Just some more information regarding going to see the woodpeckers. = According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service website, the 5,000 acre area where = the woodpecker was seen IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC! Access will be given only = to researchers. I know I am echoing what has already been eloquently said = by many other people, and I recognize that 99% of all birders are = responsible people, but please do not let your excitement cloud your judgment. I = hate to be blunt, but your chances of seeing the birds right now are slim; a = team of researchers spent 15 months in the area and only had 7 sightings. There = is much we do not know about these birds. Researchers need time to = determine how many birds there are, how well they are reproducing, what their = habitat and food requirements are, etc. We have one chance at recovery, so = please do not jeopardize it. The Operation Migration staff can tell you many = stories about how people, both those that were well intentioned and those that = were ignorant, have threatened the success of the Whooping Crane = reintroduction. A little patience now will be rewarded in the long run. David Aborn Chattanooga, TN =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ========================================================