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Ivory Billed WoodPecker (weekend trip to Cache River, Arkansas) (1 Viewer)

walterb

Active member
I headed out of St. Louis Missouri for the Cache River area, not really knowing where I was going , but I just knew this was the place to be this past weekend.

I wanted to take a good photo of the Ivory Bill. I wished it were still alive since I’ve been about 8 years old seeing it in my bird book.

I drove down to Memphis then over towards Little Rock on Interstate 40. I had always though Arkansas was a hilly state, and it is if you only visit the northern area, but central eastern Arkansas is flat and marshy. Fields of Rice, cotton, and watermelons.

I had drove all over St. Louis looking for an Topographical Atlas of the State of Arkansas but it seemed people had beaten me to it. I finally found one at my 5th Border’s book store I visited.

At a Rest stop I pulled over to get a few hours sleep. I decided based on the information I had recorded onto CD from NPR’s website that the best place to go was the Cache River Wildlife Refuge. I wanted to be there at dawn on Saturday, so I only slept a few hours and then hit the road again.

I got to Brinkley Arkansas about 5:30am, Its just off interstate 40. I headed south and west out of town about 4 miles on Highway 70. Taking the Dagmar Gravel Road Exit, I drove back into the Dagmar Wildlife Management area. It’s a large Bayou that is part of the Cache River System. (see Map)

http://www.fws.gov/cacheriver/ManagedAccessArea.pdf

I stayed for two days in the area, but failed to see the Ivory Bill. If you don’t have access to some sort shallow draft boat (which I don’t ) you are going to limit your viewing.

The roads are quite good (gravel). I made it all over in the WMA with a small low clearance Kia Passenger car.

In a nutshell the entire area is a swampy area with large Cypress trees, and Oaks. I’ve seen birds there I’ve never seen before. Many warblers.

There were a few campers, a few birders and many fishermen with John boats having their buddies or wives unhook the boat from the back of the pick-up truck, then take it out into the channel, and circle around to come back and pick them up after they parked the truck.

The best place if you don’t have a canoe or kayak to view the bayou for a possible fly-by is Dagmar WMA. There are two places that seem to be better than others One is at the end of the road were people launch their john boats (see the bird observation area in the center of the Dagmar WMA on the map).

The second place is an abandon Railroad track that appears on the map as a straight line between Interstate 40 and Highway 70. This allows you foot access to walk across the bayou.

Bring a lot of bug spray, and some knee deep rubber boots , and there are plenty of snakes including copperheads and cottonmouths. I’m told there are alligators there too.

The local’s don’t know what to make of all this fuss about the Ivory bill. Federal Agents have set up a ring around the federal area where the bird has been seen, and Scientists from Cornell University have been conducting experiments within that area. Access to this area is forbidden (see yellow hatch marks on map).

The Dagmar area is only about 1 mile south of the restricted area.

Its amazing that this bird has lasted in that corridor because its filled with duck blinds where hundreds of duck hunters go each year.

I don’t know what the status of next year’s duck hunting will be in this area, but the local’s take their hunting very seriously. I try and keep in mind that its their money via usage tax stamps and hunting permits that is really credited with providing the habitat that has kept this bird alive all these years.

I ended up staying at the Brinkley Inn. It was $27 per night for a single room. Its not much to speak, but a friendly staff and free HBO. There are other places in town if you don’t mind paying a little more. I don’t know about Internet connections at the other hotels but this one had none and no WIFI.

I would love to go back during the winter (January / February ) when the leaves are off of the trees and you can see better without Mosquitoes bothering you .


I wish I had more to tell you about the trip, like I have wonderful photos of the Ivory Bill, but alas, this is not the case. It seems the 40 researchers spent a year making only six or so sightings.

The White and Cache river system is over 500,000 acres so I’m sure where there is one bird, there will be others..

Good luck..

Thanks.

http://www.fws.gov/cacheriver/
 
very cool.

Arkansas is half hilly/mountainous and half flat delta/timberlands. I'm surprised that alligators roam so far north.....
 
johnnydr87 said:
very cool.

Arkansas is half hilly/mountainous and half flat delta/timberlands. I'm surprised that alligators roam so far north.....

that's what the Conservation officer told me. I guess he knows. I saw a bunch of dead armidillos on the road driving around the area also..

Its a neat place, I would like to go back, Ivory bill or not.
 
Good luck, Walterb, if you do go again. Thanks for the info, someday I'd love to see that bird. I'll just be happy looking out for the pileateds and red-bellieds, etc. in my area (Texas) for now. I am glad that they guarding the area, though.
I had been wondering if any St. Louisans were going to be heading for Arkansas. St. Louis is my hometown!
 
walterb said:
I saw a bunch of dead armidillos on the road driving around the area also..

THe armadillo is a fascinating species - it is the only known land animal that reproduces via spawning! When a female armadillo is fertile, she will walk down a highway until she is flattened by a vehicle (in pre-industrial days armadillos used bison and other large land mammals and the appearance of the automobile is credited with the huge increase in armadillo population).

When flattened, approximately 150,000 spores are released and become fertilized when the male armadillo happens across them.

Fascinating Captain........
 
Armadillos jump up when frightened so even though you should be able to miss them with your wheels, the undercarriage of your car will do the damage. Driving over them is almost always fatal to the Amadillo. (Glad skunks are a little more wise.)
 
Cache River "local"

I thought I would chime in here.... the cache is no place to be in the summer... snakes... snakes...snakes...snakes... and getting lost is a reality...

You absolutely need a flatbottom boat... with a 9-15hp outboard with shallow drive... much of the cache is impassable by boat unless the water is at certain levels. Winter is the time to go... but be aware from thanksgiving until about the end of January it is inundated with hundreds if not thousands of duck hunters. You will find duck hunters will return courtesy in kind.... IE don't head up the cache at 9AM and drive through everyones decoys...

We've spent years hunting waterfowl on the cache, and mostly in the areas where the Ivory-Billed has been spotted... it all started with an Arkansas Dentist named Rex Hancock and a fight to prevent the Corps of E from chanellizing the cache.... the reason the bird is alive is due in no small part to waterfowl hunters...

The likelyhood of seeing the bird in the summer (when folliage is on the trees) is VERY slim... once the leaves fall off, and the rains flood the area... access is simpler and you'll be able to see much further...

Due keep in mind that sometimes the whole area will "lock up" with ice during the winter.. and it's no place to get stranded... have a GPS and a plan of when you will return and where you are going set with someone staying behind.

The cache is filled.. and I mean FILLED with sunken logs, submurged trees and every sort of hazzard you can immagine... plan on taking it slow and easy... this is a small channel (10ft in some places, but generally no wider than 100..) that when flooded becomes almost impossible to follow unless you know the way... even some of the guys we hunt with who have hunted the river for 30 years get turned arround....

We're looking forward to the consiousness that the rediscovery of the ivory-bill will bring to the facillitation of habitat preservation.. and it's many diverse uses...

When you come... please be careful and courteous... and remember... some of the waterfowlers on this river have been hunting here fro 5 generations...

oh.. and just follow your nose to find us... we'll be cooking breakfast in the boat at about 10....
 
Hello duckfool and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum.

Thanks very much for a very informative posting on the Cache. :t:
 
Marked Tree

Many thanks to the duck hunters, I was glad to see that area near Payneway and Marked Tree returned to nature. As I drive by I love to see the progress the trees are making.
 
a gps might be a useful tool for duck hunters, birders and conservationists aloike

It allows for precise pinpointing of sightings and should also prevent you getting lost. At worst it will enabe you to retrace your steps if you do get lost

Tim
 
walterb- I came down from just North of St. Louis. I ended up with the same type of opinion as you did. Although I did see some large nest holes, no woodpeckers. The holes were larger than the red headed woodpeckers usually make, but no birds to confirm. Glad to see others are interested in preserving the species!
walterb said:
I headed out of St. Louis Missouri for the Cache River area, not really knowing where I was going , but I just knew this was the place to be this past weekend.

I wanted to take a good photo of the Ivory Bill. I wished it were still alive since I’ve been about 8 years old seeing it in my bird book.

I drove down to Memphis then over towards Little Rock on Interstate 40. I had always though Arkansas was a hilly state, and it is if you only visit the northern area, but central eastern Arkansas is flat and marshy. Fields of Rice, cotton, and watermelons.

I had drove all over St. Louis looking for an Topographical Atlas of the State of Arkansas but it seemed people had beaten me to it. I finally found one at my 5th Border’s book store I visited.

At a Rest stop I pulled over to get a few hours sleep. I decided based on the information I had recorded onto CD from NPR’s website that the best place to go was the Cache River Wildlife Refuge. I wanted to be there at dawn on Saturday, so I only slept a few hours and then hit the road again.

I got to Brinkley Arkansas about 5:30am, Its just off interstate 40. I headed south and west out of town about 4 miles on Highway 70. Taking the Dagmar Gravel Road Exit, I drove back into the Dagmar Wildlife Management area. It’s a large Bayou that is part of the Cache River System. (see Map)

http://www.fws.gov/cacheriver/ManagedAccessArea.pdf

I stayed for two days in the area, but failed to see the Ivory Bill. If you don’t have access to some sort shallow draft boat (which I don’t ) you are going to limit your viewing.

The roads are quite good (gravel). I made it all over in the WMA with a small low clearance Kia Passenger car.

In a nutshell the entire area is a swampy area with large Cypress trees, and Oaks. I’ve seen birds there I’ve never seen before. Many warblers.

There were a few campers, a few birders and many fishermen with John boats having their buddies or wives unhook the boat from the back of the pick-up truck, then take it out into the channel, and circle around to come back and pick them up after they parked the truck.

The best place if you don’t have a canoe or kayak to view the bayou for a possible fly-by is Dagmar WMA. There are two places that seem to be better than others One is at the end of the road were people launch their john boats (see the bird observation area in the center of the Dagmar WMA on the map).

The second place is an abandon Railroad track that appears on the map as a straight line between Interstate 40 and Highway 70. This allows you foot access to walk across the bayou.

Bring a lot of bug spray, and some knee deep rubber boots , and there are plenty of snakes including copperheads and cottonmouths. I’m told there are alligators there too.

The local’s don’t know what to make of all this fuss about the Ivory bill. Federal Agents have set up a ring around the federal area where the bird has been seen, and Scientists from Cornell University have been conducting experiments within that area. Access to this area is forbidden (see yellow hatch marks on map).

The Dagmar area is only about 1 mile south of the restricted area.

Its amazing that this bird has lasted in that corridor because its filled with duck blinds where hundreds of duck hunters go each year.

I don’t know what the status of next year’s duck hunting will be in this area, but the local’s take their hunting very seriously. I try and keep in mind that its their money via usage tax stamps and hunting permits that is really credited with providing the habitat that has kept this bird alive all these years.

I ended up staying at the Brinkley Inn. It was $27 per night for a single room. Its not much to speak, but a friendly staff and free HBO. There are other places in town if you don’t mind paying a little more. I don’t know about Internet connections at the other hotels but this one had none and no WIFI.

I would love to go back during the winter (January / February ) when the leaves are off of the trees and you can see better without Mosquitoes bothering you .


I wish I had more to tell you about the trip, like I have wonderful photos of the Ivory Bill, but alas, this is not the case. It seems the 40 researchers spent a year making only six or so sightings.

The White and Cache river system is over 500,000 acres so I’m sure where there is one bird, there will be others..

Good luck..

Thanks.

http://www.fws.gov/cacheriver/
 
I'm not sure if what I'm about to say is relevant to the Ivory Bill, but when I was in Hawai'i last month, looking at forest birds, the bird book I used stated that the best way to preserve the rarest birds, those found in the Alaka'i Swamp, was not to go there; to leave them alone and not go seeking them out or disturbing their habitat. Does the same not apply to the IBW ? I guess if hunting takes place in the same area then a certain amount of disturbance does occur anyhow, but is there not a negative side to having people actively seek out critically endangered birds simply for their own pleasure ?
 
Bluetails, I love your tag line!

Come doleful owl, the messenger of woe,
Melancholy's bird, companion of Despair,
Sorrow's best friend and Mirth's professed foe
The chief discourser that delights sad Care.
O come, poor owl, and tell thy woes to me.
Which having heard, I'll do the like for thee.
(Anon c.1607)

Hmmm . . .

It seems to me that hooting with the owls all night can be both rewarding and at the same time an excess -- we should enjoy our excesses, as long as they are that and not habit!!

Soaring with the eagles in the morning can also be quite rewarding, but is truly difficult when following a night of hooting with the owls.

Bluetail, here's to a hoot, a screach, a snort and a soar! and, the stealth of an owl when you you choose!

happy trails, jeepnut :t:
 
Thanks, Jeepnut! I don't know your American owls so well, but I've been alone at nght with our Tawny Owls and their hoot has a desolate melancholy that I think the poet has captured perfectly. But, yes, birds show us the other side as well. Over here there's nothing so uplifting as the sound of a Blackbird in full song! :t:
 
Swamp

Hey folks, quick question: if my better half and I were to take a trip to the swamp, would there be much point in our bringing our 11-foot kayaks? Or do you need a big boat?

We have a GPS, will travel!
 
BirdBrain_TN said:
Hey folks, quick question: if my better half and I were to take a trip to the swamp, would there be much point in our bringing our 11-foot kayaks? Or do you need a big boat?

We have a GPS, will travel!

Hmm... I'm already planning to visit a friend in Little Rock in early January. I might have to drag him out birdwatching with me. He has kayaks. ;)
 
Hi,

The tropical mountains of Hawaii, and the swamps of Arkansas are completely different.

I’ve been to both and only one has an Navy of small boats patrolling up and down the bayou with anti-aircraft guns blazing at incoming waterfowl. If a few woodpeckers can successfully survive flying around in this annual gauntlet, then I can’t see where a few guys walking around out of nesting season with cameras and binoculars will cause the woodpecker(s) to vapor-lock from stage fright at the sound of a camera shutter..

The authorities have cordoned off large portions of the bayou they believe the woodpecker(s) to be in to the general public, and if one strays in to a public area of the bayou, or flys arcoss the interstate highway (that cuts though the middle of the wildlife refuge) and has his photo taken then it can only be a good thing for both photographer and woodpecker.

If it wasn’t for those duck hunters paying hunting, and boating license fees then more than likely that entire area would have been drained, canalled , and developed by large agricultural corporations growing watermelon, rice, other crops. The habitat would have been destroyed and any hope of rare woodpecker living there would be nil. Undisputed proof of this woodpecker’s existence (such as a photo) will only help preserve current habitat for this bird, and perhaps create new ones.

Hawaii’s indigenous species have always been highly sensitive to human disturbances, however this woodpecker’s main threat is from loss of habitat as well as from owls, hawks, tree snakes and a few near-sighted duck hunters, but not from responsible birdwatchers.

FYI, I’m heading down there again for my second trip this weekend.


Neil Grubb said:
I'm not sure if what I'm about to say is relevant to the Ivory Bill, but when I was in Hawai'i last month, looking at forest birds, the bird book I used stated that the best way to preserve the rarest birds, those found in the Alaka'i Swamp, was not to go there; to leave them alone and not go seeking them out or disturbing their habitat. Does the same not apply to the IBW ? I guess if hunting takes place in the same area then a certain amount of disturbance does occur anyhow, but is there not a negative side to having people actively seek out critically endangered birds simply for their own pleasure ?
 
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