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Posted by Joel Rosenthal on 19:12:38 11/29/10
No, this is not a report of a sighting, but yes, the bird was once a not so exotic Florida species. Flyfishing for bonefish has subtracted much time from my birding(if you could call what I do birding) in the outdoors.My most significant sighting was a few weeks ago when a bald eagle appeared fishing on the north side of the Black Point jetty-he was not practising catch and release and seemed to have the ospreys outmanuvered...The Blue Angels were simultaneously practising at frightfully low altitude for the next days' airshow-so the sky was full of real and mechanical raptors--of course my camera was at home.In 3 or 4 fishing trips since then I have only seen the resident ospreys.
But I have just finished reading the absorbing account of James Tanner's search for and work with the ivory-billed woodpeckers in the late 1930's. Taken from Tanner's original field notes, Stephen
Lyn Bales' recently published book "Ghost Bird", offers an insightful take on prewar depression era America,conservation,and ornithology through the narrative vehicle of Tanner's day by day efforts over a period of years to understand and protect this then vanishing species.
I bought the book and have finsihed reading it, and offer it on loan to the first Audubon member who emails me-everyone else is eligible in the order of received email. It took me a week to read, intermittently, and I move my lips and point when I read--your mileage may vary.
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