An excerpt:
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service started searching for ivory-billeds at Congaree National Park last spring after getting a $75,000 grant. Volunteers located many of the large, irregular nest cavities and odd tree scrapes typical of ivory-billeds, but there were no verified sightings of the birds themselves, said Jennifer Koches, spokeswoman for the federal agency.After a typical intense local search this year once again fails completely, it seems likely that we will again be presented with a supposedly "encouraging" report about bark scaling/glimpses/intriguing sounds/etc (if results are reported at all). It would be most refreshing to hear some candid talk along these lines:
“What we did find leads us to believe that we need to be out there intensively looking,” Koches said.
"...But I think we can say with almost 100 percent certainty that there were no ivory-billed woodpeckers in the Pearl River and Boque Chitto wildlife management areas during the search in 2002. They could not have escaped us. We covered every inch of that area with ace black-belt birders, and we had the listening devices."The above quote is from Van Remsen (page 124 of The Grail Bird).
Update: The Nature Conservancy website has a couple of additional links on the South Carolina search.
An excerpt from this link:
Far from just beating its head against a wall, The South Carolina chapter of The Nature Conservancy, as part of the SC IBWO Working Group, is making great strides in the quest to confirm the rediscovery of the Ivory-billed woodpecker.An excerpt from this link:
In the winter 2006, an organized search effort was conducted in at the Congaree National Park. Forty-six volunteers covered more than 7000 acres (approx 1/3 of the park).
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10 comments:
"ace black belt birders"
What a complete damn joke.
Let me add South Carolina to the active list of breeding populations.
"ace black belt birders"
"What a complete damn joke."
He was referring to the 2002/Kulivan Pearl River search. There WERE some good birders involved there. No southerners were allowed. Except Alan Wormington, who might be considered an honorary southerner.
There is a pattern here.
1) Seemingly inexperienced birders find IBWO.
2) Top-notch birders follow and do NOT find IBWO.
Or is that just a coincidence? Do the black-belt birders not believe strongly enough?
From the SC article: "It’s like if a child doesn’t believe in Santa Claus, the jolly elf won’t bring presents. If you don’t have faith the ivory-billed is out there, you won’t find it."
As I have said before on this blog:
Believing is seeing
I suggest someone put this on a bumper sticker and sell it at the next IBWO Festival – Oh, I almost forgot. There isn’t going to be another IBWO Festival. Well at least there will be another “Santa Claus Festival” next month. And unlike the first IBWO festival the only “true believers” will be pre-pubescent children. Should those kids ever convince the Feds and TNC to start asking for donations to buy up “Santa Claus Habitat” they will be open to the same criticisms as the naïve self important souls who have given us the current IBWO fiasco.
I like that our technical secular society still maintains myths like Santa Claus, especially if they entertain the imagination of our youth. The same indulgence of self-serving myths in adults is a sign that we are not as technical and secular as we think.
"The same indulgence of self-serving myths in adults is a sign that we are not as technical and secular as we think."
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Mr. Anonymous, concur, our progressive birders are more faith oriented then they even care to admit so I ask them to stop picking on so called ignorant, intelligent design conservatives.
It's human behaviour not a partisan political issue.
What about the biggest myth of all: There is a benevolent man in the clouds that is concerned about us and wants us to praise him.
I'm talking about the Flying Spaghetti Monster of course.
Fitzcrow, Remcrow, Fishcrow, Hillcrow, Smithcrow, Cybercrow. Hey you arrogant, bloodthirsty, two-legged, raven-mad killers, why are you picking on me and my kin? Is it because we’re black? Raucously ha-ha noisy? Super abundant? Highly social? Extremely intelligent and adaptable? Oh, and by the way, what makes you think owls are so wise?
As much as I hate owls (and man I hate owls), you demons are a thousand times worse--ha ha! First you kill the australopithecines and neanderthals, then you turn your weapons of mass destruction against all other creepy crawly critters, including each other. The poor, innocent Ivory-bill is just one of many species you’ve blasted away to the brink of oblivion, and now you’re celebrating its demise. Have you no shame?
I’m no big fan of CLO. After all, CLO moron Kevin McGowan maimed my children by putting ugly rings on their legs, and next time I see him I want to poop in his gnarly face. But Tomowl, Amyowl and other raven mad bubos out there, it doesn’t take a crow to realize that these bird nutz from CLO, LSU, AU et al. are at least trying to protect us birds. As long as you’re going to poke fun at them for refusing to give up hope that the Ivory-bill is still alive, why not pick on something dumb enough to forget how to fly, like the Dodo? Or better yet, something even dumber--like owls?
Just wait and see, you primitive primates who think you’re so advanced, once we’ve picked the right strain of our flu we’ll wipe you--and the owls, too--off the face of the planet once and for all. Ha-ha! Death to humanity! Ha-ha! Long live Bigfoot and Yeti! Ha-ha! And may the flu be with you!
I like that our technical secular society still maintains myths like Santa Claus, especially if they entertain the imagination of our youth.
OMIGOD THERE ARE CHILDREN READING THIS BLOG!!!!
The black forehead is cited as a field mark visible in the Luneau video, but last time I checked forehead color was not clearly visible in this video, taken from below of a Pileated flying away.
Ever notice how Rosencrow and other formerly respected birders among the TBs rarely if ever publicly repudiate these misleading statements by the media?
"The black forehead is cited as a field mark visible in the Luneau video, but last time I checked forehead color was not clearly visible in this video, taken from below of a Pileated flying away."
Ever wondered how the bird knew exactly when to take flight while sitting on the opposite side of the tree?
Well, because it looked around the trunk, got a big fright at the approaching canoe and THEN took flight!
If you very carefully go through the beginning frames of the video (best forward frame by frame until you see the flash of the underwing and then backward to know exactly at what spot of the trunk to look) you will see a very short flash of something black and white. This could be interpreted as a black neck and head with a pale (ivory?) bill stretched upwards or as something else, according to whatever your belief is in that matter.
I am pretty sure this is what they are referring to, but of course it is no more definite than the rest of the video.
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