Ivory-billed Woodpecker (formerly updates) (5 Viewers)

[choupique1]

about 3/4 of the reliable sightings since 1940 involve pairs.

 

[choupique1]

the most overlooked IBWO habitat...... and home to many reliable sightings.. unfortunately mainly private land...

atchafalaya basin

 

[Katy Penland]

Schlock radio strikes again

This posted on our AZ-NM listserve this morning, which was a forward from other listserves in the southeast US:


Hi Birders,

I am sending along a message from TEXBIRDS. This is truly awful. I hope some
of us w/connections in the area can maybe help. I know I'd do anything I could if asked.

Doug Chapman
Sioux Falls, SD

TEXBIRDERS,

Two radio DJ's in Little Rock, Corey and Jay, at 100.3 The Edge, are offering various items for sale (T-shirts, mugs, caps, buttons, thongs) that say "The Woodpecker Must Die" - referring, of course, to the recent rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in The Big Woods of the Delta region of Arkansas.

This is sick and disgusting - no wonder this country has so many social problems. People on ARBIRDS are discussing how to send letters to the owners of the station, boycott sponsors, etc. If you can stand to go to the web site to see this shameful, disgraceful trash in order to get info to write, it is
(http://www.coreyandjayshow.com) . It is beyond comprehension how people can be so destructive and irresponsible.

Please pass this info on to birders on other state list serves. Someone has already torched an observation platform that was in the process of being built for birders to look for the woodpecker. The carpenters had gone to lunch when this took place last week. I guess along with good comes evil.

 

[fangsheath]

That's fine, although I think we should be careful about being too specific locality-wise. I would add that those who wish to render aid in finding other ivory-bills can definitely contribute by studying pileateds. We need data, data, and more data on pileated foraging sign, roost holes, and nest sites, particularly in places that we are reasonably sure do NOT have ivory-bills.

Here is a list of river basins that have large, continuous tracts of forest, by no means exhaustive. I have asterisked the ones that I know have had reports of ivory-bills since the 1940's, but probably all of them have.

Texas:

Neches*
Sabine*

Louisiana:

Calcasieu
lower Red
Tensas*
Atchafalaya*
Maurepas
Pearl*

Mississippi:

Pascagoula*
Yazoo*

Alabama:

Mobile*

Florida:

Yellow
Apalachicola*
Ocklockonee
Suwannee*

Georgia:

Altamaha

South Carolina:

Savannah
Santee*

I am more familiar with the more western parts of the range so I have probably omitted a lot in the east. As I indicated before, Mapmart is a good place to peruse the landscape for large tracts of forest.

 

[fangsheath]

I had seen a post about this on the Louisiana birding forum. I agree with one of the posters there that the best way to deal with this garbage is to boycott the advertisers. Information about same should be forthcoming soon.

 

[Katy Penland]

Dumb radio show removed!

Whew, that was fast! While the show and the stuff on the station's website have been removed, apparently comments can still be made to the station's management and owners. Here's the latest info, again cadged from the AZ-NM listserve:



"Thankfully, this fire has been put out by the folks in TX and LA. Many birders have contacted the station and Clear Channel with the result that the offensive puerile junk is off the station's web site and off the air.

"Read the threads on the local listservs (w/o subscribing) if you need more
info:

"Arkansas: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/ARKS.html

"TexBirds: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/TEXS.html

"Louisiana: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/LOUI.html

"Comments to Clear Channel Communications or the offending station and show (email addresses provided on the other listservs) would seem to be the most effective route for incensed comments."

 

[choupique1]

Maurepas is not a river basin(per se).... it too has had a couple of bonafide sightings.. (blind river area) in the 60s and 70s...

Maurepas area is actually part of the amite river basin. and quite honestly... this area has a high number of "good" IBW sign damaged trees.....

 

[fangsheath]

Cool. The Maurepas swamp is one that I have spent very little time in. As regards sign, I might mention that the tree Allen and Kellogg observed ivory-bills feeding on, which they cut down and examined, had "a deep gash...which was exactly like that made by pileated woodpeckers." But the tree contained no ants, only beetle larvae and termites. I suspect that a careful examination of many of these excavations will prove of great value.

 

[Snowy1]

Unfortunately there will always be extremists, in all subjects across all walks of life. Even when the majority of a population thinks one way, there will be others who just don't understand. Even by educating it won't change. It's just terrible some of the ideas that are out there.

 

[BirdBrain_TN]

Tn

Hey folks, I am brand-spanking new to the forums...wandered in here after having become incensed over the Corey and Jay fiasco when I read about it on the Cornell Eastern Bluebird/cavity nester email list. Have sent angry letters to everyone I can think of, including the CEO, President and CFO of Clear Channel; Cafepress, where these idiots are selling their shameful wares; and the Southeast Regional office of U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

Anyway, like everyone else I am crazy with joy over the rediscovery of the ivory-bill. Which brings me to the fact that my mom claims to have seen a bird in the 1960s at Land Between the Lakes, on the TN/KY border.

Honestly? I have taken to looking for a big black woodpecker out of the corner of my eye every time I head up to LBL, which is 170,000 acres and the second largest contiguous block of forested public land east of the Mississippi. It's also only about five hours from the Cache River. It's not heavily developed between LBL and Memphis, either.

The thing is, it's not full of old-growth cypress, but boy howdy does it have everything else, including mile upon mile of secluded land. There are zillions of turkeys, hawks, bald eagles, and lots of woodpeckers, including a pileated that hangs out in the yard at a lake house my family owns up at LBL.

So. If I can get a photo of an IBW, y'all will be first to know. Thanks for posting all this great info!

BB_TN in Nashville

 

[fangsheath]

Excellent, keep looking. This area is a mere 50 miles from a known ivory-bill record. And welcome aboard.

 

[choupique1]

Birders weren't the only people riled up about ole corey and jay. Hunters have been after these guys from the get go.. the peckerwood must die stuff has been out there for over a month now.... Clear Channel had been getting a lot of flack about them since then - and from some heavy hitters to boot.

Hunters in the cache area are starting to see the IBWO as their friend..... hunters are very against a pending COE water project which could very adversely affect the area.... but the ESA may stop the project!

btw there are couple of duck hunters over in that area that are quietly talking about a nest site!

 

[Katy Penland]

Hey, Birdbrain in TN, I see this is your first post, so a warm welcome to you from all of us on staff here at BirdForum!

 

[choupique1]

a couple of pertinent points... regarding IBWO country.. and the regulars....

I talk pretty regularly with some folks in the clarendon area.. and the general consensus there is that the firestarter was either kids protecting a 'hang out area" or somebody angry about not getting a shot at some business(this is much more likely as several duck guide services are now also offering IBWO tours).

hunters in the area have 2 big fears.....

1. losing hunting areas(which is very doubtful this will happen as the bird has been fine living amongst duck hunters for quite some time and plenty duck hunters have seen these birds over the years) they don't come forward....neither did I... and usfws knows full well who paid for this area to survive.....)

2. people traipsing through their hunting spreads come november..... or cutting off their flyways.... people(i.e birders) may think they are not hurting if they are say 400 yards down the flight path - but actually birders do make ducks fly a little higher or alter their paths..... this is a much bigger threat than anything else to hunters.. and the AGFC is readying some legislation to protect them....and birders...I have suggest informational materials to both sides.... it

it should be noted that... duck hunters on WMA and NWR lands have to stop by 10 or noon in nearly all cases..... birders should aslo remember.. duck hunters generally only have 60 days a year to pursue their love..... they take it very seriously...

a few years ago.........

I had 3 people in orange shirts appear 200 yards in front of my duck blind one morning on private property near a NWR... shortly after dawn i went over to them and told them to leave.... they informed me they were not "disturbing anything" i informed them that they were in fact disturbing our hunt as they were in the middle of a major local flyway... they played like they were leaving and moved back as i returned to our blind... I called the sherrif, all 3 were arrested - the charges stuck - they paid fines.

I am by no means against birders....I have had several hunters arrested too for trespassing.... in fact i am very involved in the IBWO saga..... but birders need to respect hunters.... and vice versa...


there will be idiots on both sides...... we can't let the idiots spoil it for everyone... hunters will go into the swamp an hour or so before sunrise - putting out decoys and making blinds... it is very frustrating for somebody to intrude on them right at dawn(the best duck hunting time)..


Hunters and Birders have very much in common in the IBWO saga.... both love wet and wild places... Both love wildlife. Both can ensure the IBWO survives and flourishes. but..... both will need to respect each other.....

many hunters also realize that birders can help them a great deal, buy paddling or walking through areas that would otherwise be undisturbed during the fall and causing resting ducks to fly..... usually towards dekes.....



BOTH can help the IBWO by standing up against the proposed COE project in the cache area..........

 

[fangsheath]

I think that the Big Woods can become a shining example of understanding and mutual respect between hunters, fishermen, birders, and biologists, or it can be a disaster of misunderstanding and reproachment. It is up to all of us. I think birders need to educate themselves about hunting seasons and exercise courtesy. More than that I think it is critical that wildlife agencies assure everyone that there will not be new restrictions on sustainable use in the bulk of the area. Let us all understand who the friends of the ivory-bill are and not let ourselves be divided and conquered. Let's get it right this time.

 

[curunir]

I think that the Big Woods can become a shining example of understanding and mutual respect between hunters, fishermen, birders, and biologists, or it can be a disaster of misunderstanding and reproachment. It is up to all of us. I think birders need to educate themselves about hunting seasons and exercise courtesy. More than that I think it is critical that wildlife agencies assure everyone that there will not be new restrictions on sustainable use in the bulk of the area. Let us all understand who the friends of the ivory-bill are and not let ourselves be divided and conquered. Let's get it right this time.

I tend to agree. While hunters have birders outgunned by quite a bit. Birders and biologists will tend to want to get much more up close and personal to their target species, ie bug them more. Personally, I don't think they'll clash too much, waterfowl hunting, at least here in the west, usually doesn't occur in heavy old growth. Given the assumed proclivities of the IBW, I don't think anyone with a long gun really has much of a chance at even a shot. I think I'm much more sanguine than most about the future. After some initial swarming, the birding impact should die down to a dull buzz. Given the now possible various locales, perhaps the continued search will spread out all over the south. That would be peachy!

 

[fangsheath]

It is probably worth mentioning that if birders are specificially looking for ivory-bills, there is really no reason to be in the swamp at dawn. Tanner found the ivory-bill to be among the latest-rising birds in the Singer Tract. Here are the times of some ivory-bill observations over the last few years, mostly from Gallagher's book:

1:30 P.M.
1:15 P.M.
10:15 A.M.
"just past noon"
"shortly past noon"
10:30 A.M.
3:30 P.M.
3:30 P.M.
~10:00 A.M.
"late afternoon"
~5:00 P.M.

 

[gws]

I knew the IBWO was my kind of bird. I like to sleep late, too. My admiration for the ghost bird increases.

 

[fangsheath]

The new issue of Birder's World has extensive treatment of the ivory-bill. Much of this is available online, including descriptions of many sightings since the 1940's.

http://www.birdersworld.com/brd/default.aspx?c=ci

 

[Vultur]

Those 2 characteristics of the IBWO nobody tells you about ...
- did the video taken of the Cache River bird have them?

- How can one find out what they are? I'm curious (and want to know what to look for if I see a possible IBWO). Can they be gleaned from field guide illustrations? Are they mentioned in any books?