Long thought extinct, ivory-billed woodpecker rediscovered in Big Woods of Arkansas

Eurekalert ^ | 28-Apr-2005

[jb6]

Multiple sightings, video footage show bird survives in vast forested areas Click here to view a video news release. BRINKLEY, Ark. - Long believed to be extinct, a magnificent bird - the ivory-billed woodpecker - has been rediscovered in the Big Woods of eastern Arkansas. More than 60 years after the last confirmed sighting of the species in the United States, a research team today announced that at least one male ivory-bill still survives in vast areas of bottomland swamp forest.

Published in the journal Science on its Science Express Web site (April 28, 2005), the findings include multiple sightings of the elusive woodpecker and frame-by-frame analyses of brief video footage. The evidence was gathered during an intensive year-long search in the Cache River and White River national wildlife refuges involving more than 50 experts and field biologists working together as part of the Big Woods Conservation Partnership, led by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology at Cornell University and The Nature Conservancy.

"The bird captured on video is clearly an ivory-billed woodpecker," said John Fitzpatrick, the Science article's lead author, and director of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. "Amazingly, America may have another chance to protect the future of this spectacular bird and the awesome forests in which it lives."

"It is a landmark rediscovery," said Scott Simon, director of The Nature Conservancy's Arkansas chapter. "Finding the ivory-bill in Arkansas validates decades of great conservation work and represents an incredible story of hope for the future."

Joining the search team at a press conference in Washington DC, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton announced a Department of the Interior initiative to identify funds for recovery efforts.

Through its cooperative conservation initiative, the Fish and Wildlife Service has a variety of grant and technical aid programs to support wildlife recovery.

"These programs are the heart and soul of the federal government's commitment to cooperative conservation. They are perfectly tailored to recover this magnificent bird," Secretary Norton said. "Across the Nation, these programs preserve millions of acres of habitat, improve riparian habitat along thousands of miles of streams and develop conservation plans for endangered species and their habitat."

The largest woodpecker in North America, the ivory-billed woodpecker is known through lore as a bird of beauty and indomitable spirit. The species vanished after extensive clearing destroyed millions of acres of virgin forest throughout the South between the 1880s and mid-1940s.

Although the majestic bird has been sought for decades, until now there was no firm evidence that it still existed.

The rediscovery has galvanized efforts to save the Big Woods of Arkansas, 550,000 acres of bayous, bottomland forests and oxbow lakes. According to Simon, The Nature Conservancy has conserved 18,000 acres of critical habitat in the Big Woods, at the request of the partnership, since the search began. "It's a very wild and beautiful place," Simon said.

The Search and the Evidence

While kayaking in the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge on Feb. 11, 2004, Gene Sparling of Hot Springs, Ark., saw an unusually large, red-crested woodpecker fly toward him and land on a nearby tree. He noticed several field marks suggesting the bird was an ivory-billed woodpecker.

A week later, after learning of the sighting, Tim Gallagher, editor of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Living Bird magazine, and Bobby Harrison, associate professor at Oakwood College, Huntsville, Ala., interviewed Sparling. They were so convinced by his report that they traveled to Arkansas and then with Sparling to the bayou where he had seen the bird.

On Feb. 27, as Sparling paddled ahead, a large black-and-white woodpecker flew across the bayou less than 70 feet in front of Gallagher and Harrison, who simultaneously cried out: "Ivory-bill!" Minutes later, after the bird had disappeared into the forest, Gallagher and Harrison sat down to sketch independently what each had seen. Their field sketches, included in the Science article, show the characteristic patterns of white and black on the wings of the woodpecker.

"When we finished our notes," Gallagher said, "Bobby sat down on a log, put his face in his hands and began to sob, saying, 'I saw an ivory-bill. I saw an ivory-bill.'" Gallagher said he was too choked with emotion to speak. "Just to think this bird made it into the 21st century gives me chills. It's like a funeral shroud has been pulled back, giving us a glimpse of a living bird, rising Lazarus-like from the grave," he said.

The sightings by Sparling, Gallagher and Harrison led to the formation of a search team, which later became the Big Woods Conservation Partnership. On April 5, 10 and 11, three different searchers sighted an ivory-bill in nearby areas. The views were fleeting, leaving little opportunity to take photographs.

David Luneau, associate professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, said he thought the best chance to film the elusive bird would be to have a camcorder on at all times. On April 25, Luneau captured four seconds of video footage showing an ivory-billed woodpecker taking off from the trunk of a tree.

Frame-by-frame analyses show a bird perched on a tupelo trunk, with a distinctive white pattern on its back. During 1.2 seconds of flight, the video reveals 11 wing beats showing extensive white on the trailing edges of the wings and white on the back. Both of these features distinguish the ivory-billed woodpecker from the superficially similar, and much more common, pileated woodpecker.

On three occasions, members of the search team heard series of loud double-raps, possibly the ivory-billed woodpecker's display drumming. On Feb. 14, 2005, Casey Taylor of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology heard the drumming for 30 minutes, then watched as an ivory-billed woodpecker, being mobbed by crows, flew into view.

In addition, autonomous recording units detected sounds, among thousands of hours of recordings, which resembled double-raps and possible calls of the ivory-bill - reminiscent of the sound of a tin horn. Researchers say ongoing analyses of the recordings have not yet enabled them to rule out other potential sound sources, such as the calls of blue jays, which are notorious mimics.

In all, during more than 7,000 hours of search time, experienced observers reported at least 15 sightings of the ivory-bill, seven of which were described in the Science article. Because only a single bird was observed at a time, researchers say they don't yet know whether more than one inhabits the area.

So far, the search team has focused its efforts in approximately 16 of the 850 square miles in the bottomland forests of Arkansas. Fitzpatrick of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said that the next step will be to broaden the search to assess whether breeding pairs exist and how many ivory-bills the region may support. To expand the area being monitored and minimize disturbance to the endangered woodpecker, the team will continue to use acoustic monitoring technologies as well as on-the-ground searching. Fitzpatrick said the team will also encourage others to search for the ivory-bill elsewhere in suitable habitats throughout the South.

Simon of The Nature Conservancy said that over the years, state and federal agencies, conservation organizations, hunters and landowners have aggressively worked to conserve and restore the bottomland hardwood and swamp ecosystem. "Now we know we must work even harder to conserve this critical habitat - not just for the ivory-billed woodpecker, but for the black bears, waterfowl and many other species of these unique woods," he added.

The partnership's 10-year goal is to restore 200,000 more acres of forest in the Big Woods. The effort will include conserving forest habitat, improving river water quality, and restoring the physical structure of the river channels, focusing in locations with maximum benefit in reconnecting forest patches and protecting river health.

"The ivory-bill tells us that we could actually bring this system back to that primeval forest here in the heartland of North America," said Fitzpatrick, who is also a member of The Nature

Conservancy's board of governors. "That's the kind of forest that I hope some generation of Americans and citizens of the world will get to come and visit."

For more information about the search and the efforts to save the ivory-billed woodpecker and the Big Woods, visit www.ivorybill.org.

### The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology is a nonprofit membership institution with the mission to interpret and conserve the Earth's biological diversity though research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. From its headquarters at the Imogene Powers Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity in Ithaca, N.Y., the Lab leads international efforts in bird monitoring and conservation, and fosters the ability of enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels to make a difference.

The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy has been responsible for protecting more than 15 million acres in the United States and more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Since The Conservancy's Arkansas office opened in 1982, it has worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission as well as private citizens, corporations, and foundations, to bring into conservation management more than 120,000 acres in the Arkansas delta.

The Big Woods Conservation Partnership includes the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, The Nature Conservancy, Oakwood College in Huntsville, Ala., Louisiana State University, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Birdman Productions, LLC, and Civic Enterprises, LLC.

[Go Gordon]

What's the bag limit for the ivory-billed woodpecker?

[rdl6989]

At that time Ziess ran an advertisement in Outdoor Photographer magazine and others about that. I've read that ornithologists believe that remote parts of Cuba may have some Ivory-billed woodpeckers.

[Budge]

"Good Lord!"

Sounds like you need some decent binoculars!

[sweetliberty]

"Sounds like you need some decent binoculars!"

Yep. I have an awesome variety of birds in my yard now, the latest include a sighting of a Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grossbeaks (at least 4 regulars now), a Bluebird who has become a regular at the birdbath, several Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers (early in the mornings after it rains, usually), Hummers and just yesterday I saw several of what I have since learned are Kildeer (thanks to the bird thread), although those weren't in my yard. I am studying on enticements though.

[MirrorField]

ObPrincessBride: Well, there's a big difference between "mostly extinct" and "wholly extinct".

[HankReardon]

Yes evolution can do anything. Does someone have a sketch of the suspected ivory-bill woodpecker/human evolutionary link?

[Coleus]

Discovery vindicates politician who used the bird to save a swamp

WASHINGTON - The ivory-billed woodpecker lives!

So maybe the tall tale that saved tens of thousands of acres of Carolina swamp from the timber barons wasn't so tall after all. Maybe Alex Sanders - credited with the boldest ruse in modern South Carolina political history - didn't make it all up.

Sanders, 66, now teaches political science in South Carolina after a long career as a circus performer, college president, chief justice of the South Carolina appeals court and Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate.

But in 1971, Sanders was a maverick state legislator, desperate to stop the clear-cutting of 10,000 acres of the Santee Swamp, a pristine, wildlife-filled expanse about an hour northwest of Charleston.

The ivory-billed woodpecker, declared extinct decades before, would help him.

Sanders called a local television reporter and the South Atlantic regional director of the Audubon Society, who happened to have a recording of the defunct bird. He put them both in a boat and floated into the swamp, to play the call of the ivory-billed woodpecker into the mist.

The ivory-billed woodpecker called back.

Or at least that's what they said.

Sanders' story spread around the nation. Life magazine sent a team in search of the bird. An environmental movement ignited. The legislature banned logging in the Santee swamp. Congress later appropriated $50 million for the creation of the Congaree Swamp National Monument - South Carolina's first national park.

But was the bird there?

No one is quite sure. For years afterward, when asked whether the woodpecker really called back, Sanders would say: "He was there when we needed him."

Today, the ivory-billed woodpecker really is in Arkansas. There are pictures, video and many expert witnesses. The Department of the Interior announced Thursday a "multiyear, multimillion-dollar partnership effort to aid the rare bird's survival."

"It was no news to me," Sanders said from his Charleston office Thursday. " I knew it wasn't extinct all along."

Sanders - known as " Judge Sanders " in South Carolina - says this in his matter-of-fact drawl, as if the nation's top ornithologists and the secretary of the Interior are merely late to the woodpecker party.

But then - irrepressible storyteller that he is - Sanders reveals that he had a backup strategy in 1971, just in case the woodpecker plan didn't work.

"We were going to discover a train wreck in the swamp that took place during the Civil War," he said. "It was derailed taking munitions to the Confederate Army, which was trying to stave off the invasion by General Sherman."

Is that so, Judge Sanders ?

"We had the cannonballs all ready," he assured. "But we never needed them."

[Coleus]

Discovery vindicates politician who used the bird to save a swamp

WASHINGTON - The ivory-billed woodpecker lives! (While God's Image is killed daily)

But in 1971, Sanders was a maverick state legislator, desperate to stop the clear-cutting of 10,000 acres of the Santee Swamp, a pristine, wildlife-filled expanse about an hour northwest of Charleston.

The ivory-billed woodpecker, declared extinct decades before, would help him.

I wonder if this "precious" bird can live behind the Big K at K-Mart as the so-called "endangered"  Spotted Owl?

In 1973 two things happened:

1. The Endangered Species Act was enacted where animals, trees and scum in rain puddles became protected under law.

2. Roe vs. Wade where 9 mortals, allowed it to be made possible for Humanity to slaughter, burn, aspirate and sever Human Babies, created in God's image and likeness. Since then, humanity, and the USA,  spiraled in a downward trend.

Touch a turtle egg or its nest, Canadian goose or a spotted OWL and get a yr. in jail and a $50K fine, and don't cut down certain trees or fill in that puddle! abort a child, get paid $750.00. And we wonder why there is NO respect for HUMAN life created in God's image.

This is why we need to inculcate a culture of life in our society in general and in churches and schools (starting in kindergarten) . People tend to think of children as disposable items.

A pro-life education Program

It's a grievous sin that animals and turtle eggs are afforded more protections and rights than a human fetus and baby created in God's Image with a soul.

Genesis 9:3
Every creature that is alive shall be yours to eat; I give them all to you as I did the green plants.

Man:
Kill the humans (abortion) and save the Bears, the spotted owls, the Canadian Geese and the whales and don't crack that turtle egg!!

You can get fined up to $10,000 for messing with those eggs and baby-killing physicians get paid government and private money $$$ to kill humans! Go figure.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973

The Endangered Species Act of 1973
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT OF 1973
Penalties and Enforcement

The number of species listed (plants and animals, NOT humans) as threatened or endangered
Species Information
Threatened and Endangered Animals and Plants
10 FALLACIES IN THE ABORTION DEBATE 
The Endangered Species Program

Page 4 Sec 3 (c)(8) don't crack those eggs, one might end the "life" of a bird, fish or turtle. I guess certain "mammals" (humans) do not apply.

Science and the ESA

The Govt. recognizes that a fertilized egg from an animal is "alive" and protected by LAW (The Endangered Species Act of 1973) and when an "alive" person created in God's image is growing and living in his mother, he's termed and given the moniker of just a blob of "unlive" protoplasm or tissue which can be aspirated if it's the mother's "choice" to do so with no protections under the 5th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution.

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for EVERY careless word they have spoken."--Jesus (Matt. 12:36)

In Florida, women dying in bed have less rights than turtle eggs! (FL Law 370, US ESA of 1973)

 

Naturalism

Quanta Cura
CONDEMNING CURRENT ERRORS

THE SYLLABUS OF ERRORS CONDEMNED BY PIUS IX
I. PANTHEISM, NATURALISM AND ABSOLUTE RATIONALISM

William Jasper, author of "A New World Religion" describes the religion of the UN: "...a weird and diabolical convergence of New Age mysticism, pantheism, aboriginal animism atheism, communism, socialism, Luciferian occultism, apostate Christianity, Islam, Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism".

[WFTR]

There's a bird thread on Free Republic? Where?

[WFTR]

There is another reason for conservation here. Large areas of Arkansas should arbitraily be set aside by decree as payback for what Clinton did in Utah and Arizona in his last days in office. In fact, maybe his haunts in Arkansas could be set aside for the Ivory-bill.

A better plan is to create a compromise. We'll set aside the swamps in Arkansas in exchange for permits to drill in ANWR and repeal of Clinton's executive order parks in Utah and Arizona. I love southern Utah as much as anyone does, but the clean coal that we could mine there would do more for both our economy and our ecology than preventing its mining does for the outdoor recreation value of Utah.

Bill

[verity]

"Long thought extinct, ivory-billed woodpecker rediscovered in Big Woods of Arkansas"

Another major discovery in AR was an honest politician.

[LadyPilgrim]

Us too! The Piliated has been in our yard.

Ivory-billed is 3 inches larger than the Piliated.
And only a tad different in coloring.

Wonder how many acres of land are now going to be confisgated to protect this bird!

[speedy]

They are magnificent birds. Lucky you to have them in your yard. I don't want them confiscating anybody's land to save it. But on the other hand, hopefully it would not be necessary and we can have both the Ivory-Billed and property rights intact -- these things aren't always mutually exclusive. Of course, the future for this bird is pretty grim if they've only seen ONE of them -- hopefully, a second one, of opposite sex, is lurking in the trees somewhere, and takes a liking to this one.

[colonialhk]

Great point...nothing is free.

If coal is bad, oil is bad, nuclear is bad and wind mills kill the birds in the Nantucket Sound.........ad nauseum
Let them burn wood....oops back to the birds

[LadyPilgrim]

There HAS to be more than one.
Otherwise this one wouldn't be. ;-)))

[speedy]

True, but I'm thinking Mom and Dad might have gone to that great primeval swamp in the sky, and junior might be flying around looking for companionship (hopefully not just platonic.) I guess we get back to that "which came first, the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker or the egg" conundrum. But to be honest with you, I have no idea what I am talking about here!

[Dustbunny]

Anyone know of a Woodpecker with a red head and 'yellow' chest? Husband saw two of them the other day but we can't find them in a bird book.

We are retired and living back on the homestead, bird watching and feeding are a great pass time, well, it has been for the two months we have been retired, don't know if it will all get boring after a while.

[LadyPilgrim]

Just know that no sparrow falls from the sky without the Lord God Jehovah allowing it to happen!! ;-)))
I am of the opinion, that includes all birds.
And everything He created!

In other words...I'm not in the least worried about it! ;-)
He rules creation. We...the human race ignore His Hand on matters we have no clue about!LOL!!!

The end! ;-)

I hope to see one someday!!! I hope you do too!
God bless you and yours!!!

Hope you have a beautiful Saturday!!!

[Dustbunny]

We had a pilated awhile back who found a hollow tree not far from our home ... it sounded like a jackhammer. Apparently they like hollow trees, not only as a food source, but apparently the god awful racket attracts the opposite sex.

Maybe that is what we have around here. Whatever they are, they drum on the transformers and metal roofs.

Then too, it could be a ‘Flicker, they also drum.

[ABN 505]

We had one that liked our gutter, sounded like a machine gun!