Wednesday, February 01, 2006

"A lone cry of reason from the wilderness"

Here is a link to Don Hendershot's latest article on the Ivory-bill controversy.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fascinating. The other side provides sightings, you provide newspaper columns. I'm convinced.

Tom said...

Check out this "comprehensive database of credible sightings and related reports".

Anonymous said...

When is the general public going to able to view pictures of aberrant Pileated Woodpeckers so we can judge for ourselves if they could be easily mistaken for an Ivorybill?

Anonymous said...

And oddly enough, many of these BF reports are not backyard reports.
Whereas the IBWO reports contain many backyard sightings.
This makes the Bigfoot sightings somewhat more believable than some IBWO sightings. Or replace groupthink with "campfire-drink-think."

Of course so many of the BF sightings were made in darkness too. But the BF sightings have got more consistent "rural" nature than
the IBWO sightings. Based on my very quick assay of my own state, NY, where Bigfoot has, apparently, been quite active.
However there are few primate researchers reporting Bigfeet, and we do have some scientists who believe they saw the IBWO.
That could change though!

Paul Sutera, New Paltz, NY

Anonymous said...

Isn't it ironic that Jackson criticizes Cornell for using sound-bite publicity, while he himself is getting tons of mileage out of the sound bite, "faith-based ornithology?"

Pot. Kettle. Black.

Anonymous said...

"Isn't it ironic that Jackson criticizes Cornell for using sound-bite publicity, while he himself is getting tons of mileage out of the sound bite, "faith-based ornithology?"

Pot. Kettle. Black."

I suppose it depends on how often you're pitching your "sound bite."

Has Jackson used that term a lot? I believe the answer is no.

Regardless, the basic point is valid IMHO.

Compare that to the sound bites of Cornell, where they have consistently repeated the mantras of "wary" and "deep wilderness," the first of which there is little evidence (other than the fact they can't seem to get actual photos,) and the second is untrue.

Anonymous said...

Except that Jackson's "sound bite" is the sort of catch phrase virtually designed to be picked up in headlines in the popular press; and indeed it has been.

Anonymous said...

Can't help thinking that if Jackson was supporting the rediscovery people would be talking about his excellent credentials, some of which are mentioned in this article:

Jackson has some pretty hefty credentials. He is past president of the Wilson Ornithological Society, Mississippi Ornithological Society, Association of Field Ornithologists, and the Inland Bird Banding Association. He has served as editor of the Wilson Bulletin, Mississippi Kite, Journal of Field Ornithology as well as regional editor for American Birds and contributing editor of Birder’s World.