-- Texas Update --

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I've had my green tea now, and feeling a tad mellower ; - )

A reader sends in this link to an update on the Texas search:

http://www.gcbo.org/html/ivorybillchronicles5.pdf

As stated previously I'm not as hopeful about either TX. or S.C. (for IBWO presence) as some people are, but it's definitely good to know that such potential areas are getting a serious look-see as part of the overall search plan.
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-- Goood Moooorning, Viet Nam!!! --

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Some things, of course, are more important than the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, including, my country ('tis of thee)... today, a serious non-IBWO-related post:

Yada, yada, yada... Behold, looking like a deer in headlights, Bush has spoken --- if you pay close attention you can sometimes discern exactly when he is lying to the populace ('Don Rumsfield will stay on the job 'til the end of this Administration') by watching and noting carefully those precise moments when... his lips are moving. The oil-addicted Pretender-and-Chief, waterboy for Dick Cheney, seeks 22,000 additional troops for civil-war-torn Iraq --- oooh, oooooh!, I'll bet those insurgents are just shaking in their boots, now. Not so much new strategy, as new travesty; 4 years later, more of the same. Maaaaaybe 75,000+ additional troops could do the job Bush claims he wants done. But this is another Viet Nam style blip; more young men and women treated like so much paper towel to be wadded up and flicked into the fire; fodder for an enemy more skilled in guerrilla warfare, IEDs, and rope-a-doping America, than we are skilled at conventional warfare. The President, long aloof to the strata of society these sons and daughters are primarily drawn from, has hitched himself tautly to his own blind ego; not so much the Great Decider as the Great Delusionist. We, and our troops, deserve better.

We entered this war, as you recall, with the illustrious strategy of "shock and awe" --- a bombastic sham that, yes, would have scared the s__t out of OUR populace and OUR troops, but was little more than a cruel joke and lightshow for Iraqis jaded to war, terrorism, and brutality... it cost the taxpayer a pretty penny, like every day since, but the only one 'shocked and awed' was our own Defense Dept. at the sheer resiliency of the Iraqis. With further cultural/historical naivete and bravado, the Administration announced victory after Baghdad's fall, speaking (dreaming???) all-the-while of American occupiers uniformly greeted with flowers, chocolates, and kisses --- more armchair misjudgments and simplemindedness from nattering Neo-conservative nabobs who ironically lacked military experience among themselves or their offspring (in private industry they simply would've been fired, but, no, in this flunkie Administration they were rewarded and profitted handsomely --- expect Rumsfeld to receive the Presidential Medal (bribe) of Honor any month now).

...Now this lame(duck)-excuse-for-a-leader, surmises the Iraq answer is hidden in more troops. Deja vu all over again... Which part of Nam does he not quite remember? So the President, propped up on TV, addresses the American public as the herd of bleating sheep that Karl Rove informs him they are (...well, at least 51% of them). Some would like to know when Bush's "deep," "sincere" desire for democracy/freedom in the Mideast will translate into toppling that dictatorial regime in Saudi Arabia? (Oh, I forgot, if you lick our toes, you get a free pass.) Oligarchy, corporacracy, and puppet/muppet democracies are the forms of governance Bush respects. And though he won't say it out loud, everyone, including the insurgents, knows THERE IS a timetable to this war --- the 2008 American electoral races --- even with tampered election machines and hidden slush funds Republicans know they will suffer substantial losses at the voting booths if major progress in Iraq (and troop withdrawal) isn't made by then. If Bush is alive and in office in 2008 watch Republican candidates flee from him in Keystone Cops fashion.

As noted by others, our country has never before been so disrespected and distrusted by so many around the globe, including former staunch allies. Even George W. Sr. finds it alarming. In retrospect, and by comparison, our place in the world, as left behind by Bill Clinton, was idyllic.
No doubt Dick Cheney, irate over the dismissal of Donald Rumsfeld, will be looking to consolidate his power and influence over the next 14 months; the Negrapointe re-assignment may be the first sign of this shuffle. Meanwhile, Colin Powell has stepped tepidly away from the role of 'good soldier' and toward the role of good citizen, by speaking out a bit on what he knows of this Administration's modus operandi. He needs to say more... much more. The country/democracy he loves (at least as it once was), needs to hear from him.

There is NO good ending to the Iraq mess. We are a nation adrift, led by a ship of fools with narrow, sheltered, wealth-beholden interests; possibly the most deceitful, disreputable, preachy, unintelligent, untrustworthy, un-Christian, self-absorbed, money-grubbing, knuckle-dragging group of snake-oil salesmen and muckety-mucks ever to usurp and manipulate the presidency. May Thor help us!... as we try to escape the downward spiral toward worsening scenarios that careen our way, scrambling for the least bad ending of solely bad options. In 1966, J. William Fulbright published "The Arrogance of Power," and 40 years later his thesis is as fresh as ever. All hail the powers that be..., or,

Send letters, emails, faxes, phone calls... prayers, to anyone of influence (politicians, journalists, diplomats, the military, religious leaders...) who might carry some weight in determining our policy forward in Iraq, to fight Mr. Alfred E. Neuman's ill-begotten mad plans, as he prepares to stretch our already-impaired military even thinner leaving us further vulnerable at home and abroad. Maybe Mr. Bush's Machiavellian handlers can be shocked and awed into some common sense, by an outpouring/uproar of public opinion. The RESTORATION of America's place in the world will be disturbingly, painfully, excruciatingly, slow and grudging, but let it start NOW, and let it start with WE THE PEOPLE speaking up.


(...ohhh, and if you happen to disagree with this post, well then, n-n-n-n-n-nevermind.)

.... some additional reading:

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0109-20.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0105-23.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0105-22.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0109-24.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0106-31.htm
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-- Briefly Noted --

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For "Ivory-bill fans," a brief, pertinent note on bark scaling buried in Julie Zickefoose's blogpost today:

http://www.juliezickefoose.com/blog/2007/01/following-moss-muse.html

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-- Or Perhaps Not --

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"Perhaps we can dismiss the photographs that George Lowery presented to the ornithological community. Perhaps we can dismiss the sightings reported by Whitney Eastman. Perhaps we can dismiss the sightings by John Dennis. Perhaps we can explain away the Dennis' tape recordings that were analyzed by Hardy (1975). Maybe there is a miniscule chance that the recording made by Reynard (Reynard and Garrido 1989) isn't an Ivory-bill. Perhaps we can dismiss the response to tape recordings that were heard by Robert Manns, Malcolm Hodges, and myself or the birds heard by Fred Sibley and Ted Davis. But the list goes on and on --- right up to the present. If each of these observations has any probability at all of having been real, these probabilities add up. It is unlikely that all of these reports are misidentifications."

--- Jerome Jackson, reporting to US Fish & Wildlife in 1989 on the likelihood that the Ivory-bill was still extant

Perhaps John Terres, and Agey/Heinzmann, and Garratt, and Kulivan, and Gallagher/Harrison/Cornell, and Hill/Hicks/Rolek, and 100's of others, all got it wrong; each and every one of them.
....and perhaps, the moon is made of green cheese.

Cavities, sightings, 'sound detections,' update:

http://www.auburn.edu/academic/science_math/cosam/departments/
biology/faculty/webpages/hill/ivorybill/Updates.html

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-- Tanner Googled --

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As many likely know Google has been in the process of putting entire books online to be freely accessed. About a third of James Tanner's wonderful monograph "The Ivory-billed Woodpecker" is now available (don't know if they'll be adding to that soon or not):

http://books.google.com/books?id=0A7QNfzjnXIC&dq

This is the recent Dover edition available in bookstores < $15 (or, if you prefer, you can always look for an original Tanner monograph to show up on eBay for $500+ ...)
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-- One Birder's Experiment --

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One Michigan birder (and fence-sitting IBWO searcher) is conducting his own little field experiment in regards to attaining Ivory-bill documentation, substituting Pileateds as the subject; read about it here:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=143309933&blogID=213915643

The habitat being searched is not nearly as large or difficult to access as IBWO habitat, but at least he's making an attempt at some quantification.

Addendum: if you wish to follow his updates, this individual's blog is now at:

http://www.myspace.com/goodbirds
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-- Coming In February --

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Bobby Harrison's "Ivory-billed Woodpecker Foundation" has announced its "inaugural fund-raising gala" to be held 6:00 pm. Feb. 24 (anniversary of the Sparling sighting) in Huntsville, Alabama (at the ADRS Banquet Facility, 3000 Johnson Rd.). Keynote speakers are Bobby and Tim Gallagher, with Lynn Scarlett (Deputy Sec. of the Interior), Dr. James Tate of the IBWO Recovery Committee, and Mary Scott of BirdingAmerica and IBWO fame, also presenting. Asking for RSVPs by Feb 12, ph. 256-883-1166, and tickets are $35. I imagine all this info will soon be at the Foundation's website:

http://www.ibwfound.org

Correction: the Feb. 24th date is actually closer to the anniversary of the Harrison/Gallagher IBWO sighting than the Sparling sighting which was a couple weeks earlier.
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-- Books, Old & New --

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One of those assisting the Auburn team along the Choctawhatchee this season is a veterinarian out of North Carolina, Dr. Gregory Lewbart. Dr. Lewbart wrote possibly the only novel ever centered around the Ivory-billed Woodpecker back in 1996, well before all the current hoopla, entitled "Ivory Hunters: A Novel of Extinction." The action-adventure story revolves, somewhat presciently, around the discovery of Ivory-bills in the Big Cypress woods area of southern Florida. You can find used copies here on Amazon (and probably through other used book venues on the Web as well).

Amazon also is taking pre-orders for Dr. Hill's forthcoming book, "Ivory-bill Hunters: The Search For Proof In a Flooded Wilderness," on the Auburn find here, though I would urge those who can wait, to purchase it at your local area bookstore when available (Feb/Mar. --- they need your business more than Amazon! the Lewbart book, on-the-other-hand, is probably out-of-print and only available through the Web or occasionally in used bookshops).
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-- 1/1/07 --

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"If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people; people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear. People who can open to the web of life that called us into being, and who can rest in the vitality of that larger body." -- Joanna Macy

"Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished:
If you're alive, it isn't." -- Richard Bach

HAPPY 2007 ALL!! Carry on...

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-- Birder's World --

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Decent article, by Geoffrey Hill, in the latest Birder's World Magazine on the Auburn Ivory-bill find is available online here:

http://www.birdersworld.com/brd/default.aspx?c=a&id=823

Dr. Hill sounds confident his folks will document the Ivory-bill photographically this season with the "biggest and best-funded Ivory-bill search" of 2007 (Cornell having scaled back in Arkansas) --- in which case he will no doubt soon be writing a revision of his upcoming book, "Ivory-bill Hunters: The Search for Proof in a Flooded Wilderness" (due out around Feb. from Oxford University Press).

--- you may need to register (free) for access to the article.
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-- Truth Or Fiction --

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Update on the J. Stevenson matter/article :

Responses I've received, often from folks more familiar with Stevenson than am I, run the full gamut of opinion --- half or more lean toward believing Jim's account (but this may only reflect the bias of my readership; the remainder split between those believing the story bogus and those who just aren't sure). There is much in Jim's phrasing and writing style that I too find odd, but can explain away if I focus on the more plausible elements of the account. HOWEVER, there remain several significant aspects (I won't detail here) I've not been able to resolve to my satisfaction, and despite his birding credentials there are major concerns over Jim's credibility in various circles, stemming from prior experiences both in Fla. and TX. Enough doubts linger that I can't presume the authenticity of the claims Jim makes, without corroboration from a 2nd individual.
The very difficulty in substantiating the story is in itself suspicious. This doesn't mean I think it is pure fabrication; it means I don't know what to think, or what could be the purpose in authoring pure fiction on such a divisive topic. I DON'T believe (as some have suggested) that it is intended as satire or humor in any form (though it's possible Jim could claim this in a future confession); nor do I happen to think it is a simple effort at self-aggrandizement as others surmise. And that leaves me with but a very few options for the possible motive, which I also won't detail here. I will however remind folks that Jim is currently embroiled in a legal battle over his shooting of a feral cat, thus making the timing of this story even odder... (why is it released NOW, not after the Kulivan sighting, not after the Cornell announcement, nor even immediately following the Auburn news release, but NOW?).

Jim's father, Henry, was a highly-respected past ornithologist who covered the Ivory-bill in Florida (and saw one in 1950). It is unfortunate that his son has published a piece (and even dragged his father's name into it) which carries such a cloud over it, and now is reluctant to discuss the topic further, despite knowing what a can of worms he is spilling. One would hope for Jim's sake the matter resolves itself in his favor, but I'm not at all confident it will (and if not, being indicted for cat-killing, will be among the least of Jim's infamy). It could take awhile for the truth to emerge, although words from "Phyllis Sandburg" (Sandberg?), or the "top ornithologist" who received Jim's purported feathers, or the museum currently housing said feathers, could pretty quickly resolve the matter (if these principals are still alive) --- I'm not holding my breath...

Luckily, Jim's column, pertaining to IBWOs in the 70's/80's, makes little difference in terms of the Ivory-bill's possible presence in the southeast in 2006-7, but on-the-other-hand, if an outright hoax, it unnecessarily plays into the hands of those who need not be given any further ammo. If more evidence arrives that pushes my opinion in one direction or the other I'll update at that time, if warranted.
...And now, who will be the next contestant on "Truth Or Fiction," ...or ought we just call it "Jeopardy."
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-- Thur. Morning --

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Sometime late this afternoon or early evening I will likely post an update on the Jim Stevenson article. Sincere THANKS to all who have taken the time to send in specific info or views on this matter. MUCH appeciated (and a wide range of opinion has been expressed). I'm still waiting to potentially hear from a couple of people (or anyone else with pertinent last minute thoughts can send them along, as well).
In the meantime to tide you over, here's an unrelated and non-IBWO bird meditation posted by Mike McDowell a couple days ago:

http://www.birddigiscoping.com/2006/12/graced-with-birds.html

Addendum: Mike seems to have now deleted this particular post from his blog...

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-- U.S. Fish & Wildlife --

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U.S. Fish & Wildlife has issued a brief summary report of the status of Ivory-bill searching to this point:

http://www.fws.gov/ivorybill/QA-2006-2007search-season-12-21-2006.pdf

One of the more heartening statements reads as follows:

"Q: What if the 2006/2007 search season still yields no conclusive evidence?

A: The Service still deems it imperative to continue with searches until conclusive evidence is gathered. Enough credible information has surfaced that leads our agency to believe that isolated populations of the species may still exist. It is our responsibility to ensure that we are making the appropriate decisions with regard to habitat management."

So many of the short-sighted skeptical or even fence-sitting sorts are grousing that if no definitive documentation is found this season then the searching ought to end. The real searching has barely begun --- it should end when it is completed, however many years it takes to cover the widely disparate territory from which credible reports emanate... and not a moment beforehand. Glad to see the USF&W may actually stick to it's guns on this one.

Hope to have more to say about the Jim Stevenson article within a few days, but for now (assuming Jim hasn't snapped under the threat of a jail sentence for killing a feral cat) the feedback I'm getting is leaning toward the authenticity of his account --- subject to change though as I continue trying to clear up several things troubling to me. Yet one more bizarre episode in the ever bizarre saga of the Ivory-bill!

Have a Ho, Ho, Ho day...
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-- Sorry For the Confusion --

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In response to inquiries:

Friday afternoon birdingisnotacrime blog posted a link to an article by master-birder Jim Stevenson written for the latest Galveston Ornithological Society newsletter in which Jim claims an encounter with a pair of Ivory-bills in the late 1970's and finding feathers "proving" their existence in 1986:

http://web.mac.com/rmcpeak/iWeb/Site/Gulls%20n%20Herons.html (download the "winter 06" edition)

I was in the process of trying to verify the account when I chose to quickly post the link based on Stevenson's superb reputation/credentials and the fear that many people leaving for the holidays might not get back to the internet before Tue. Usually these sorts of stories can be validated as real or bogus in short order. After 45 mins. though I was unable to validate the story and because elements of it didn't ring true (while other elements sounded quite credible) I replaced my original post with a retraction/disclaimer until I could investigate further. A day later I still cannot corroborate the authenticity of the tale Jim weaves --- nothing I've heard thus far fully convinces me the story is real, but more importantly nothing so far convinces me it is bogus (and in response to inquiries have again posted the link above, so you may take it as you wish for now). I'm still checking out some things. When/if I know more, you'll know more...

I will say that for some of us the article is a bit of a moot point anyway since it only pinpoints IBWOs as existing in the '70s and possibly into the '80s --- pretty much a given if you read the literature fully, objectively, open-mindedly, scientifically. The only lingering question for some is whether the species was yet around in the 90's and still today, and on that score the Stevenson account has little direct bearing.
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-- Stevenson Piece --

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Since too many elements of the Jim Stevenson article seem non-credible I'm deleting it unless or until there is further validation for it. If you didn't read it don't worry about it; if you did consider it entertainment for now.
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-- Christmas List --

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-- YO, MY 2006 CHRISTMAS WISH LIST --
(I know it's a bit much Santa, but do what you can)


10. Loud Ivory-bill double-knocks heard and taped at points along the Neches River in Texas

9. Credible Ivory-bill sightings turned in off Mississippi River near Western Tennessee border and Lower Hatchie NWR

8. Five or more Ivory-bill pictures from junction area of Wambaw Creek and Santee River in South Carolina

7. Two minutes of Ivory-bill audio recorded at the Okefenokee Swamp/Suwannee convergence in Georgia

6. Multiple glossy Ivory-bill snapshots taken on the Mississippi-side of the Pearl River, southeast of Bogue Chitto NWR

5. Irrefutable film of Ivory-bills foraging along the Apalachicola River east of Dead Lake in north Florida

4. Indisputable photographs of perched Ivory-bills in Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin

3. Twenty-two seconds of high resolution Ivory-bill video from the White River in Arkansas

2. Three active Ivory-bill roostholes located along the Choctawhatchee in Florida Panhandle


1. hair


....tranquil, happy holidays ahead to all (...and most especially to believers ; - )))
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-- May The Sightings Begin --

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Report from the Pearl (La.): Mike Collins, back in the Pearl for Ivory-bill documentation, reported the sighting of a male IBWO today by his colleague, birder Susan Epps, in the same area where he claimed a male two months ago.
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-- Some Timeless Wisdom ; - ) --

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In the spirit of the season thought I might just quote a few lines from the famous letter written by a newspaper editor in 1897 to a young girl who's 'little friends' informed her there was no Santa Claus:

"Dear Virginia:

Your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little.
In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge..."

...Oh, and yes Virginia, there ARE Ivory-bills as well; don't let little minds tell you otherwise.
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