Ivorybills

"We don't believe a recoverable population of ivory-billed woodpeckers exists" ... (News source.)

Ivorybill Fiasco Brewing?

Someone claims to have photographed a living ivorybill woodpecker. The manner in which this information is being promoted has some birding folks skeptical; certainly doesn't raise much hope on the crypto side, either.

Here's a suggestion for anyone fortunate enough to acquire real evidence of a mystery animal in the future: a) have your evidence firmly and scientifically substantiated prior to your announcement, or b) provide the evidence for open and thorough examination immediately at the announcement.

Ivorybill Not Forgotten

Nothing much to update, but the search continues.

Woodpecker Study

A new UGA study suggests that ivory-billed woodpeckers could have persisted (in that it is possible as far as a population viability analysis goes).

More Ivorybill Hunt Details

From Arkansas, ongoing searches in alleged ivorybill woodpecker territory... (News source.)

Search Continues for IBWs

Ivorybill woodpeckers are not forgotten... some still go out searching for them. (News source.)

Another IBW Article

Nothing new, but another article on searching for ivorybill woodpeckers here.

Still Looking

Researchers are still searching for the Ivorybill... (News source.)

IBW Back in News

No new sightings, but another article on the so-far futile search for more ivorybill woodpeckers. (News source.)

Woodpecker

There's an independent documentary-style movie out, Woodpecker, on the ivorybill.

Ivorybill Hunt Waning

Another article on the Ivorybill Woodpecker, noting that it's been three years since the "boom" of interest peaked. (News source.)

A Price to Pay

Funding for the search for more evidence of the ivorybill woodpecker may run out if the bird isn't confirmed in 2008. Researchers are worried, while detractors continue to pile on. (News source.)

Ivorybill Recovery Plan

USFWS has released a recover plan for the Ivorybill Woodpecker.

IBW Sighting

James Guthrie, a volunteer on the continuing search for the ivorybill woodpecker, believes he saw one on April 17 in the Big Woods of Arkansas. From the news source:

"Guthrie’s observation joins a growing list of sporadic reports, but the definitive proof – a clear photograph, has eluded even the dogged ornithologists that brave the snake-infested bayou each winter and spring in search of the 'Lord God Bird,' as it is known.
"'Rich Guthrie was a volunteer on the ivory bill search, but as far as verifying his sighting, we can’t,' said Constance Bruce, of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
"In other words, Guthrie’s observation is not proof positive, and he knows it. But he’s also 100 percent confident that he saw what he thinks he saw.
"'At the moment, I realized what was going on. I wasn’t a jump up and down birdwatcher celebrating a tick on the life list. I was there gathering data – mentally taking it all in,' Guthrie said. 'I realize the significance of it, and how fortunate I was, but I’m glad that I was able to throw my observation into the ring to help the world know that there is still a viable hope down there.'
"With the search season winding down, this is likely to be the only evidence noted for awhile. Guthrie, for his part, encourages anyone with an interest and a camera to go search for the bird in the wilds of Arkansas."

New Ivorybill Book

A new book is out from Oxford University Press on the hunt for the ivorybill woodpecker.

Ivorybill Hunters: The Search for Proof in a Flooded Wilderness

Geoffrey E. Hill

Oxford University Press, 2007

ISBN 0195323467

Book description: "The last documented sighting of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker--one of the rarest and most intriguing animals in the world--was noted over 50 years ago. Long thought to be extinct, the 2005 announcement of a sighting in Arkansas sparked tremendous enthusiasm and hope that this species could yet be saved. But the subsequent failure of a massive search to relocate Ivorybills in Arkansas made hope for the species' revival short-lived. Here, noted ornithologist Geoffrey Hill tells the story of how he and two of his colleagues stumbled upon what may be a breeding population of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in the swamps of northern Florida. He relates their laborious attempts to document irrefutable evidence for the existence of this shy, elusive bird following the failure of a much larger research team to definitively prove the bird's existence. Hill tells of his travails both in and out of the vast swamp wilderness, pulling back the curtain to reveal the little-seen political maneuvering that is part of all modern science. He explains how he and his group decided who to exclude or include as their findings came in, and why they felt the need to keep their search a secret. Hill returns repeatedly to how expectations can guide observations, and how tempting it is to oversell evidence in the face of the struggle between an overwhelming desire to find the bird and the need to retain integrity and objectivity. Written like a good detective story, Ivorybill Hunters also delves into the science behind the rediscovery of a species, explaining how professional ornithologists follow up on a sight record of a rare bird, and how this differs from the public's perception of how scientists actually work. Hill notes the growing role of amateurs in documenting bird activity and discusses how the community of birders and nature lovers can see, enjoy, and help preserve these birds. Ivorybill Hunters will prove a fascinating read for those with an interest in natural history, adventure, environmental conservation, and science, as well as the more than forty-six million Americans who now call themselves birdwatchers."

New Ivorybill Woodpecker Analysis

New study noted on Eurekalert:

"Video evidence that an extinct woodpecker is alive and well in Arkansas, USA may prove to be a case of mistaken identity. Research published today in the open access journal BMC Biology shows how fleeting images thought to be the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Campephilus principalis could be another native woodpecker species.
"J. Martin Collinson compared David Luneau's Arkansas video footage from April 2004 of the supposed Ivory-billed Woodpecker with fresh footage of the Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus, a superficially similar black and white species. The Pileated Woodpecker's wings were thought to beat more slowly that the 8.6 beats per second captured on Luneau's video, and its wings have black trailing edges. The trailing edges of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker's wings are white.
"Aberdeen-based Collinson concludes that Luneau's video shows a bird that is not fully identified, and probably a Pileated Woodpecker. His analysis of the fresh Pileated Woodpecker video footage showed that its wings did reach 8.6 beats per second during an escape flight. He also found that as Pileated Woodpeckers fly away from the camera, their plumage is hard to distinguish from the Ivory-billed Woodpecker's. He suggests that the Pileated Woodpecker's distinctive black trailing wing edges can be spotted in the Luneau video as the wings stroke downwards. Previous analysis suggested these were the black wingtips of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.
"Collinson argues that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker's rediscovery remains unproven: 'With no verified reports in the USA for over 50 years, it seemed impossible that a crow-sized black, white and red bird should have eluded the nation's ornithologists, hunters and conservationists in heavily populated South-eastern USA for so long.' However, the original video published in Science catalysed conservation efforts in SE USA's bottomland swamp forests, which face continuing development. Furthermore, it spurred renewed efforts, in Florida and elsewhere, to find the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and determine its status in the USA."

Robotic Cameras for Ivorybills

Eurakalert this morning notes that robotic cameras will be placed in suspected Ivorybill Woodpecker territory, which may provide greater scope in the search to positively identify any remaining birds:

"In the bayous of eastern Arkansas, amidst ancient trees both living and dead that provide nourishment to creatures of the swamp, hangs a high-tech sentinel patiently waiting to capture video of an elusive bird once thought to be extinct.
"Developed by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and Texas A&M University, the high-resolution intelligent robotic video system installed in the Bayou DeView area of the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas is part of a major effort to locate the ivory-billed woodpecker in its historic habitat, the bottomland forests of the southeast United States.
"If the researchers obtain conclusive photographic evidence of the woodpecker, it will settle a debate that has become heated in recent years and fascinated millions of people around the world, from bird-watchers and environmentalists to Arkansas farmers and duck hunters.
"In the meantime, the new robotic video system provides detailed video sequences of other birds, suggesting a new high-tech approach to doing field biology work." ...
"The robotic video system is part of a new project, called Collaborative Observatories for Natural Environments (CONE) and funded by the National Science Foundation, to develop automated systems that can observe and record detailed natural behavior in remote settings." ...

"'A single photographic frame would have to clearly show the unique markings of the ivory-billed woodpecker,' said Goldberg. 'Much better would be a high-resolution video clip that would also capture its unique wing and flight patterns.'
"The researchers note that simply pointing video cameras at the sky and recording is not practical, as the images would quickly fill up the computer's hard drive. The challenge, they say, is for the software to automatically recognize when animals are present. 'Passive infrared (PIR) motion sensors are sometimes used in wildlife research,' said Goldberg, who has pioneered networked teleoperation systems for more than a decade. 'The problem is that PIR sensors look for heat and are not triggered by birds flying overhead. So we're developing a robotic system that analyzes high resolution video in real time.'
"In February 2006, the Cornell researchers took Goldberg and Song out to the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge to scout out potential locations for placing the remote cameras. Because no one knows exactly where the bird might appear, the cameras must cover a relatively wide swath of sky.
"They settled upon a power line that cuts through the bayou and provides a 50-foot-wide clearing unobstructed by trees.
"'It's a natural bottleneck in the forest, and birds passing through that corridor are relatively easy to spot because they expose themselves,' said Ron Rohrbaugh, project director at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 'At this location, we should have the highest probability of capturing an image of the ivory-billed woodpecker.'
"With the generous help of the Arkansas Electric Cooperative, a 69 kilovolt transformer was erected for the project that provides both a power source and a post to mount the equipment. The researchers decided against solar and battery cells because they would not provide a reliable enough power source.
"The two cameras - one pointing east and the other west - are connected to a computer that processes the data. Waterproof gear helps protect the equipment from the elements, including rain and wind, and even from occasional bird droppings.
"The researchers created software that keeps video files only when potential 'bird flight' movement is sensed.
"The software is based on new algorithms that can handle the unpredictable conditions of a natural environment, filtering out false readings from clouds, water reflections and falling leaves. 'The program knows, for instance, that the ivory-billed woodpecker flies 20 to 40 miles per hour, so anything outside that range is deleted,' said Song, who worked with Ni Qin, a computer science Ph.D. student at Texas A&M, on the software.
"'The high-resolution camera we have shoots at 22 frames per second, with approximately 2 to 3 megapixels per frame,' said Song. 'That's a huge amount of data that must be managed.'
"Collecting the video data involves a decidedly low-tech approach: Luneau takes a boat out to the site every two weeks to change the disk.
"Not only is Luneau skilled with computer equipment, he is an avid bird-watcher and a leading member of the ivory-billed woodpecker search team in Arkansas. He does an initial screening of the images from the hard drive, and then sends the data to researchers at Cornell, Texas A&M and UC Berkeley.
"And what if a high-quality image of the ivory-billed woodpecker is captured? 'If something really interesting is in the frame, Cornell makes the call (on the identity of the bird),' said Song.
"Rohrbaugh pointed out the benefits of using an autonomous camera. 'There are other ways of searching for the ivory-billed woodpecker, but those ways usually involve a human positioned in the forest for a very long time,' he said. 'Humans are expensive, and they're not always alert, and their simple presence is a disturbance to the environment, even when they're camouflaged and sitting quietly. Remote systems that can serve as our eyes and ears are a big advantage.'
"Song also noted that using the camera extends the search season to the entire year.
"'Usually people do this type of bird-watching in the winter because there are fewer leaves, making it easier to spot the woodpecker,' Song said. 'Also, in the summer, the temperature is hot, it's swampy, and there are mosquitoes and snakes to deal with. Our system can run the whole year, and it is not bothered by mosquitoes.'"