"All woodpeckers bang on trees," he [Geoff Hill] said, but no other makes a double knock like the ivory-billed.
Hill said it is hard to catch the bird on camera because it hides behind trees when it lands, but it's not impossible. He plans to use time-lapse cameras on future trips. By expanding his team to as many as 14 members and using up to 30 cameras, purchased with state, federal and private funding, he ensures success.
"I saw it and seeing is believing," he said. "We will get a picture of it."
In their rebuttal to Jackson (2006a), Fitzpatrick et al. (2006a) dwelt on semantics rather than implications, used quotations out of context, exaggerated the significance of their data, and used untruths and half truths as weapons of mass deception seemingly targeted at a public audience. I will not dissect details of their rebuttal except to demonstrate examples of their approach.Jackson's original Auk commentary is available here. Fitz et al's original rebuttal is here.
...The first species [IBWO] seemed the most out of place to me. For all but a tiny group of researchers, the ivory-billed woodpecker that leads the list is largely hypothetical. All other species can definitely be seen, even if with difficulty in some cases...That seems to represent a skeptical shift at that blog, where this appeared in July 2005:
For now, at least, I tend to trust the Cornell team's judgment. They were the ones on the scene who saw the bird(s), and appear to be well-regarded scientists and birders who would be risking their reputations if they were proved wrong. So I am sure that they were careful in their analysis. But there needs to be some arguments back and forth, and perhaps further exploration of the area.
A gravel road runs from Highway 81 east into mature swamp forest ending at two small canoe launches that feed into Lost Lake, a beautiful oxbow lake. This area has numerous large cavities and scaled trees, including feeding sign on spruce pine along the road, suggesting that it is regularly used by Ivory-billed Woodpeckers.Here's my idea of a pretty good day: stroll along this road and finally capture that "million-dollar video" of one of the large, noisy, diurnal Ivory-bills regularly using the area. Later, after arranging a book deal and contacting the Explorer's Club, I'd relax with a nice lunch at the covered picnic pavilion:
The District has provided numerous boat landings, and at Tilley Landing recreational area on Lost Lake, a covered picnic pavilion with tables and grills, parking and a stabilized small boat ramp. Tilley Landing is located south of Redbay, off Highway 81. Hunting, fishing, boating, camping, hiking, horseback riding, bird-watching and nature appreciation are all available.
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