Woodpecker Part Deux
The hunt for the elusive Ivory Billed Woodpecker is underway again across the Mississippi River from here. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has sent out a press release announcing that the birdwatchers are back... and this year it's not going to be the secret mission it has been until last year's successful sighting.
With the arrival of volunteer searchers, the 2005-2006 Ivory-billed Woodpecker Research Project is now fully staffed and going full steam ahead. The current field season continues through April, 2006. The search is being led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, The Nature Conservancy, and Audubon Arkansas, with the support and cooperation of other members the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Recovery Team.
"This is an exciting opportunity to better document the existence and learn more about this magnificent bird," said Sam D.
Hamilton, Southeast Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Now that the leaves have fallen, conditions are much improved for seeing and hearing the birds. Finding birds is a critical part of the recovery process and we're hoping for some exciting news."
Twenty-two search team leaders, coordinators, supervisors, andfield technicians have been working in eastern Arkansas since November 1. More than 100 volunteers will now be joining the search, and will be deployed in groups of 14 for two week periods through the remainder of the field season. The goal is to find an ivory-bill roost hole or nesthole and get additional video documentation of the bird or birds-all in the hope of learning more about the species to bring the ivory-bill back from near-extinction.
"Since the ivory- bill's rediscovery, The Nature Conservancyhas acquired for protection some 18,500 acres of critical habitat andworked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to add 1,440 acres to the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge - where the bird was firstspotted," said Scott Simon, director of The Nature Conservancy's Arkansas chapter. "The more data gathered about the number and location of ivory bills living in Arkansas , the more we can do to protect this fragile habitat and make sure this incredible bird survives forgenerations to come. Because of the great cooperation of many agencies
and organizations focusing on habitat conservation, we have a chance to recover the ivory bill."
And according to the press release, the Big Woods of Eastern Arkansas isn't the only place that may be seeing flocks of Ivory Billed Birdwatchers this winter...
Searches in Arkansas are planned for White River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Cache River NWR, Dagmar Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Black Swamp WMA, Wattensaw WMA, and Benson Creek Natural Area. Other teams are starting to organize scouting trips to follow-up on Ivory-billed woodpecker sightings from across the southern United States
in the former range of the bird. This may involve work in South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Texas, but will depend on a review of what is believed to be the best habitat, along with credible recent sightings.
Searchers will use traditional tools, such as binoculars and digital cameras, as well as high-tech methods that include Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs), sophisticated sound-analysis software, time-lapse video
systems, and remote cameras. Human searchers will make their way through the bayous by canoe and on foot, looking for promising tree cavities. They will also be conducting transect searches with the aid of GPS units. At other times they will be sitting quietly in blinds, observing. Scouts will be looking for suitable ivory-bill habitat, assisted by NASA satellite photos that will help them focus on promising areas more quickly.
"The volunteers are vital to the search effort," says Dr. John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "Without
them there's no way we could scour such a large area for ivory-bills. These folks are field biologists and avid birders-all of them giving up their time to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime recovery project."
So birders, that sounds like an open invitation to come on down and sit in a cold, wet swamp and test your wits against our most elusive neighbor.
With the arrival of volunteer searchers, the 2005-2006 Ivory-billed Woodpecker Research Project is now fully staffed and going full steam ahead. The current field season continues through April, 2006. The search is being led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, The Nature Conservancy, and Audubon Arkansas, with the support and cooperation of other members the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Recovery Team.
"This is an exciting opportunity to better document the existence and learn more about this magnificent bird," said Sam D.
Hamilton, Southeast Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Now that the leaves have fallen, conditions are much improved for seeing and hearing the birds. Finding birds is a critical part of the recovery process and we're hoping for some exciting news."
Twenty-two search team leaders, coordinators, supervisors, andfield technicians have been working in eastern Arkansas since November 1. More than 100 volunteers will now be joining the search, and will be deployed in groups of 14 for two week periods through the remainder of the field season. The goal is to find an ivory-bill roost hole or nesthole and get additional video documentation of the bird or birds-all in the hope of learning more about the species to bring the ivory-bill back from near-extinction.
"Since the ivory- bill's rediscovery, The Nature Conservancyhas acquired for protection some 18,500 acres of critical habitat andworked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to add 1,440 acres to the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge - where the bird was firstspotted," said Scott Simon, director of The Nature Conservancy's Arkansas chapter. "The more data gathered about the number and location of ivory bills living in Arkansas , the more we can do to protect this fragile habitat and make sure this incredible bird survives forgenerations to come. Because of the great cooperation of many agencies
and organizations focusing on habitat conservation, we have a chance to recover the ivory bill."
And according to the press release, the Big Woods of Eastern Arkansas isn't the only place that may be seeing flocks of Ivory Billed Birdwatchers this winter...
Searches in Arkansas are planned for White River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Cache River NWR, Dagmar Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Black Swamp WMA, Wattensaw WMA, and Benson Creek Natural Area. Other teams are starting to organize scouting trips to follow-up on Ivory-billed woodpecker sightings from across the southern United States
in the former range of the bird. This may involve work in South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Texas, but will depend on a review of what is believed to be the best habitat, along with credible recent sightings.
Searchers will use traditional tools, such as binoculars and digital cameras, as well as high-tech methods that include Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs), sophisticated sound-analysis software, time-lapse video
systems, and remote cameras. Human searchers will make their way through the bayous by canoe and on foot, looking for promising tree cavities. They will also be conducting transect searches with the aid of GPS units. At other times they will be sitting quietly in blinds, observing. Scouts will be looking for suitable ivory-bill habitat, assisted by NASA satellite photos that will help them focus on promising areas more quickly.
"The volunteers are vital to the search effort," says Dr. John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "Without
them there's no way we could scour such a large area for ivory-bills. These folks are field biologists and avid birders-all of them giving up their time to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime recovery project."
So birders, that sounds like an open invitation to come on down and sit in a cold, wet swamp and test your wits against our most elusive neighbor.
posted by Pat Burns | 6:20 AM
1 Comments:
hello , my name is jackie and i would really like to see a picture of the redheaded ivory billed woodpecker. i live near clinton , arknasas , not far from the white river and i have a pair of really large red headed woodpeckers that live on my land. i would like to identify them. if someone knows please email me at jackie2271@yahoo.com thank you.
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