I think this might be a good time to point out just how lousy Hill's sightings really were. These were brief, naked eye views of flying birds with very few details actually seen. No wing noise was noted.
The full field notes are here, but here are some excerpts (the bold font is mine):
Sighting: 5 January 2006 by Geoff Hill Transcribed from notes written immediately after sighting We left camp (Beavertown) at about 0610 and floated out to the [LOCATION WITHHELD] and then up and out to the Choct. We then floated down and up into [location withheld]. About 10 min into our paddle up [LOCATION WITHHELD] I saw a bird with a wingspan greater than a Wood Duck fly over my head and away from me. The time was 0638. The bird was not exactly like anything I’ve seen before. It reminded me of a small loon. It had a long neck and long tail. Wingbeats seemed rather stiff and shallow. Chet mentioned that it seemed too small for a cormorant. I agree that it definitely was not a cormorant but the stiff wingbeats were reminiscent of a cormorant. In the early morning light I could see no coloration. It was certainly not a duck of any species, not an anhinga, not a cormorant, not a heron. I am rather confident that it was an ivorybill. It flew at tree-top level over my head and dead straight away. It was in view for about 2 seconds.
Sighting: 21 January 2006 by Geoff Hill Time: 0955 Notes and drawing made immediately after sighting. Notes transcribed from handwritten originals. Naked-eye view. Bird flushed from about 30 feet (10 m) as I was moving noisily through a flooded tupelo/cypress stand. It came off a tree trunk about 3 to 5 feet from the water. I never saw it perched. Flight was strong and fast. It seemed not to need many wingbeats to cover the first 100 feet. It made no sound at all as it flew. With naked eye and the bird flying away I saw few details: jet black except wide striking white band on trailing edge of wings. It looked larger and longer-winged than a pileated. It flew about 300 feet and landed in a distant tree. I could see it going in to land but it disappeared completely from view as it did so. About 1 min later, just as I turned my video camera on, I heard a second bird from my right knock and then double knock. I may have captured this on tape. I did not detect either bird again.
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So, unless that smoking gun is uncovered I will not bore you with any more of my personal ivory-billed rants till May 2007. You don’t have to look so happy!
Who's looking happy, Don?
More rants! More rants!!!!!
"Hendershot is obviously hoping that no evidence of Ivory-billeds is found." -- The True Believer
(Caveat: No, not the long-term TB of this blog.)
http://www.clusterbusters.com/ident.html
These Mushrooms can be found in the Gulf Coast Region, Florida, South Georgia, Southern Alabama, Louisiana, Southern Mississippi, and Eastern Texas. They Grow directly on Manure or around manure, or in soil where there once was manure of multi chambered mammals (Cattle, Horses, etc).
Best chance of occurrence is in piles in the shade of trees, or with tall grass surrounding the piles.
Best Chance of finding them is 12-36 hours after a heavy rainfall event.
I note that deer are multi-chambered animals. I think the big picture is beginning to emerge.
Today's joke:
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Ivory billed woodpecker.
Ivory billed woodpecker who?
Don't be stupid, I'm a pileated and you know it.
anonymous said...
"Hendershot is obviously hoping that no evidence of ivory-billeds is found."
No, I'm not "hoping" that no evidence is found. I would be thrilled to know the IBWO still existed, but I don't believe it does. And I believe that agendas, egos and desires have been masquerading as science with regards to the IBWO.
I grew up in Mer Rouge, La. maybe 50 miles as the IBWO flies from the Singer tract. My stomping ground was the Beouf River swamp, much like the Tensas - and like the Singer tract it had been timbered (by Cities Service not the Singer Corp.) by the mid 60s when I was tromping through it. Probably 95 percent of it was second growth with some large cypress and other hardwoods in and near the sloughs.
I was fortunate enough to have seen a couple of relic species of La.'s hardwood swamps - cougar and red wolf - in the late 60s but no IBWO.
I got my B.S. the same place Lowery got his - La. Tech. It was in the mid 70s after Lowery was supposed to have come under such ridicule for those infamous IBWO photos - but there was not so much as a ripple at Tech.
I've not been to the Cache nor White rivers in Ark. But I did go to Stuttgart while the overflow oak swamps were still standing and mallards by the thousands would have so many acorns in their craws that the evening sky would rattle like some surreal crap game when they would head to roost. Still no IBWO.
Never spent much time in the Pearl but lived in Lafayette for 5 years and ventured into the Atchafalaya frequently. It's like all those other "impenetrable" southern swamps - there is no place you could put your foot that hadn't seen human footprints. Still no IBWO.
Now there are disjunct populations everywhere. So I will let those that know where the IBWOs are go and get a photo. Then I will happily purchase a "found" cap and get in line to go see 'em. But I'm not buying a hat or a ticket yet.
Don Hendershot
No, I'm not "hoping" that no evidence is found.
Please don't take offense, Don, and I apologize that it came across that way. This was in no way a shot at you. I wrote that as satire (which does not always work well on blogs or e-mail).
I've read multiple accusations by true believers that people who are skeptical of the evidence don't want the bird to be found because they don't want to be "wrong". This despite the oft repeated statements by everybody that they would like nothing better than to see solid proof of continued IBWO existence. They simply can't or won't grasp that if IBWO is proven to exist, it won't make the skeptics "wrong". The evidence up to this point just plain falls short.
I was fortunate enough to have seen a couple of relic species of La.'s hardwood swamps - cougar and red wolf - in the late 60s but no IBWO.
Oh great! Now we're bringing in cougars in here with IBWOs and Bigfoot and Elvis.
Probably a feral house cat. Size is difficult to judge without any reference.
Probably a feral house cat.
I saw one eating a giant rat with antlers.
Amy Lester said...
Probably a feral house cat...I saw one eating a giant rat with antlers.
Congratulations, Amy. I'm glad you survived the ordeal.
I saw one eating a giant rat with antlers.
Where did you see that? In the range of the relict eastern mountain lion population? I found this on an 'eastern cougar fact sheet' (http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/wildlife/endspec/eacofs.html):
"In many instances it is a case of mistaken identity. Other cats, fishers or dogs are the animals probably seen. Once in a great while a real cougar is sighted. Based on our experiences, it is safe to assume that these animals have been intentionally or unintentionally released by people. Contrary to some peoples beliefs, they are not part of a native, self sustaining population. Cougars are not ghosts. They leave tracks which would be regularly seen in any area frequented by them. If there were enough cougars for a population, there would be many sets of tracks readily available for people to see throughout the year."
Anon, where I live joggers get mauled and killed by cougars on a semi-annual basis at least. I've yet to encounter one myself but I've seen hundreds if not thousands of feral cats and I've mistaken them for raccoons at first (and vice versa) but never for a cougar! But I don't doubt that a silly or uninformed or simply skittish person would make such a mistake in a heartbeat.
As for Don's claims about the mammals he saw, I have no reason to doubt them offhand. Based on his statements about the IBWO, Don seems like a reasonable person.
I'm sure you understand.
Don Hendershot said...
You don't have to take up for me, Amy. I spent 3 years as a journalist - you grow thick skin.
If twerps like anon "Oh great! Now we're bringing in cougars in here with IBWOs and Bigfoot and Elvis." had anything substantive to say they wouldn't be afraid to leave a name and email address.
BioOne online Journal has 1965 as the last documented cougar in Louisiana Caddo Parrish. And Louisiana Sportsman magazine notes " Panthers were once found in the state, but the last verified sighting of a wild panther was in 1969 when one was killed in North Louisiana." I promise I didn't shoot it.
I believe Tom's blog has been a great service and am totally flabbergasted that the academic community in general and the ornithological community in particular have left it up to an individual in Minnesota to point out that the Emperor has no clothes.
Ciao, Don
Anon, where I live joggers get mauled and killed by cougars on a semi-annual basis at least. I've yet to encounter one myself
So you got so many mountain lions that they're killing multiple humans per year, and yet you haven't seen any?
So you got so many mountain lions that they're killing multiple humans per year, and yet you haven't seen any?
I meant "bi-annual" (sorry) but, yeah, I haven't seen any. I don't jog or hike as much I used to, unfortunately.
But they are sighted regularly. And killed, sadly, when they wander into suburban areas. And that ends up on TV.
You think maybe they are just wooden cougars that somebody stuck in a tree?
You don't have to take up for me, Amy. I spent 3 years as a journalist - you grow thick skin.
I actually meant it more as sarcasm about what we accept and what we reject more than an attack at you.
I'm really not taking a side on this here, and I agree with you that there is no physical evidence to support either Cornell's or
Auburn's claims, but I find it interesting that an accomplished birder, Tyler Hicks, can describe seeing an Ivory-billed, but it's dismissed. He's obviously just an over-eager kid, right? (Let me add that I have talked to several other birders who know him and have nothing bad to say about his skills. His only fault seems to be saying he saw an IBWO.) But then someone else can say they saw cougars and red wolves, and it gets a free pass, despite the fact that that person was an even younger kid about 14 or 15 years old at the time, maybe younger. How many cougars were running around northern LA in the late 60s? The available evidence says 1 or 2. Odds are that you saw something else, and your youthful enthusiasm led you to think it was cougars and red wolves instead of cats and dogs. But no, you know what you saw, so I'm supposed to take your word for it? Doesn't matter cougars were 'confirmed' in the area...the likelihood of you actually seeing them were slim to none. Heck, Ms. Lester lives in area crawling with cougars, and she hasn't even seen one yet.
What about IBWP's in Cuba in the 80s? That seems to be taken as gospel, but there's literally no evidence from that search. Did anyone even bother to climb a tree to look in a cavity there? Why the double standard? How did those birds become invisible to cameras?
I actually liked one of the points of your article. Give them a chance to get the photo, or in other words, give them the rope and let them hang themselves. Which leads into my next item...
I believe Tom's blog has been a great service and am totally flabbergasted that the academic community in general and the ornithological community in particular have left it up to an individual in Minnesota to point out that the Emperor has no clothes.
You think only Tom is pointing this out? Have you read the papers by Jackson and Sibley et al.? Haven't there been mention of 'snide comments' at the NAOC? I think the real issue is that there is no established mechanism to deal with something like this. Rebuttal papers have been published. I don't have a copy, but does the AOU checklist say 'probably extinct' (which seems to be Tom's official position since he's listed probabilities of evidence surfacing as less than 1%, not 0%)? So what's next? Finding the next step would be the real service. Don't expect the Science paper to be retroactively withdrawn.
Here's a list of what's really shown that the emperor has no clothes and gone a long way to prove the skeptics' argument...
1) Cornell's 2004-2005 search
2) Cornell's 2005-2006 search
3) Auburn's search
4) South Carolina search
5) all the upcoming unsuccessful searches
6) Fishcrow
You all should be thanking these people for making your job so easy.
But they are sighted regularly. And killed, sadly, when they wander into suburban areas. And that ends up on TV.
You think maybe they are just wooden cougars that somebody stuck in a tree?
No, I just think they run on the ground where they can get hit by cars. IBWO flies too high to get hit, and they feed on grubs, not joggers, so the local TV news doesn't do any stories about them.
I don't jog or hike as much I used to, unfortunately.
Did you see them back when you got outside more frequently?
Word on the street at NAOC was that Hill got video of a family group of three ivorybills, but he didn't know what the heck he was doing, had the camera on a low resolution setting, and the resulting video was garbage.
The whole NAOC show seemed like Amateur Night at the Ivorybill Improv.
But then someone else can say they saw cougars and red wolves, and it gets a free pass
Huh? A "free pass"? Give me a break. I didn't know I was the referee for evaluating all claims of animal sightings around here. I guess I could be more diligent but then you'd have to pay me.
Tyler Hicks, can describe seeing an Ivory-billed, but it's dismissed.
That's because the ivory-billed woodpecker is extinct and it simply does not matter what Tyler Hicks or anybody else "says" they saw.
Don't you get it?
Here's a list of what's really shown that the emperor has no clothes and gone a long way to prove the skeptics' argument...
You somehow seemed to have forgotten to include the previous 100 years of data that overwhelmingly supports the conclusion that the IBWO was extinct long before Science published Fishcrow's garbage.
You all should be thanking these people for making your job so easy.
Easy and fun!
Anonymous said...
"Word on the street at NAOC was that Hill got video of a family group of three ivorybills, but he didn't know what the heck he was doing, had the camera on a low resolution setting, and the resulting video was garbage."
So, is this "encounter" listed with the other "encounters" in Hill et al's "data?" And, if not, then why not?
"Word on the street at NAOC was that Hill ..... didn't know what the heck he was doing"
Yep, that about sums it up.
IBWO flies too high to get hit
Dead birds don't fly.
they feed on grubs, not joggers
Dead birds don't eat.
the local TV news doesn't do any stories about them.
Yes they do because third-tier scientists have hyped the bogus "rediscovery" of the IBWO.
"the local TV news doesn't do any stories about them.
Yes they do because third-tier scientists have hyped the bogus "rediscovery" of the IBWO."
Yeah, right. Like your network affiliate in California is really doing stories about the IBWO on their local news broadcasts.
"Word on the street at NAOC was that Hill got video of a family group of three ivorybills, but he didn't know what the heck he was doing, had the camera on a low resolution setting, and the resulting video was garbage."
I heard what really happened was that he didn't have the camera on and got too excited to find the on switch, so he just threw the camera at a bird. He actually hit it, killing it instantly. They now have a specimen but the PR would be too bad, so they haven't announced it. Since then they've been working on producing a believable (so that it looks alive) photograph from that specimen
That's the real story.
Like your network affiliate in California is really doing stories about the IBWO on their local news broadcasts.
I'm not going to do a Lexis search for the transcripts but you are welcome to see for yourself whether any local stations -- including California stations -- covered the IBWO rediscovery.
Of course they're not going to do a story everytime some rube gets excited about what he saw out in the swamp. Local news is a joke but they're not desperate.
Unlike certain professors and their grad students.
The next best thing to finding a real living IBWO would be finding someone with the nads to CGI some butt-kicking IBWO footage and hand it over to Fishcrow et al.
Sorry, Amy, but there are no data to support your statement that cougars maul and kill joggers on at least a semiannual basis near where you live. How many deaths have occurred from cougars in California the past half century, or decade? Or even in the U.S.? Do a bit of homework next time before telling us what is fact and what is fiction.
There have been several well publicized cougar attacks in California in recent years, a jogger was indeed eaten, and at least one mountain biker and a hiker were also killed. You were evidently too lazy to do a simple google search on "California cougar attacks", so what kind of homework did you do? A search would have revealed that one or more serious attacks occurred in several years including 1986, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2004. Some of the victims were merely mauled and permanently disfigured. Please get your facts straight before disparaging Amy.
Sorry, Amy, but there are no data to support your statement that cougars maul and kill joggers on at least a semiannual basis near where you live.
You know what? You're right.
It just seems like it happens more often, I guess, because every time there is any incident related to a cougar (even if nobody is attacked), it ends up in the news. Either that, or I'm just getting old and all the years are blurring together. ;)
I apologize for the error.
Do a bit of homework next time before telling us what is fact and what is fiction.
Good advice.
The alternative solution, I suppose, is to predicate my claims with, "Someone told me they heard ..." or "someone told me they saw ..." That seems to render some folks immune from ever having to say their sorry, at least in their own minds.
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