A Reuters article today announces that sightings of the ivory-billed woodpecker, long feared extinct, have been confirmed in Arkansas. The article is discouraging enthusiasts from running off to Arkansas in hope of seeing one, let alone a mating pair. The ivory-billed likes heavy leaf cover: in mosquito and snake country.
However when I saw a magnificent female in 1989 (and reported my sighting to Audubon), she was perched on a stump right next to my pop-up trailer in clear weather with all my screens open. I had a clear, prolonged view of her. I was able to check and recheck the features of her species against my Peterson's Guide.
It's too bad I didn't also have a camera to poke for or today's "facts" could have been confirmed a decade and a half ago.
Science requires confirmation. Very sensible: except that it eliminates, or at least delays, some truths.
My Pendulous Pathology story tells of my sighting.
No comments:
Post a Comment