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Ivorybill Searcher's Forum: Insights and current reports (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter fangsheath
- Start date
Edward woodwood
Member
news of the rediscovery / discovery of species is usually released well before the descriptive papers are published in journals
news of many such birds was released before relevant papers were published in OBC/Forktail. Birders have often even been to see the taxa well before the papers are even written, never mind published.
I don't know why there is so much secrcy. I mean, is there anything to even be secret about?
Tim
Tim
news of many such birds was released before relevant papers were published in OBC/Forktail. Birders have often even been to see the taxa well before the papers are even written, never mind published.
I don't know why there is so much secrcy. I mean, is there anything to even be secret about?
Tim
Tim
Curtis Croulet
Well-known member
The rediscovery was announced in a big press conference on April 28, 2005. Perhaps you missed it. This is a scientific and conservation project. That the conduct of the project vexes twitchers is certainly at the bottom of their list of concerns.
cyberthrush
Well-known member
Camp Ephilus said:
I don't have the link handy at the moment (but Fang or someone else here probably does), but quite sometime ago Steve Holzman put a link here with examples of Pileated work, and concluding 'feeding holes' needed to be over 3 FEET long to be especially suspicious (possible IBWO) -- Fang also previously posted several pics of large Pileated work.
By all means keep looking and recording (and also look for feathers at the base of worked trees), but realize PIWOs can do a lot of damage themselves. If you're not already on the "Carolinabirds" listserv group you may want to join it to check for anyone else searching your areas of interest.
fangsheath
Well-known member
Photos of exceptionally long furrows (trenches) in eastern Arkansas can be found at the link below. I have also heard that some work suspected to be ivory-bill is smoother than typical pileated sign. Individual gouge width, not furrow length, should be focused upon, based on my current knowledge.
http://www.coastalgeorgiabirding.org/misc/furrows.htm
http://www.coastalgeorgiabirding.org/misc/furrows.htm
Goatnose
Inspired by IBW
The Portor Hole
"BillBill; thanks for bring up fond memories, in me, of the Hatchie River. Did you by chance look south of the "Porter Hole"? Great place, hope you Tennessee folks can protect it. When I visited there I felt like what may have escape the Tombigbee River to Tenn-Tom Waterway conversion (in the 70's I think), south of there, would now be resident along the Hatchie. If you read Dr. Jackson's book, the lost of the Tombigbee was significant to species like the Ivory Billed and Dr. Jackson did enjoy searching the Tom for Ivory Bills."
I am not activily searching there but I have been there many times. It is a southern hardwood bottoms gem sitting off I40 , easy drive from Memphis or Jackson, Tn. May I qoute a previous psot of mine on this siteMMinNY said:
"BillBill; thanks for bring up fond memories, in me, of the Hatchie River. Did you by chance look south of the "Porter Hole"? Great place, hope you Tennessee folks can protect it. When I visited there I felt like what may have escape the Tombigbee River to Tenn-Tom Waterway conversion (in the 70's I think), south of there, would now be resident along the Hatchie. If you read Dr. Jackson's book, the lost of the Tombigbee was significant to species like the Ivory Billed and Dr. Jackson did enjoy searching the Tom for Ivory Bills."
Hi,
What is typical for stripping of dead pine trees in the south? I recently visited Wekiva Springs State Park in Florida. The dead pines were completely stripped from 15 feet above the ground up to their tops. I have no idea how recently. Would this be typical for dead pines?
What is typical for stripping of dead pine trees in the south? I recently visited Wekiva Springs State Park in Florida. The dead pines were completely stripped from 15 feet above the ground up to their tops. I have no idea how recently. Would this be typical for dead pines?
Camp Ephilus
Active member
I'm thinking that this is probably the work of pileateds. But the only way to know for sure is see them for myself. Here is the tree I saw this past weekend. I found another on Wed on the NE Cape Fear that had lots of fresh wood chips all piled around the bottom. That one might be a good candidate for a remote cam. I'll get some pictures of that one tomorrow.
Fangsheath, right now I'm testing remote field recording using a DVR made by olympus. It seems to be the only one that has a timer for remote recording at a given time, eg. sunrise or sunset for double knocks. Also, it has a frequency response over 7000hz. Not great, but good enough to record double knocks and IBWO calls. I've taken the CLO recordings from 35' and run them through some noise reduction software I have to make a 45 second call to play in the field. It cleaned up quite nicely. All the static is gone. Anyhow, when I make a sonogram of the calls they don't top out over 7khz, so I should be ok. I'm testing now by playing calls over my laptop outside using the same portable speakers I use in the field and recording with the DVR at different distances to see how sensitive it is. It also has a mic in, so I may go that route. After that, it's just a matter of building an enclosure out of pvc and deploying them. This DVR also will interface to a pc so I can DL the wavs and run them through recognition software. I'll keep you posted on my results.
Btw...my dasani bottle in bottom of the picture is around 11" in height.
Fangsheath, right now I'm testing remote field recording using a DVR made by olympus. It seems to be the only one that has a timer for remote recording at a given time, eg. sunrise or sunset for double knocks. Also, it has a frequency response over 7000hz. Not great, but good enough to record double knocks and IBWO calls. I've taken the CLO recordings from 35' and run them through some noise reduction software I have to make a 45 second call to play in the field. It cleaned up quite nicely. All the static is gone. Anyhow, when I make a sonogram of the calls they don't top out over 7khz, so I should be ok. I'm testing now by playing calls over my laptop outside using the same portable speakers I use in the field and recording with the DVR at different distances to see how sensitive it is. It also has a mic in, so I may go that route. After that, it's just a matter of building an enclosure out of pvc and deploying them. This DVR also will interface to a pc so I can DL the wavs and run them through recognition software. I'll keep you posted on my results.
Btw...my dasani bottle in bottom of the picture is around 11" in height.
Attachments
This woodworking is very similar to the one tree in my yard that the Pileateds gravitate to on every visit.
http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php/photo/79253/sort/1/cat/500/page/2
http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php/photo/79253/sort/1/cat/500/page/2
fangsheath
Well-known member
Christen, your tree may well have been worked on by pileateds, it has a passing resemblance to other pileated work I have seen. If you can, try to get close-ups of individual gouge marks with something to show scale. I find that the back of a penny makes a good comparison.
You're running sounds through recognition software? Is it commercial software? What sound parameters does it look at?
You're running sounds through recognition software? Is it commercial software? What sound parameters does it look at?
fangsheath
Well-known member
On pine debarking - Pines are often debarked by other processes than woodpecker work. Without gouge marks I am always hesitant to classify debarking as foraging sign. And even if it was woodpecker work, without gouge marks it is doubtful that it can be assigned, at least I know of no way of doing so at present. I am hearing from my colleagues that tight bark means very little, pileateds can strip surprisingly tight bark. Plus the looser bark is often selectively removed from a tree, leaving only very tight bark and the appearance that the bird has done something it has not.
Camp Ephilus
Active member
fangsheath said:
FS, many of the trees I come across with the huge linear furrows don't have gouge marks in them. I've read Steve Holzman's and Paul Syke's pages on gouge marks and I do have a digital caliper I carry with me on my hunts. Hopefully I'll find some better looking marks.
The software is called Ishmael. The sound recognition overview is here. You can DL it for free. I'd like to get Raven from CLO, but it's mucho $$$. I'm going to see how far I can get with Ishmael first.
BTW...the early tests of the DVR are really good. Even with the reduced frequency response, I can pick up IBWO calls and double raps very well. The only negative is that once I set the timer to record, it resets itself. I wish I could get into the firmware to turn off that reset. Oh well. Science on the cheap has it's negatives. |:S|
Katy Penland
Well-known member
Hi, DSC! I see this is your first post, so a warm welcome to you from all of us on staff here at BirdForum. :t:dsc said:
Goatnose
Inspired by IBW
Searching the WRNWR
April 1st 2006, river stage around 18. Ventured up the White from St. Charles about 30 minutes to the tail water of Maddox Bay, Jon boat with 25 horse outboard. Then ported over to Brown Shanty Lake where I was able to Pirogue connecting bayous through several lakes. A great bayou float for you guys with your Kayaks. Caution, the water does get swift in places and I would recommend a birding buddy in this area. I did not see any sigh of other birders being in this area recently(as my observing the ATV trails for footprints). The timber is selective in that there are some areas that appear more mature than others. As if the last loggers of years past bypassed some stands of timber. The Pileated sign and sounds were only moderate so I went back out toward the river were Pileated sign and sounds were better. Spent the remaining time just drifting down the White with video camera running and did mark an area that I wish to return to with my layout blind and photo some Pileateds up close.
Stopped by the lodge were the Cornell folks are staying on the way out of town from St. Charles and did get to ask the question about the rumor that a nest cavity had been found and "he" said no, and did not say a whole lot of much else either though given the opportunity.
Also, there was only one other vehicle at the boat ramp when I put in the morning and no other vehicles as I took out. In short summation, I did not come across any evidence that a rumored nest cavity or anything else exciting had been found up river from St. Charles, as I reported"a rumor" last week.
High points of the day, a Bald Eagle working over Stinking Bay much to the complaints of the local Red Shouldered hawks. Three Pileated's together feeding and also complaining about some Jon boat that was drifted by.
Low points of the day, no spring Turkey Gobbles heard, no Mississippi Kites seen although they should be arriving back soon, no IBWO possibles seen.
April 1st 2006, river stage around 18. Ventured up the White from St. Charles about 30 minutes to the tail water of Maddox Bay, Jon boat with 25 horse outboard. Then ported over to Brown Shanty Lake where I was able to Pirogue connecting bayous through several lakes. A great bayou float for you guys with your Kayaks. Caution, the water does get swift in places and I would recommend a birding buddy in this area. I did not see any sigh of other birders being in this area recently(as my observing the ATV trails for footprints). The timber is selective in that there are some areas that appear more mature than others. As if the last loggers of years past bypassed some stands of timber. The Pileated sign and sounds were only moderate so I went back out toward the river were Pileated sign and sounds were better. Spent the remaining time just drifting down the White with video camera running and did mark an area that I wish to return to with my layout blind and photo some Pileateds up close.
Stopped by the lodge were the Cornell folks are staying on the way out of town from St. Charles and did get to ask the question about the rumor that a nest cavity had been found and "he" said no, and did not say a whole lot of much else either though given the opportunity.
Also, there was only one other vehicle at the boat ramp when I put in the morning and no other vehicles as I took out. In short summation, I did not come across any evidence that a rumored nest cavity or anything else exciting had been found up river from St. Charles, as I reported"a rumor" last week.
High points of the day, a Bald Eagle working over Stinking Bay much to the complaints of the local Red Shouldered hawks. Three Pileated's together feeding and also complaining about some Jon boat that was drifted by.
Low points of the day, no spring Turkey Gobbles heard, no Mississippi Kites seen although they should be arriving back soon, no IBWO possibles seen.
fangsheath
Well-known member
Christen,
I often have trouble finding gouge marks on woodpecker sign, at least marks fresh enough to be useful. In fact I have yet to personally see sign that I suspected was ivory-bill. But if you find something suspicious it is a good idea to search the surrounding area carefully for more.
I sure know what you mean about science on the cheap, I just bought a camcorder and I don't even own a car at the moment. I think it's fabulous that people like yourself reach into their own pocketbooks to help find and document these birds. Keep up the great work!
I often have trouble finding gouge marks on woodpecker sign, at least marks fresh enough to be useful. In fact I have yet to personally see sign that I suspected was ivory-bill. But if you find something suspicious it is a good idea to search the surrounding area carefully for more.
I sure know what you mean about science on the cheap, I just bought a camcorder and I don't even own a car at the moment. I think it's fabulous that people like yourself reach into their own pocketbooks to help find and document these birds. Keep up the great work!
Pileated_MO
Native Missourian
Camp Ephilus said:
Does that mean you've heard them? ;-) Wink
I haven't seen this Q&A with Bobby Harrison linked to anywhere else. It's from the Eagle Optics site, and it includes a description of the famous and rumored "other" video. It certainly raises questions as to why this material has not been released, since Harrison certainly makes it sound less ambiguous than the Luneau video. It is a brief but very informative chat:
http://mp3.eagleoptics.com/bobby_h_2_28_06.mp3
http://mp3.eagleoptics.com/bobby_h_2_28_06.mp3
