April 28, 2005 [LINK]

Ivory-billed woodpecker???

In one of the biggest news stories from the ornithological world in recent decades, the Ivory-billed woodpecker, long thought to be extinct, was apparently sighted in eastern Arkansas last year. A paper written by Cornell University biologists provides strong, if not yet definitive confirmation of the discovery. A few years ago a search expedition in the swamps of Louisiana failed to uncover any of these elusive birds. They are, or were, larger relatives of the Pileated woodpeckers, the model for "Woody." See Washington Post. Frankly this news is almost too good to be true, so I'll remain less than fully convinced until I see further proof. What's next, finding live dodo birds or pteradactyls? It's always refreshing whenever some marvelous new discovery in the world of science confounds stodgy old complacent beliefs. Learning never stops...

McCormick's Farm

Ten or so members of the Augusta Bird Club went for a field trip at McCormick's Farm yesterday. Within minutes we saw a Greater yellowlegs, a Spotted sandpiper, and a Solitary sandpiper. The highlight was seeing a bright orange Baltimore oriole, who responded aggressively to my whistles. (My cheer was offset by chagrin at not having brought my video camera, and by an unshakeable grudge toward Peter Angelos. smile) The only warblers seen were two Yellow-rumped warblers; the absence of warblers in these parts so far this spring is a cause for some concern...