David Sibley & Birdchick, It's On
Well, this was an interesting development that came about while I was out of the country.
The 2009 San Diego Bird Festival has been selected to host a sneak preview screening of the documentary, Ghost Bird, about the search for the legendary ivory-billed woodpecker. The annual bird festival, hosted by the San Diego Audubon Society, is being held March 5 – 8, at Marina Village in Mission Bay Park. The sneak preview is set for Friday, March 6, beginning at 7 pm, also Marina Village.
According to the press release, the movie "wades into a murky swamp of belief and obsession in this cautionary tale about birders, ornithologists and the citizens of Brinkley, Arkansas, who are certain they keep seeing a giant woodpecker that’s been extinct for over half a century."
But here's the kicker, after the movie, there is an informal panel discussion with the filmmaker, Scott Crocker, me (because I was on one of the ivory-bill search teams), and David Sibley.
So, if you're coming to the San Diego Bird Festival, you can check this out on Friday night--should be interesting. I've had the trailer for Ghost Bird in the blog before, but if you missed it, here's a link to it. Wonder if I'll be able to Twitter during the discussion?
The 2009 San Diego Bird Festival has been selected to host a sneak preview screening of the documentary, Ghost Bird, about the search for the legendary ivory-billed woodpecker. The annual bird festival, hosted by the San Diego Audubon Society, is being held March 5 – 8, at Marina Village in Mission Bay Park. The sneak preview is set for Friday, March 6, beginning at 7 pm, also Marina Village.
According to the press release, the movie "wades into a murky swamp of belief and obsession in this cautionary tale about birders, ornithologists and the citizens of Brinkley, Arkansas, who are certain they keep seeing a giant woodpecker that’s been extinct for over half a century."
But here's the kicker, after the movie, there is an informal panel discussion with the filmmaker, Scott Crocker, me (because I was on one of the ivory-bill search teams), and David Sibley.
So, if you're coming to the San Diego Bird Festival, you can check this out on Friday night--should be interesting. I've had the trailer for Ghost Bird in the blog before, but if you missed it, here's a link to it. Wonder if I'll be able to Twitter during the discussion?
Labels: bird authors, Bird Festivals, San Diego Bird Festival
posted by birdchick at 7:57 AM
7 Comments:
I know that Sibley is has an encyclopedic knowledge of birds everywhere and literally wrote The Book we all live by. However, I am very glad you went looking for the IBW. They are there, laughing at us, just waiting to drill a hole in our cedar houses first chance they get. I must respect Mr. Sibley, but I'm rooting for you.
LOL!
I suddenly have a vision of each of us entering with theme music a la World Wrestling Entertainment and me entering with a folding chair as Sibley song plays, "The Sib says...The Sib says...Know your damn birds."
Maybe you and Scott can tag team for a takedown in the 4th round... or,
not.
I suddenly had a flash that Sibley's alter ego is Mankind.
Wouldn't it be more appropriate for Brady Mattson or John W. Fitzpatrick to be involved in this discussion with Sibley rather than a field assistant who did one survey?
If I was with Cornell or anyone else that published papers I'd be concerned about adequate representation in this discussion.
Unless, of course, you are discussing blogging about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker which would be appropriate.
Journal reference:
1. Mattsson, B. J., R. S. Mordecai, M. J. Conroy, J. T. Peterson, R. J. Cooper, and H. Christensen. Evaluating the small population paradigm for rare large-bodied woodpeckers, with implications for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Avian Conservation and Ecology, 2008; 3 (2): 5 [link]
Or John W. Fitzpatrick:
Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) Persists in Continental North America
John W. Fitzpatrick,1* Martjan Lammertink,1,2 M. David Luneau, Jr.,3 Tim W. Gallagher,1 Bobby R. Harrison,4 Gene M. Sparling,5 Kenneth V. Rosenberg,1 Ronald W. Rohrbaugh,1 Elliott C. H. Swarthout,1 Peter H. Wrege,1 Sara Barker Swarthout,1 Marc S. Dantzker,1 Russell A. Charif,1 Timothy R. Barksdale,6 J. V. Remsen, Jr.,7 Scott D. Simon,8 Douglas Zollner8
I get the sense that the movie showing was a last minute addition. Since Sibley and I were already booked at the festival, we were natural picks to be on the panel.
Judging from the movie preview, the discussion will probably swing more towards the hype & publicity surrounding the IBWO rather than the bird itself, so both of us are appropriate.
While everyone is entitled to their opinion, I was greatly disappointed to read Sibley blog posts on the Ivory-bill which misrepresented the observational record, in particular that no credible observer has seen them perched. Of course, David Kulivan and Tyler Hicks would be surprised to hear that. Sibley should be able to make his argument that resources are better spent on other species even under a presumption that the Ivory-bill exists.
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