Ivory-billed Woodpecker Research Project FAQs
October 2007- Did searchers see or hear Ivory-billed Woodpeckers during the 2006-07 season in Arkansas?
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| Photo by Robert J. Keiffer |
The field season in Arkansas took place between December 1, 2006 and April 30, 2007 and focused on the White River National Wildlife Refuge and the Wattensaw Wildlife Management Area. The official search team logged 24 possible ivory-bill encounters. Thirteen encounters were acoustic only, and eleven were visual only. Some reports came from Cornell volunteers and staff, others from the public. All were investigated in detail but none were declared to be definitive.
- Were any of these encounters especially interesting?
Most of the encounters were brief and none allow us to say that, without doubt, an ivory-bill was present. Seven visual and eight sound reports were clustered in the Wattensaw Wildlife Management Area. One sighting of interest there took place December 31, 2006. A hunter described watching a perched bird for seven to eight minutes and seeing a white “saddle” on the bird’s back consistent with the distinctive plumage of the ivory-bill. Because of this concentration of possible encounters in a short time in a relatively small area, more thorough searches of Wattensaw Wildlife Management Area and surrounding private lands are planned for the upcoming season.
- Were any ivory-bill sounds recorded?
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| Photo by Robert J. Keiffer |
Autonomous recording units (ARUs) were deployed in response to reports of possible encounters. We placed ARUs in the Wattensaw Wildlife Management Area based on the cluster of acoustic and visual reports noted earlier. Eleven recordings were flagged as being possible ivory-bill sounds and analyzed further. Four of these were ranked as “plausible” for being ivory-bill. These included audio recordings of nasal kent-like sounds. However, without an accompanying sighting, it is impossible to say with absolute certainly that these sounds were made by an ivory-bill. There are several species whose sounds, when taken out of context, can sound very similar to ivory-bill kents, including Wild Turkey, Great Blue Heron, and eastern gray squirrel. Also the clap of duck wings can sometimes produce sounds similar to the characteristic double-knock of an ivory-bill drum.
- Were ivory-bill nest holes or roost holes found?
During this field season, 271 new cavities were mapped. Of these, 30 received top ranking, meaning they closely match the size and shape of cavities typically made by Ivory-billed Woodpeckers. Over the past three field seasons, 913 cavities have been mapped and ranked in Arkansas. The team also mapped 215 trees showing relatively fresh feeding sign possibly made by an ivory-bill. Cavities and feeding sign are monitored by searchers and with remote cameras.
- Were any pictures of ivory-bills taken by remote cameras?
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| Photo by Robert J. Keiffer |
Two types of remote camera were used. Thirteen Reconyx camera systems were deployed in Arkansas. These can be triggered by motion and heat, or programmed to turn on and off at specific times. These cameras are used to monitor cavities and feeding trees. Pileated Woodpeckers were the most common woodpecker observed by the remote cameras; alas, no ivory-bills were recorded during these deployments.
On an experimental basis, the ACONE robotic camera system was used on a power line right-of-way in Arkansas this past season. Developed at Texas A&M University and the University of California at Berkeley, it is designed to provide surveillance for relatively large areas such as forest openings. It did capture images of several species of birds in flight and the system is being refined for use in all kinds of scientific wildlife monitoring projects. The system will be used in Arkansas again in the coming season.
- How extensive was the 2006-07 search in Arkansas?
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| Photo by Robert J. Keiffer |
Approximately 6,033 hours were logged in search activity, covering an estimated 11,075 hectares (27,367 acres). The full-time staff was joined by 59 volunteers who participated in two-week blocks from January through April. Since spring 2004, search teams have made at least one visit to about 16.5% of the total area of southeastern Arkansas that has been the focus of the search. The largest remaining area of unsearched and potentially suitable habitat for ivory-bills is the North Unit of the White River National Wildlife Refuge. Getting into this area has been difficult during past field seasons.
- What did the mobile search team find?
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| Woodpecker workings in Black Swamp, Arkansas. Photo by Gordon Maupin |
A group of four biologists spent five months evaluating potential ivory-bill habitat and assisting searches in South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The team reported no sightings of ivory-bills and no possible kent calls were heard. On April 6 and 10, two mobile search team members heard double-knock sounds in Congaree National Park in South Carolina. However, the sounds were not repeated and an alternative source cannot be ruled out. Possible double knocks and kent calls were heard in the same general area by a search crew and volunteers with the South Carolina Ivory-billed Woodpecker Working Group during the field season. Areas of promising habitat were identified in Congaree National Park, the Big Swamp in the Pascagoula drainage in Mississippi, the Atchafalaya basin in Louisiana, and the Big Thicket in Texas, as well as the Apalachicola drainage and Escambia River, both in Florida. Areas that have not yet been explored and may have potential include the Mobile River in Alabama, the Savannah River on the Georgia-South Carolina border, and several additional rivers in Florida.
- What’s the next step—will the search continue?
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| Photo by Robert J. Keiffer |
Yes, for at least one more season in Arkansas. A primary goal for the 2007-08 field season will be to complete thorough searches of the best suitable habitats in the North Unit of the White River National Wildlife Refuge and make repeat visits to other lightly-searched patches. Under the plan now taking shape, we’ll establish a team of four to six field biologists who will camp in the forest near search areas. Local search teams will supplement this effort, and will be organized by The Nature Conservancy and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology will field another mobile search team to explore high priority search areas throughout the Southeast. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will again oversee searches led by other teams in other states, and the Lab of Ornithology will provide leased equipment for these searches, including cameras and autonomous recording units.
- What’s the status of the recovery plan?
In August 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued its draft recovery plan—the result of more than two years of work by the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Recovery Team. The plan is available for public comment through October 22, 2007. This plan recognizes that a recovery strategy is based upon identifying where the ivory-bill may still exist-hence the continued search is key along with preservation of habitat. To read the draft recovery plan, visit the U.S. Fish & Wildlife web site or download the PDF from this site.
- What do I do if I see an Ivory-billed Woodpecker?
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is collecting sighting reports that will be used to aid in documentation, search, and conservation efforts. Please go to the online sighting form.
- Other questions?
