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I got interested in the Ivory Billed Woodpecker for a couple of reasons: (1) The story itself is so amazing- a huge beautiful woodpecker is logged out of existence and not seen since 1944, then reemerges; and (2) Reemerges in Brinkley, Arkansas, a mere 150 miles or so from my birthplace in Southeast Missouri. Here is a picture of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker. <img src="http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e123/marvincat 10/ivorybilled.jpg" title="http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e123/marvincat 10/ivorybilled.jpg" target="_blank"http://i38.photobucket.com/al..."> The story initially was all positive. Then came the inevitable: a leading birder (David Sibley) stated that the four second film that sealed the identity of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker was actually that of the very common Pileated Woodpecker- an impressive, but not hard to find bird. The four second film has become the Zapruder film of birding. You can download it and see for yourself- I'll try to post a link here. This has become a great scientific debate, pitting the prestigious Cornell Department of Orinthology against one of the world's leading bird experts. It is, believe it or not, fascinating stuff. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ivory" title="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ivory" target="_blank"http://www.birds.cornell.edu/... Last Friday night I attended, with my wife, a lecture on the Ivory Billed Woodpecker by one of only 17 people to have seen it. His name is Jim Fitzpatrick and here is a picture of Mr. Fitzpatrick at the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, New Jersey: <img src="http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e123/marvincat 10/apr06004.jpg" title="http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e123/marvincat 10/apr06004.jpg" target="_blank"http://i38.photobucket.com/al..."> Jim Fitzpatrick's younger brother, John, is the head of the Cornell University Department of Orinthology. His presentation demonst rated the devastation that industry (loggers) wreaked on the Ivory Billed Woodpecker habitats in the South and up into Arkansas and parts of Missouri. Essentially, the swamps were drained and every single tree cut. He went into great detail explaining the Ivory Billed Woodpecker's reemergence, and convinced me, and everyone else in the room, that the bird was for real. Of course, there will be doubters until someone gets a definitive picture. That's why Cornell University has teams of experts in the Big Woods Swamps around the clock. Here are a couple of other New Jersey pictures (I hope): <img src="http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e123/marvincat 10/march182006051.jpg" title="http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e123/marvincat 10/march182006051.jpg" target="_blank"http://i38.photobucket.com/al..."> <img src="http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e123/marvincat 10/march182006037.jpg" title="http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e123/marvincat 10/march182006037.jpg" target="_blank"http://i38.photobucket.com/al..."> More later!
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