Ivory-billed Woodpecker (formerly updates) (20 Viewers)

[timeshadowed]

IBWO Artist Larry Chandler Dies

More sad News:

According to David Luneau's site Bird Artist Larry Chandler
passed away on March 16, 2007, apparently from pneumonia complications.

http://www.ibwo.org/

 

[John Mariani]

Mike Collins's take on things on good ole Birdchat:
http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0703c&L=birdchat&D=1&O=D&P=606
No surprises there.

Interesting that he doesn't consider American Birds and Living Bird Quarterly to be "mainstream journals." Not sure what his point is about the old issues being hard to find...old issues of periodicals are hard to find because libraries have limited space and they are ...old, not because they are being supressed. He goes on to write:

"Some of the non-scientific journals have recently adopted this policy. For example, North American Birds published a paper a few years ago on kents that were heard in the Apalachicola, but now they won't publish anything short of a "pretty picture."

American Birds (not a "mainstream journal") was the earlier title of the magazine now called North American Birds.

 

[Winterdune]

Auburn update - more double knocks and kents; no visuals.
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/scie.../faculty/webpages/hill/ivorybill/Updates.html
Sean

 

[MMinNY]

The first critiques of Doc Martin's paper have been posted:

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/5/8/comments

I think they're quite powerful. It will be interesting to see whether Cornell has anything significant to add.

 

[Ilya Maclean]

Fangsheath's criticisms are interesting, but to me highlight precisely why analysis shouldn't always replace common sense.

In Nolin's vids, the birds adopt three different flight actions (1. take-off, 2. bouncy & 3. leasurely, but level). One, the take of flight is entirely consistent with the Luneau bird, the other two are not. However, in the Luneau video, that quick flapping flight is maintained for longer than in any birds in the Nolin video. However, it is obvious that Piliated’s can adopt the quick flapping flight when they want to. This is the way it works with virtually every other bird species I’ve watched over the years. Sometimes they adopt one flight action, sometime another. When they are scared and evading humans with camcoders, the quite often fly quickly. Imagine how silly it would be to compare the flap rates of a video of a raptor in steady, level flight with those of a few souring raptors stating that the bird in the first video, doesn’t match those in the second and therefore provides the first conclusive evidence of being a species hitherto thought by many extinct.

Edit: One thing I do agree with him on though is:

"Videos are clearly fraught with artifacts that do not necessarily reflect the actual plumage characteristics of the bird".

Ironically he uses this as an argument in favour of showing that the Nolin vids do not precisely match Luneau's, missing the rather more obvious point that this is precisely why most people now question whether it is an Ivory-billed.

 

[CornishExile]

Also interesting to note that no competing interests were declared. One might think that working for an organisation that has developed an Ivory-billed recovery plan has devoted a lot of time and resources on the assumption that it is extant, could be seen as a competing interest

Good point - to a dispassionate observer, that would surely mean he was conflicted?

ce

 

[IBWO_Agnostic]

Good point - to a dispassionate observer, that would surely mean he was conflicted?

ce

Have I missed something? Are fangsheath and/or Bill Pulliam involved in the recovery plan?

 

[Ilya Maclean]

Have I missed something? Are fangsheath and/or Bill Pulliam involved in the recovery plan?

I'm not sure about Bill. I thought Fangsheath was involved with FWS in some way? Some of his earlier posts suggested he was, but I'm not so sure now that I think about it. He will probably correct me if he doesn't anyway and I wasn't being entirely serious. I'm sure regardless of who he works for he is capabable of stating an objective opinion.

Edit: I've checked now and realised I was in error and have removed my comment. Sorry Fang;-)

 

[Sidewinder]

Fangsheath does not have a government job of any sort (federal, state, whatever).

 

[MMinNY]

AFAIK, neither does Bill Pulliam, nor is he involved with the recovery plan, again AFAIK.

On edit: Bill gave me permission to post the following about his status:

"I am a 100% self-employed small farmer. I am not employed by anyone
but myself. I have had no professional involvement in government or
academia in over 7 years. I turned down an offer to volunteer with
Cornell this year in favor of remaining unaffiliated and free of
NDAs, as well as to conserve my volunteer time for other smaller
birding projects closer to home. I have not received a penny of
compensation from any State or Federal agency, any private
conservation organization, any other NGO, or anyone else for anything
I have done even vaguely related to the IBWO. I have no involvement
at all in the recovery plan or recovery team other than the fact that
that some of them do read my writings."

Fangsheath does not have a government job of any sort (federal, state, whatever).

 

[choupique1]

Some of you may recall some posts by a guy with the nickname Olivacea (Noel) on this thread. According to a Florida birding list, he has died. More information can be found at the following link.

http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/FLAB.html

I was wondering what happened to him, he emailed me a few times during duck season. I heard from some duck hunters that knew him well.

 

[IBWO_Agnostic]

Does anyone else see the danger/lunacy in the following:

"We cannot afford to allow Jackson to do the same. He is no more of an expert on this species than anyone else who has read the literature. He should be ignored. The people who should be listened to are those who have field experience with this species, such as Tim Gallagher, Bobby Harrison, Melinda LaBranche, Melanie Driscoll, Jim Fitzpatrick, Casey Taylor, Geoff Hill, Tyler Hicks, Brian Rolek, Bob Anderson, David Kulivan, Mary Scott, Susan Epps, and myself."

Of course, I'm guessing you'll all know where this came from.

 

[Edward woodwood]

sanity left the building a long while back

way before the fat rocknroller did

these people are nuts

capital N

NUTS

T.

Off to India next week to observe, audio record and photograph some very rare birds, including (hopefully) one species of which there have been many fewer reports than IBWO. What chance of seeing that? Mmmm.... Will post pics and tips on my return.

 

[curunir]

sanity left the building a long while back

way before the fat rocknroller did

these people are nuts

capital N

NUTS

T.

Off to India next week to observe, audio record and photograph some very rare birds, including (hopefully) one species of which there have been many fewer reports than IBWO. What chance of seeing that? Mmmm.... Will post pics and tips on my return.

pink headed ducky?

 

[choupique1]

sanity left the building a long while back

way before the fat rocknroller did

these people are nuts

capital N

NUTS

T.

Off to India next week to observe, audio record and photograph some very rare birds, including (hopefully) one species of which there have been many fewer reports than IBWO. What chance of seeing that? Mmmm.... Will post pics and tips on my return.

dang timbo...why aren't you going to ARk, LA MS or FL to give it a go on the IBWO.. surely you would get a photo or video...

 

[timeshadowed]

dang timbo...why aren't you going to ARk, LA MS or FL to give it a go on the IBWO.. surely you would get a photo or video...

Maybe because Timbo is just lazy. . .He wants someone else to invest the time and money to find the birds and THEN off he goes! That's what I call a real 'bottom feeder'!

 

[Edward woodwood]

dang timbo...why aren't you going to ARk, LA MS or FL to give it a go on the IBWO.. surely you would get a photo or video...

so how many birds did you see in Florida then? It was 'birds' wasn't it?

Tim

 

[Edward woodwood]

Maybe because Timbo is just lazy. . .He wants someone else to invest the time and money to find the birds and THEN off he goes! That's what I call a real 'bottom feeder'!

post deleted cos it's just too sad to comment on

 

[timeshadowed]

post deleted cos it's just too sad to comment on

It may be a sad post, but it's true.

 

[Bonsaibirder]

Maybe because Timbo is just lazy. . .He wants someone else to invest the time and money to find the birds and THEN off he goes! That's what I call a real 'bottom feeder'!

That really is pathetic Timeshadowed.

From reading all his posts on this thread, do you honestly think Tim is waiting for IBWOs to be nailed down so that he can twitch them? Or were you just making a personal insult for the sake of it?

Seems like Tim, as a member of the obc, is just putting his mouth where his money is - in the oriental/asian region.

... just like the IBWO searchers.