Hidde Bruinsma
Well-known member
Does any one have any substantial information on the Cuban Ivory Bill ? Are there searches going on or are there new sightings made by residents ?
I assume you are referring to the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. There have been searches made in Cuba, but as far as I know, no Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been seen recently.Hidde Bruinsma said:Does any one have any substantial information on the Cuban Ivory Bill ? Are there searches going on or are there new sightings made by residents ?
Hidde Bruinsma said:The morphological differences between the continental and the Cuban birds are quite small: the Cuban birds have the white line extended up to the bill (which is also the case in about 20 % of the continental birds), their bills are slightly shorter and narrower and the red crest feathers of the male are longer than the black ones, which are of the same length in the North American form.
(Notice I write this in the present tense.)
Hi Gang,
Well I have a BUNCH of experience related to the general Ivory bill topic and the cuban thread as well.
In January of 2004, i was the ornithologist/film-maker assigned to the Field Museum/Cornell Lab of O expedition to the Sierra Maestra and other locations near Santiago de Cuba. WE spent a month in the field recording and filming in High Definition- the birds of this section of Cuba. We have several of the top cuban ornithologists and other top Cuban biologists with us. Very impressed with their caliber and ability to keep plugging on with VERY LIMITED resources.
WE were in or VERY near some of the areas reported to have IBWOs in recent years. I left VERY discouraged. But there was a very interesting report of a nesting attempt in a fairly remote and somewhat restricted area. Many of these reports were vague and lacked details.
The Bush administration has since complicated any return to Cuba and instigated Cuban Government response. VERY Unfortunate. However, I repeat I have little hope for IBWO in Cuba.
After one month back home in Montana, I got a secretive call from the Lab asking about my availability to go somewhere. Within a week I was in Arkansas as part of the Lab's secret efforts to document the IBWO in Bayou de View Arkansas. Until Martjan passed me this year, I had more time on the ground than any other person involved in the Search.
I had 4 "close encounters" with IBWO during 2004 and 2005. Obviously, and frustratingly, I was unable to be in position or (at other times) take advantage of being in the right place and right time. Very Frustrating.
However, I am clearly on record of ----not believing---- (pay attention) KNOWING there is indeed at least one and much more likely --are 3 IBWOs in Arkansas. I suspect very strongly that the birds in the Pearl River will also be documented as IBWO in the next few years. Mike Collins is workign very hard to accomplish this.
OK that is enough from me... fire away or ask me questions...
All my Best,
Tim Barksdale
Birdman Productions LLC
MundoAveLoco! LP
Choteau, MT
aka Hdroadcurlew
Hidde Bruinsma said:Hi Tim,
Why, Tim ? Why are you so discouraged about the Cuban Ivory Bill ? Wasn't there enough habitat you think, or was there enough forest but the birds could not be found ? Please, tell us.
Did you know there is an expedition trying to find it in those mountains right now ?
Well this is the difficult part.Hidde Bruinsma said:That is discouraging indeed. But what then does the photograph on the geocities site ( referred to in post 5) prove ? I wonder if the author of that article misled us in presenting an overly optimistic picture.
Is there any photograph of Orlando Garrido's Cuban Ivory-billed woodpecker sighting in 1968?