Thursday, April 28, 2005
Guess who?
When I was in 6th grade, my teacher, Mr. Humphries, told the class about the infamous ivory-billed woodpecker. The bird itself was a large, impressive woodpecker that was a native of the South. Always rare and reclusive, the last confirmed sighting of the woodpecker was in 1948. The Audubon Society finally listed the bird as "presumed extinct." Despite the length of time, many birders have made locating an ivory-billed woodpecker the Holy Grail of birding and even made the search an obsession. Mr. Humphries, an amateur birder, told us to always be on the lookout, because you never know . . . For months I would chase after every "rat-a-tat-tat" I heard on the Georgia pines -- hoping to be the first to find the elusive bird.
Well, nearly 30 years later, AP is reporting that the ivory-billed woodpecker has been rediscovered in the deep woods of Arkansas. I'm a pretty cynical guy, but I find it damn-near amazing that such a large bird species can remain hidden for over half-a-century in the middle of our populous country. It gives me some minor hope to think that there are still things we don't know about our own backyard.
Here's to you, Mr. Humphries, wherever you are. Turns out that you never do really know . . .
Well, nearly 30 years later, AP is reporting that the ivory-billed woodpecker has been rediscovered in the deep woods of Arkansas. I'm a pretty cynical guy, but I find it damn-near amazing that such a large bird species can remain hidden for over half-a-century in the middle of our populous country. It gives me some minor hope to think that there are still things we don't know about our own backyard.
Here's to you, Mr. Humphries, wherever you are. Turns out that you never do really know . . .
Centinel 12:08 PM #