hensylee
Well-known member
this was in radio e-news today:
Wood Pecker Reportedly Sighted
Some staff members and public at last night?s Walton Commissioner meeting were talking about the reported sighting of the ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird once thought to be extinct. If the bird does exist along the Choctwhatchee River basin, conservationists, bird watchers, scientists and many others could be visiting our area with binoculars in hand.
Apparently the Auburn University ornithologists published their findings in Canada's Avian Conservation and Ecology journal online but failed to capture a picture of the large woodpecker with the white bill that makes a distinct double rapping sound.
The bird was thought extinct until 2004 when Cornell University researchers released recordings and an inconclusive grainy video after searching for the bird in the swamps of eastern Arkansas.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) scientists said Tuesday they are cautiously optimistic about an Auburn University professor?s recently discovered evidence of ivory-billed woodpeckers in the Florida Panhandle.
FWC Executive Director Ken Haddad says there is not enough evidence to confirm the birds? presence yet, but the indications are promising, and they will work closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Auburn University and the Northwest Florida Water Management District to see if they can confirm the reports.
Auburn University ornithologist Dr. Geoff Hill, who recently completed a year-long search for the endangered woodpecker, unveiled his findings Monday, indicating there are signs ivory-bills might exist on land owned by the water management district. He produced audio recordings that appear similar to historical recordings of ivory-billed woodpeckers. However, he has not collected clear photographic or video evidence, which is the standard for scientific confirmation.
Douglas E. Barr, executive director of the Northwest Florida Water Management District says the district owns, manages and protects over 200,000 acres in Northwest Florida. FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said he and the six other Commissioners are bracing for potentially good news in coming months. Barreto says many experts believe the ivory-bill is extinct, but experts have searches under way in Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas. Florida is the only state besides Arkansas to come close to confirmation in roughly 40 years.
Hill says his team will return to the Choctawhatchee River area in Walton County in November to try and photograph the bird. Hill said team members have documented the unique ivory-bill sounds 41 times.
A detailed FWC whitepaper about ivory-billed woodpecker sightings in Florida since 1859 is available at MyFWC.com/imperiledspecies/reports/FloridaReportRecoveryPlanFinal_June06.pdf.
Additional information about ivory-bills is available at www.fws.gov/ivorybill/ and http://www.ace-eco.org/
Wood Pecker Reportedly Sighted
Some staff members and public at last night?s Walton Commissioner meeting were talking about the reported sighting of the ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird once thought to be extinct. If the bird does exist along the Choctwhatchee River basin, conservationists, bird watchers, scientists and many others could be visiting our area with binoculars in hand.
Apparently the Auburn University ornithologists published their findings in Canada's Avian Conservation and Ecology journal online but failed to capture a picture of the large woodpecker with the white bill that makes a distinct double rapping sound.
The bird was thought extinct until 2004 when Cornell University researchers released recordings and an inconclusive grainy video after searching for the bird in the swamps of eastern Arkansas.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) scientists said Tuesday they are cautiously optimistic about an Auburn University professor?s recently discovered evidence of ivory-billed woodpeckers in the Florida Panhandle.
FWC Executive Director Ken Haddad says there is not enough evidence to confirm the birds? presence yet, but the indications are promising, and they will work closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Auburn University and the Northwest Florida Water Management District to see if they can confirm the reports.
Auburn University ornithologist Dr. Geoff Hill, who recently completed a year-long search for the endangered woodpecker, unveiled his findings Monday, indicating there are signs ivory-bills might exist on land owned by the water management district. He produced audio recordings that appear similar to historical recordings of ivory-billed woodpeckers. However, he has not collected clear photographic or video evidence, which is the standard for scientific confirmation.
Douglas E. Barr, executive director of the Northwest Florida Water Management District says the district owns, manages and protects over 200,000 acres in Northwest Florida. FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said he and the six other Commissioners are bracing for potentially good news in coming months. Barreto says many experts believe the ivory-bill is extinct, but experts have searches under way in Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas. Florida is the only state besides Arkansas to come close to confirmation in roughly 40 years.
Hill says his team will return to the Choctawhatchee River area in Walton County in November to try and photograph the bird. Hill said team members have documented the unique ivory-bill sounds 41 times.
A detailed FWC whitepaper about ivory-billed woodpecker sightings in Florida since 1859 is available at MyFWC.com/imperiledspecies/reports/FloridaReportRecoveryPlanFinal_June06.pdf.
Additional information about ivory-bills is available at www.fws.gov/ivorybill/ and http://www.ace-eco.org/
