But, the "ornithologists" are not getting the job done. Maybe it was a Mission Impossible....
Either: do what it takes and find or not find evidence. Or: stop looking for IBWO and do something at which you are competent. Again, this is getting to be like the Yeti or some conspiracy theory. The dog ate my homework. Then the cat. Then some other excuse.

If the IBWO has survived 70 years unseen and today is in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Florida, then the population can take the chance of losing one bird as a net casualty. I have a feeling the chance of catching an IBWO is less than zero.
If one did net it and actually were present within 100 feet of the nets all the time the nets were on the poles, I think the chance of killing or injuring the bird is nil. The real problem will be getting injured by that bird, if one caught it. The nets need to be open at dawn and dusk. Maybe the professionals cannot be bothered to get up before dawn. Who knows?
I guess I am just frustrated by people giving us plausible descriptions of them seeing the bird, and no proof....

The so-called professionals aren't even listening to common sense. They are just playing games, building careers, empires, whatever. I am sure there are some people trying honestly.
But, I almost fell over in shock, a few months ago, when I was told that "That stuff there, about which you are inquiring when we will do it, was just written for Congress. We have no intention of doing what we wrote down as our intention." And that, my dears, is our Fish and Wildlife Service. I am still disappointed. Disillusioned.
At least I was told honestly what the attempted deception was. But that is too complex for me to accept as standard operating procedure. What I am saying is that there is something wrong with a society in which we institutionalize "whistle-blowing" because honesty is not ordinary."

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-- S. Carolinian Requests Assistance --

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South Carolinian Rip Lyttle is requesting assistance in his search for Ivory-bills in both South and North Carolina in this verbatim post from IBWO Researcher's Forum (see original post for contact information or go here):

"i have heard and recorded multiple double knocks and one clear kent call this summer in south carolina ( two locations ) and north carolina, lake waccamaw drainage.
my knocks have been evaluated by auburn/ windsor and cornell teams. geoff hill, dan mennill and brian rolek all like my double knocks recorded in sparkleberry swamp, and waccamaw drainage this may, july as likely ibwo. brian rolek has heard my kent call from 3rd location and writes its the same as their kent calls recorded in the panhandle.

i need to spend most of august, half of september, all of october in these 3 swamps trying to get video footage of the double knockers. i ask interested field researchers, kayakers to come to sc and help in this search with me if they wish. i have room in my trailer for short stays and have much extra camping gear, tents, etc. i have an extra kayak and inflatable canoe/ trolling mtr. i have a 15' jon boat with 20 hp motor. i have extra cameras, vid & audio recorders. i need competent stalkers, kayakers and birders to press the search more efficiently in deeper swamps in these key areas to catch the bird with cameras.

i propose 3-4 day camping trips with recovery days at trailer in conway, sc, and back out again camping ( kayaking and boating too) doing multi-day searches. any times you can visit, help search would be helpful, appreciated.

lets get that clear video, folks!
rip lyttle in conway, sc."

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-- Another Film --

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Apparently there's yet another Ivorybill-inspired film in-the-making, this one from independent film-maker Alex Karpovsky. Unlike other offerings on the subject which are more strictly documentary in nature this one is fictionalized and described as, "Exploring the twilight of uncertainty between narrative and documentary styles, all truth becomes subjective in this existential comedy about a troubled man desperately searching for an elusive bird, that may, or may not, be real." Ahh yes, more existentialism entering the IBWO debate; Camus would be proud!
I do like the title of the film though, "General Impression of Size and Shape," which pulls the emphasis back to where it should be, on whether or not experienced birders can accurately ID Ivory-bills based on GISS, rather than an emphasis on pixelated field marks.
Homepage for the film is here, but so far not too heavily filled in.

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-- Harrison Speaking --

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IBWO searcher Bobby Harrison speaks tomorrow (Friday) at noon at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. on the Ivory-bill saga. Smithsonian notice is here (July 27 entry):

http://www.mnh.si.edu/cal_events.html

... and come evening, you can go see The Simpsons Movie!

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-- Not Much Happenin' --

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Cornell's John Fitzpatrick will speak at a New Hampshire Science Center this coming Saturday on the ongoing search for Ivory-bills:

http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070720/CITIZEN_01/107200347/-1/CITIZEN

Fitzpatrick will be introduced by filmmaker George Butler whose 90-minute documentary "The Lord God Bird" is due for release in mid-September, having already been shown in pre-finished form at some independent film festivals. One suspects, even this, may not be the final final version.


On a sidenote, here's an online map of birding 'hotspots' for South Carolina (quite handy):

http://www.carolinabirdclub.org/sites/SC/
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