Re: Ivory-billed woodpecker

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Bill Pranty on 00:19:23 06/02/05

In Reply to: Re: Ivory-billed woodpecker posted by Mark

Yes, ONE Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been documented in Arkansas -- and one certainly hopes that there are several breeding pairs in the general area, not to mention elsewhere in the South.

But, the Arkansas record was accepted solely because it was documented by videotape and the image scrupulously compared to Pileated Woodpecker, and then a paper was published in the journal _Science_, led by the current director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (and former Florida resident) John Fitzpatrick.

I have heard that this single Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been responsible for raising $47 MILLION for land acquisition in Arkansas and for continuing the search for other birds.

Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in Florida are possible but they too would have to be unquestionably documented. Success in photographing or videotaping one would certainly result in millions of dollars being funneled for land acquisition in Florida -- not to mention immediate fame for the discoverer(s).

No offense intended to anyone, but one documented Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas does NOT validate any previous observation elsewhere in North America (especially the suburban back yard observations we all hear about every now and then).

In other words, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker remains perhaps the rarest extant bird on the planet. There _probably_ are others out there, but hearsay alone isn't sufficient.

And again, no offense intended to anybody.

Best regards,

Bill Pranty
Avon Park, Florida

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:
Subject:
Comments:	: Yes, ONE Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been documented in Arkansas -- and one certainly hopes that there are several breeding pairs in the general area, not to mention elsewhere in the South. : : But, the Arkansas record was accepted solely because it was documented by videotape and the image scrupulously compared to Pileated Woodpecker, and then a paper was published in the journal _Science_, led by the current director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (and former Florida resident) John Fitzpatrick. : : I have heard that this single Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been responsible for raising $47 MILLION for land acquisition in Arkansas and for continuing the search for other birds. : : Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in Florida are possible but they too would have to be unquestionably documented. Success in photographing or videotaping one would certainly result in millions of dollars being funneled for land acquisition in Florida -- not to mention immediate fame for the discoverer(s). : : No offense intended to anyone, but one documented Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas does NOT validate any previous observation elsewhere in North America (especially the suburban back yard observations we all hear about every now and then). : : In other words, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker remains perhaps the rarest extant bird on the planet. There _probably_ are others out there, but hearsay alone isn't sufficient. : : And again, no offense intended to anybody. : : : Best regards, : : Bill Pranty : Avon Park, Florida
Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]