Way OT: Confirmed Ivory-billed Woodpecker sighting
Wade Hampton Miller
imaginable: these woodpeckers have been thought extinct for decades.
But persistent rumors of folks hearing their distinctive cry deep in
the woods has kept hope alive, and now it's been rewarded.
whm
>From the NY Times website:
Deep in the Swamp, an 'Extinct' Woodpecker Lives
By JAMES GORMAN
BRINKLEY, Ark., April 28 - The ivory-billed woodpecker, a magnificent
bird long given up for extinct, has been sighted in the cypress and
tupelo swamp of the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge here in
Arkansas, scientists announced Thursday.
Bird experts, government agencies and conservation organizations
involved kept the discovery secret for more than a year, while they
worked to confirm the discovery and protect the bird's territory. Their
announcement on Thursday brought rejoicing among birdwatchers, for whom
the ivory bill has long been a holy grail - a creature that has been
called the Lord God bird, apparently because that is what people
exclaimed when they saw it.
Dr. John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, who
led the effort to confirm the sightings, said at a news conference in
Washington, "This is really the most spectacular creature we could
imagine rediscovering."
He was joined by Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton, who announced that
her agency, along with the Department of Agriculture, had proposed to
spend $10 million in federal money for research, habitat protection and
law enforcement efforts to protect the bird. The Nature Conservancy and
other conservation groups have bought land in the region of the refuge
to help preserve a larger area.
The bird was seen in thickly forested bottomland near here, the deep,
wet woods immortalized by Faulkner. On Thursday, researchers were
traveling by canoe down slow-flowing clay-colored bayous hoping for
another sighting, and working to finish up surveys of the territory.
With its 30-inch wingspan and formidable bill, its sharp black and
white coloring, and the male's carmine crest, the ivory bill was the
largest of American woodpeckers, described by John James Audubon as
"this great chieftain of the woodpecker tribe."
Once a dominant creature of great Southern hardwood forest, its numbers
dwindled as logging increased. The woodpecker inspired one of the first
conservation efforts in the nation's history, but its seeming failure
turned the ivory bill into a symbol of loss. The last documented
sighting was in Louisiana in 1944.
But the ivory bill lived on as a kind of ghost in rumor and in numerous
possible sightings. Despite lengthy expeditions, no sighting was
confirmed, until Feb. 11, 2004.
On that date Gene M. Sparling III sighted a large woodpecker with a red
crest in the Cache River refuge. Tim W. Gallagher at the Cornell Lab
saw the report from Mr. Sparling on a Web site where he was describing
a kayak trip.
Within two weeks Mr. Gallagher and Bobby R. Harrison of Oakwood College
in Huntsville, Ala., were in a canoe in the refuge, with Mr. Sparling
guiding them.
Mr. Gallagher said he had expected to camp out for a week, but after
one night out, on Feb. 27, he and Mr. Harrison were paddling up a bayou
bounded on both sides by cypress and tupelo when they saw a very large
woodpecker fly in front of their canoe.
When they wrote down their notes independently and compared them, Mr.
Gallagher said, Mr. Harrison was struck by the reality of the discovery
and began sobbing, repeating, "I saw an ivory bill."
Mr. Gallagher felt the same. "I couldn't speak," he said.
Once Mr. Gallagher convinced Dr. Fitzpatrick of Cornell, the effort to
confirm the sightings began in earnest, and the result, published in
the online version of Science, carried the names of 16 people from
seven institutions who participated in a search that turned up seven
confirmed new sightings and a blurry bit of videotape.
An analysis of the video to determine the size and manner of flying of
the bird, as well as the other sightings and the detailed reports of
experts like Mr. Gallagher, proved convincing.
Dr. Edward O. Wilson, the Harvard ecologist and writer who has called
the ivory bill the signature bird of the Southern forest, said the
question now was whether there was a breeding population.
"I'm a little hopeful," he said, given that the previous confirmed
sighting was 60 years ago. The birds live about 15 years, so some
breeding population had to have survived for some time.
Frank Gill, former president of the National Audubon Society, said of
the news, "You get so depressed by the state of things, to suddenly
have this happen in your backyard" is wonderful, "just the thought that
there are places in the world still - deep wilderness - harboring a
secret like this."
One particularly bright spot, Dr. Fitzpatrick said, is that the place
where the bird was seen is already protected.
The bayou where the bird was sighted is in thick swamp where even a
great blue heron taking off not 20 yards away disappeared immediately.
On a paddle through the bayou led by researchers from the Cornell Lab
and a representative of the Nature Conservancy, the flat, clay-colored
water was broken only by the splashing of turtles and the rapid-fire
paddling of a frightened wood duck chick. Birds in the distance were
heard but not seen. There was no sign of an ivory bill.
As Dr. Fitzpatrick put it, the woodpecker is doing a good job of
"protecting itself." He added, "It is really scarce and really wary."
Now the effort to protect the bird will continue, as will the search
for other individuals.
Scott Simon, state director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, said
the finding was a validation of the kind of cooperative conservation on
the part of private organizations and government that had thrived in
Arkansas. Mr. Simon said he hoped it would promote conservation and
acknowledged that ecotourism, fed by the ivory bill, could have
benefits.
But for now, he said, "we would like people to give us a little bit of
time."
As for the woodpeckers, there is only proof of one bird so far. If
there are more, then perhaps, Dr. Gill said, "we can put Humpty Dumpty
back together again."
Nobody wants to think about the alternative. If the last living ivory
bill has been found, the discovery may be more bitter than sweet.
John Files contributed reporting from Washington for this article.
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
Misifus
I hadn't known it was the Cache River out of Brinkley where the
bird was seen (and filmed and recorded). That's an area we've
passed through many, many times. All in all, very cool.
-Raf (ardent birder)
--
Misifus-
Rafael Seibert
mailto:raf_s...@cox.net
http://www.ralphandsue.com
McCollum
"Wade Hampton Miller" <hoj...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1114748266.3...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> If you're at all interested in birds, this is the greatest news
> imaginable: these woodpeckers have been thought extinct for decades.
> But persistent rumors of folks hearing their distinctive cry deep in
> the woods has kept hope alive, and now it's been rewarded.
Wade, yea but their are no known recordings of this bird so how do they
know, is it a hoax?
Lance
Tom Reese
> If you're at all interested in birds, this is the greatest news
> imaginable: these woodpeckers have been thought extinct for decades.
> But persistent rumors of folks hearing their distinctive cry deep in
> the woods has kept hope alive, and now it's been rewarded.
That was definitely the best news I heard all month. The Nature
Conservancy (my favorite charity) is already preparing to buy up some of
the forest around the area where the birds were found.
Tom Reese
jaminn
wrote:
>If you're at all interested in birds, this is the greatest news
>imaginable: these woodpeckers have been thought extinct for decades.
>But persistent rumors of folks hearing their distinctive cry deep in
>the woods has kept hope alive, and now it's been rewarded.
>
>
>whm
>
>>From the NY Times website:
>
>
>Deep in the Swamp, an 'Extinct' Woodpecker Lives
>By JAMES GORMAN
>
>BRINKLEY, Ark., April 28 - The ivory-billed woodpecker, a magnificent
>bird long given up for extinct, has been sighted in the cypress and
>tupelo swamp of the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge here in
>Arkansas, scientists announced Thursday.
>
<snip>
>
My wife and I were avid birders before kids and very active in the
local Audubon Society. That is truly great news and hopefully it
isn't the last one. Thanks for sharing that information, Wade.
Jaminn aka Don Williams
sheltech
"McCollum" <mcco...@mccollumguitars.com> wrote in message
news:3b04f$4271d641$42346c4e$24...@calis.com...
ivory peckers , and how best to process them for inlaying . Being a luthier
,
you know ...
DS
Nick Roche
wrote:
->If you're at all interested in birds, this is the greatest news
->imaginable: these woodpeckers have been thought extinct for decades.
->But persistent rumors of folks hearing their distinctive cry deep in
->the woods has kept hope alive, and now it's been rewarded.
This is good to know!
We are lucky enough to have a pair of green woodpeckers
(see http://www.gardensafari.net/english/pages/spechtg.htm )
living in our garden and they are a delight to watch.
regards
Nick Roche
Blatant self promotion:
luna
Thanks. Not OT at all, since the natural world provides inspiration for
so many fine guitarists, e.g., Al Petteway.
The news report on this last night brought tears to my eyes. I've read
numerous reports and a few books about the processes that lead to the
"extinction" of the Ivory Bill and am so excited that after 44 years,
there is very strong evidence that at least 1 is left.
Next good news we need: finding a breeding pair.
Kevin Coffey
Misifus
Lance, this is from Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology. One of
their particular specialties is recording bird sounds. In
connection with trying to record the newly found Ivory-Bill's
sounds they wrote the following:
> Although no record of the ivory-bill's double-rap sound
> existed until the start of the latest survey , the bioacoustic
> scientists have good-quality recordings of vocalizations from
> the 1935 expedition to Louisiana's Tensas River by Cornell
> ornithologists Peter Paul Kellogg, Arthur A. Allen, George
> Sutton and James T. Tanner. On a film sound-track the 1935
> team successfully recorded an adult pair of ivory-bills and
> their young at the nest. This recording--the first ever made
> of the voice of the ivory-bill--provides the "template" that
> the detection software attempts to match, and guides the
> decisions of the analysts about which sounds are the most
> interesting.
-Raf
VibraJet
"luna" wrote...
> Next good news we need: finding a breeding pair.
Yes! I understand their eggs make an excellent omelet, much better than
pileated woodpecker eggs.
http://www.rude-tone.com/ibw1.jpg
http://www.rude-tone.com/ibw2.jpg
--
lose your mind to reply
www.rude-tone.com
www.soundclick.com/buttnubbn
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McCollum
"Misifus" <raf_s...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:_Yqce.1678$iU6.531@okepread01...
Lance
jgo...@my-deja.com
Wade Hampton Miller wrote:> If you're at all interested in birds
Yay! Next: Susquatch
Leonardo
> "luna" wrote...
>
>
>>Next good news we need: finding a breeding pair.
>
>
>
> Yes! I understand their eggs make an excellent omelet, much better than
> pileated woodpecker eggs.
>
The whole thing is a hoax.........somebody caught a pileated and dipped
his ass in white paint.
Now, that passenger pigeon I saw the other day, that's a different story.
Lenny Alcamo
kurt
Tastes like chicken .... :)
On 28 Apr 2005 21:17:46 -0700, "Wade Hampton Miller" <hoj...@aol.com>
wrote:
Lawrence Lucier
> If you're at all interested in birds, this is the greatest news
> imaginable: these woodpeckers have been thought extinct for decades.
> But persistent rumors of folks hearing their distinctive cry deep in
> the woods has kept hope alive, and now it's been rewarded.
>
>
> whm
>
>>From the NY Times website:
>
>
> Deep in the Swamp, an 'Extinct' Woodpecker Lives
Cool!! Road Trip!!! Now where did I put that shotgun???
<Just kidding>
betsey
arent trashing the earth as badly as we think we are....
SPAMN...@dunwellguitar.com
> way cool that he's out there! it gives us hope that just perhaps, we
> arent trashing the earth as badly as we think we are....
>
You are right , Way Cool! Let's hope that the amphibians are as resilient
Alan D.
Dunwell Guitar
1891 CR 68-J, MSR
Nederland, Co. 80466
jsorell
news:d4u2f7$a9u$1...@peabody.colorado.edu:
It's not easy being green.
Kermy
jwhe...@charter.net
I woke up the other morning and could have sworn I saw a Red Bellied
Nutscratcher in my room.............and then I realized I was looking
in the mirror!!
Jim Whelan
John Sorell
@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:
Whoa! Too much information.
John
betsey
resilient
Alan D.
alan...
what was really cool as well, this past week an otter was sighted in
the schukyhill river, in Philadelphia. one hasn't been seen in these
parts for years. and, the Phila/south jersey area has not been able to
get rid of a beluga whale. he's been up and down the Delaware, out to
the atlantic and back up the schukyhill. scientists are proposing that
its because the fishing is really good for him right now. all signs of
healthier rivers than in the last 20 years or so!
Julie
<jwhe...@charter.net> wrote in message
news:1114808967.5...@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>
> I woke up the other morning and could have sworn I saw a Red Bellied
> Nutscratcher in my room.............and then I realized I was looking
> in the mirror!!
that's a revolting image......
Julie
Mike brown
<JL...@REMOVETHISwrlamb.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
That reminds me.
Does anybody remember Red Skelton's act when he did the "woman taking her
corset of" bit.
Seemed very funny at the time, don't know if it would still be now.
MJRB
AG
"Wade Hampton Miller" <hoj...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1114748266.3...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
It's funny but my biology teacher back in the 60's said that if they ever
found an Ivory Bill it would be in one of the wilderness areas in Arkansas
or East Texas.
It's amazing to me that it's in that part of the state. I would have
expected one in the South West or Southern areas of the state where there
are more woods. Cache River area though is pretty undisturbed. Not many
people like crawling through swamps.
AG
Mike Rickard
> Nutscratcher in my room.............and then I realized I was looking
> in the mirror!!
>
> Jim Whelan
Mike (and Ginny)
Misifus
That's what I was thinking. A lot of East Arkansas is pretty
open, but the Cache river basin is a place where they might hang
out undisturbed. Undisturbed, that is, until all the scientists
come in to watch them.
John Sorell
I recently got to see my first Pileated Woodpecker. I hear them often in
the forest behind my house but they have been illusive to me for three
years. All of a sudden I see one three times in my backyard...in one
week. They are quite large and dramatic. I can imagine how fantistic it
must have been to see one with a 30 inch wing span such as the Ivory
Bill. We have Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers feeding on the suet and seed
cages...as well as many Flickers. They are all pretty darn cool.
John
madgamer
Wade Hampton Miller wrote:
> If you're at all interested in birds, this is the greatest news
> imaginable: these woodpeckers have been thought extinct for decades.
> But persistent rumors of folks hearing their distinctive cry deep in
> the woods has kept hope alive, and now it's been rewarded.
>
>
> whm
Wade,
I to was happy when I heard about this bird being spotted. All the
commitment to help save it a great to....but perhaps I am the only one
to note that only ONE was seen....If the bird is to protected then both
a male and a female would be needed. I am hoping that the mate was at
home sitting on the nest....otherwise this could be the last of its kind.
So think good thoughts and maybe good things will come of this event.
Larry
Misifus
Yeah, the Pileated are big guys. They are the woodpeckers that
Woodie the woodpecker was based on.
Misifus
I would say it the birds haven't been seen for 65 years, that
there must be self-sustaining population of them that's simply
kept out of sight.
Mike Rickard
seeing an Ivory-bill in Houston's Memorial Park, and similar reports coming
in from around this area. The flying saucer phenomenom strikes again.
Mike
Bob Alman
About a month ago, Fred and Tina Shrimer stopped in for a visit, while
vacationing in California. We both got out our guitars, and plinked
around while shooting the breeze. Before I got a chance to escape,
Fred shot a pic of me playing his Gibson, and sent me a copy, clearly
showing me cheating on my Martin. I generally don't like getting
photographed (for obvious reasons...), so I took a glance, winced,
and filed it away. I was cleaning up some of my files, and accidently
re-opened the file, and noticed something that TOTALLY escaped me
before, as I hastily viewed the pic. Check out what I
overlooked...this it totally amazing! This is in Northern California!
http://www.sonic.net/gus/Pecker.jpg
--
Bob Alman
Mike Rickard
"Bob Alman" <g...@sonic.net> wrote in message
news:hFSce.91$W3....@typhoon.sonic.net...
> About a month ago, Fred and Tina Shrimer stopped in for a visit, while
> vacationing in California. We both got out our guitars, and plinked
> around while shooting the breeze. Before I got a chance to escape,
> Fred shot a pic of me playing his Gibson, and sent me a copy, clearly
> showing me cheating on my Martin. I generally don't like getting
> photographed (for obvious reasons...), so I took a glance, winced,
> and filed it away. I was cleaning up some of my files, and accidently
> re-opened the file, and noticed something that TOTALLY escaped me
> before, as I hastily viewed the pic. Check out what I
> overlooked...this it totally amazing! This is in Northern California!
>
> http://www.sonic.net/gus/Pecker.jpg
> --
> Bob Alman
Yeah, that's Fred all right. He always inserts himself in his pictures.
Mike
Mike brown
Given mankind's record, that's probably a good idea.
MJRB