Further proof the ivory bill woodpecker exists is that on I-40 between Memphis
and Little Rock there is the Ivory-Billed Motel. Forget the exit, but it is the
main exit south to the swampy river location where supposedly sightings were
made years ago. Everytime I pass that motel I think about stopping for a week,
getting out my muck boots and inflatable and learning something about a new
area for us.....I once spent several weeks in the swamps of Eglin Air Force
Base in the panhandle of Florida, so I know something about swamp travel on
foot.
Preston Forsythe, Browder, KY.
On Monday, September 23, 2019, 06:55:25 PM CDT, Frank Renfrow
<dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
In response to Mary’s question, you may want to direct that question to
Cornell as they were the ones that accepted the evidence and now say it was not
enough. I always felt the evidence was extremely flimsy. It was sort of a
slight to those of us carefully documenting and photographing to confirm first
state nest records, etc. to have had something like that accepted with so
little actual evidence. It also swallowed up a lot of energy in ornithological
circles that could have gone to more worthy projects and article space in
publications.
Frank Renfrow Fort Thomas, KY
Begin forwarded message:
From: Frank Renfrow <frankrenfrow@xxxxxxx>
Date: September 23, 2019 at 6:42:31 PM EDT
To: birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Fwd: Ivory-billed Woodpecker eBird Cornell 3 billion less birds etc.
Update: I did find where Cornell still has the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
mentioned as "rediscovered in 2004":
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ivory-billed_Woodpecker/lifehistory
"Although the species was thought to be extinct, it was rediscovered in
Arkansas in 2004, though there have been no confirmed sightings since 2005."
Apparently they still have their previous info floating around the internet
even now after the 2017 revision. Glad of this, just to show I was not just
dreaming this up. If you click on "the rediscovered in Arkansas in 2004" link,
it takes you to the new, revised account not mentioning anything about having
accepted the sighting and then unaccepting it. Sort of misleading not to update
us on the awkward details of how the major Ornithological Organizations had
accepted this and now have decided to go back on that I would say. This should
have been publicized as many out there are still convinced about those records
as being proven.
Frank RenfrowFort Thomas, Kentucky
-----Original Message-----
From: Frank Renfrow <frankrenfrow@xxxxxxx>
To: birdky <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Mon, Sep 23, 2019 5:31 pm
Subject: Fwd: Ivory-billed Woodpecker eBird Cornell 3 billion less birds etc.
Well as Mark Greene mentions apparently what I requested concerning unaccepting
the Ivory-billed Woodpeckers may actually have been done very, very, very
quietly during 2017 as mentioned in this intro on the Cornell NAB website now:
"Editor's Note (February 2017)—Since reported (and controversial) sightings of
the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the Big Woods of northeastern Arkansas in 2004
(Science: June 2005), extensive efforts to locate this species in Arkansas,
Florida, and elsewhere have proven difficult, and no unequivocal evidence of
the species has emerged. This account will be updated in 2017 to reflect
developments."
It is interesting that I follow multiple state listservs pretty regularly
(usually Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio every single day) as well as numerous
Birding FB groups, as well as watching and reading quite a large quantity of
national news each and every day, that I never saw any announcement on this.
Last I had checked (probably less than two years ago) it was still listed as
factual on eBird. Considering all the hoopla and publicity entailed when the
records were accepted by the Arkansas State Records Committee, with Gale Norton
at the Interior Department announcement and even a presentation made at the
AOU. There was even an article in Audubon Magazine very recently reaffirming
the sightings totally factual. And Brainard was right, one of the guys from
Cornell that swore then he saw the bird, is also the same person announcing the
3 Billion less birds information on the Cornell Website.
Frank RenfrowFort Thomas, Kentucky
-----Original Message-----
From: Frank Renfrow <frankrenfrow@xxxxxxx>
To: birdky <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sun, Sep 22, 2019 8:14 pm
Subject: Ivory-billed Woodpecker eBird Cornell 3 billion less birds etc.
Since Brainard brought up the topic, I thought it might be a good time to ask
for thoughts from other birders. Isn't it about time eBird, Cornell, Arkansas
State Records Committee, the ABA, the AOU now AOS et al etc. admit there was
not really adequate evidence presented on the 21st Century Ivory-billed
Woodpecker reports for any of them to have been accepted? Isn't it about time
for them to move those records into the unaccepted records category?
Frank RenfrowFort Thomas, Kentucky
