Subject: [Tweeters] Ivory-billed Wood
Date: Jul 22 14:01:05 2005
From: Brett Wolfe - m_lincolnii at yahoo.com


Hi Steven, tweets,

I am going to paste the response I sent a while ago to Ted Kenefick directly, and this will be my last personal post on the subject of the IBWO and the questioning of the validity (although is someone wants to discuss this further with me off the listserv, please feel free to e-mail me direct - I just won't respond on tweeters anymore on the subject, as it is being discussed ad nauseum). And I will also say that although some may not have reason for personal jealousy or bias, others may, and some of those may be amongst the 3 scientists doing the questioning, especially since they were not included in the Cornell/TNC search teams. I do not have proof, just stating that that "may" be the case. I actually hope that I am wrong. Here is that pasted message:

i just responded on tweeters to someone else's post, but I think yours is an excellent post as well, and I wanted to respond to you directly. If the only thing being questioned is the video, than by all means question away. It is unfortunate that Dr. Jackson was not included in the search by Cornell University, TNC, U.S. FWS, etc., but unfortunately, politics does frequently play a part in these things, and perhaps that is the case here. I truly believe that the bird (a male) has been seen repeatedly, as you state below, and that those eyewitness accounts hold much weight. Hunters and fishermen have reported for years that they saw what they thought was an IBWO, but scientists always said that their word was unreliable. Well, The Nature Conservancy, Cornell Labs, etc. are very reliable, and I also put my trust in the first hand account I heard from John Trochet, who as I stated before, is a very respected birder here in Central California (who also works for The Nature Cons!
ervancy,
and is the avian expert for the Cosumnes River Preserve). Mr. Trochet has also spent many years searching for the Ivory-bill, although not as much in recent years as back in the 1970's and 1980's. When he got an invite to go out to Arkansas by someone who had spent time almost every week for the past decade searching for the IBWO, he jumped on it, and was rewarded on only his 4th day in the field. On his first day, he and the two folks he was with heard the double-rap. It was a double-rap that caused him to look up on day 4, just in time to see the bird fly by. He got to see the bird for perhaps 4-5 seconds, which granted isn't much, but in a situation like this, when your dream comes true, time has a tendency to slow down. Mr. Trochet told the full story of his journey to the San Joaquin Audubon group at a meeting in Stockton, CA in early June and it was fascinating. Luck played a massive part in his sighting, as it would have to. Right place, right time, being properly pr!
epared,
looking the right direction all play a part, but lady luck was there too. Eyewitness accounts like that cannot be underestimated. But again, if they want to question the video from a still camera that operates off of movement, then so be it. And as I stated in the earlier e-mail message, I truly believe that facts will out, and the rediscovery will soon be an unquestioned event.

Brett A. Wolfe

Seattle, WA (in San Joaquin Valley for summer 2005)

m_lincolnii at yahoo.com






sgmlod at aol.com wrote:
Greetings All

I've heard that experienced observers "saw" this bird. One I talked to glimpsed a bird flying in the distance and really made the ID by hearing the "double-tap." Another never saw it at all, just heard the tapping.

Has anyone seen a written description by someone who saw the bird well? Is such available via the net?

By the way, I'm not saying that I fall on one side of the fence or the other on this bird, just that it is unfair to cast personal insults at the folks expressing doubt, for there doubters than many realize; and some of these folks have a) a great deal of experience and b) no reason for any particular personal jealously/bias.

Cheers
Steven Mlodinow

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