Now, we read, the ivory-billed has been heard, if not seen, in Congaree National Park.Additional sources of double-knock sounds include Pileated and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, American Crows, gunshots, and trees knocking together.
In December, The Associated Press reported, Gary Peters of the U.S. Forest Service in South Carolina, heard the unique double-knock of the ivory-billed woodpecker. No other bird in South Carolina makes that knock, he said.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
That "unique" double-knock
From a charleston.net article today (the bold font is mine):
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4 comments:
Yes, I think this is something that has not been addressed enough on this blog. Not only do the true believers resist all evidence that the fuzzy video is doubtful but now the number of sightings of the Ivory-billed is increasing all over the eastern and southern part of this country.
Just in Texas alone, this Houston Audubon link talks as if they could exist in many areas!
http://www.houstonaudubon.org/html/IBWOTexasImplications.pdf
We are in total UFO sightings mode!
I will grant that double-knocks, kents and a 'white-trailing edge' (when that is all that can be seen) are all inconclusive when taken singularly, but if they are all found in one region, I would say we should search there.
But it will not be conclusive until we have a photo or video with obvious bill, face, AND wing pattern. Personally, I'll accept the sighting of a birder with a solid reputation if he/she sees more than the wing pattern.
Massive Ivorybill reports have always followed any press attention to the bird. Southern birders are used to this for the most part, and only prick up their ears at something that stands out, either from the source or the circumstances.
One thing that should be clear by now -- information in the popular media is pretty nigh useless.
Yes but I think the difference is that this time they think they have science on their side.
So now I am actually seeing some great great birders, who should know better, applying for grants to search outrageous places with outrageous methods.
And the Bush administration doesn't care because for a few million dollars they look like they actually care about the environment.
Bush 1 Birds 0
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