Dear All,
After reading all the news on these rarities, I´ve found some interesting info relating to the rediscovery in 2004 of the Recurve-billed Bushbird here in Venezuela, by a group of venezuelan researchers. Here goes:
"After three trips to the side of Sierra de Perija specifically to look
for the species, Recurve-billed Bushbirds were heard, then seen and
captured there during a four man CI-financed RAP expedition (consisting
of Miguel Lentino, Jorge Perez-Eman, Irving Carreño and Chris Sharpe)
under the auspices of Venezuela Audubon, Phelps Collection and IZT-UCV
in April 2004. At that time Chris Sharpe was fortunate enough to obtain what are assumed to be the first photographs and sound recordings of the species and returned with Mark and Lanie Sokol a couple of months later to take the first detailed behavioural notes and make a more accurate assessment of conservation issues. The 2004 search took place in an area in which local Colombian farmers had reported seeing the Bushbird regularly. Much of the groundwork for the Venezuelan rediscovery was carried out by Maracaibo-based birder, José Gustavo León, who was the first to find access to the Bushbird habitat and helped considerably in the subsequent trips.
Although it spread a bit in the Neotropical birding world, the news of
the rediscovery with the species in Venezuela was kept relatively quiet
for several reasons, not least of which were: a) the assumption that
CI-Venezuela should take the lead on a press release, b) that it was not desireable to have huge numbers of birders immediately descending on what (at the time) was the only know with certainty to be a small population in a
sensitive area, c) the fact that tape playback might not help the birds and, in the absence of a recording, some birders resort to using nets to obtain views of threatened species (both of which we were keen to avoid), and d) also because there were plans to return to obtain more data for publication.
Soon after, some basic information was sent to BirdLife for the IUCN Red List. This was posted as part of
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=4624&m=0
and documented in NBC's inaugural issue of "Neotropical Birding"
(
http://www.neotropicalbirdclub.org/neobirding.html). Slightly more detailed information will also appear in the forthcoming 3rd edition of the Venezuelan Animals RDB (
http://www.fpolar.org.ve/librorojo/librojo.htm), which was drafted in 2004 / 5. "
Initially, at least, the outlook for the Bushbird on the Venezuelan side
looks good and much better than guessed prior to 2004. Having
said that, a considerable area of extremely important, uninhabited
primary forest is currently being rapidly invaded in the foothills of
this range where the forest is being felled to plant short-term cash
crops. There appears to be no attempt to control or regulate illegal
deforestation there on the part of government agencies and political
support for the invasion. The forests there are home to several other
interesting and species, some of which are of conservation concern and
there are several undescribed taxa as well.
I´ve also read about Oscar Laverde´s finding of Bushbirds in Colombia in 2005 (
http://www.ornitologiacolombiana.org/oc5/laverdeystiles.htm#1es).
There´s also more info here:
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=4624&m=0
<http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=4624&m=0>
http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NEOO.html
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2007/07/update_on_the_smiling_bird_red.php
Cheers,
Pepe
DT
