But what gives? Backlash from the Skeptics? :-O 'Gutless wonder' 'witless flack', 'Apparently Collison [sic] hasn't read enough of our blog postings'.
Actually I think I've just read one too many.
Dudes, get this... I can't fight all your battles. Don't make me come over there! But as you've rattled my cavity under the eyes of robo-birder, I'll pop out and preen. Tyler Hicks has twice described sightings that appear to be IBWOs on the basis of seeing more than one field mark. That's the science bit. They are credible sightings, in that some people might believe them. They are a lot of other sightings that I'm 80% sure are total nonsense. This is the birder Martin speaking, not the scientist, it's a gut feeling. The overall pattern of sightings (poor, fleeting, without optics, large number of competent observers dipping out while others get multiple sightings, failure to get photos) screams 'error' to me. As such, even though some of the sightings are credible, I don't believe that Ivory-bills are currently being sighted. None of these records would last 10 minutes in front of a rarities committee assessing a record of that magnitude. That's not so hard is it? Now.... fascinating though the above undoubtedly is, it did NOT belong in BMC Biology. As many of you will have read ad nauseum by now, one photo or video, or even a decent observation, would end this debate tomorrow. The longer this drags on without a decent sighting... well?
Backlash part 2.
This was inevitable, and is in fact welcome. That is the challenge - to prove me wrong and end this debate
Backlash Part 3
Notes from Soggy Bottom
Bill has long been a source of thoughtful analysis of the Luneau video, and I don't dismiss his opinons lightly, or indeed at all.
3 comments:
I can't figure out if you are incredibly courageous or a damned fool for entering into the IBWO fray so publicly, Martin, but I salute you nonetheless.
Following a viewing of George Butler's documentary film, The Lord God Bird, last evening, John Fitzpatrick fielded a question from a member of the audience regarding the Luneau video. Fitzpatrick responded that, in their (CLO's) opinion, the bird in the Luneau video shows characteristics that are consistent with everything that is known about the flight of the Ivory-bill, while being inconsistent with what they see in some 100 videos they have examined of Pileated Woodpeckers in flight.
Hi Martin,
What's up, Doc? I think that the pic in this posting is inconclusive as proof of the continued existence of Woody Woodpecker. In particular, the bill shape is highly suggestive of that of Daffy Duck, as is the overly aggressive facial expression, and the behaviour of holding a gun to his own head is much more indicative of the short-tempered Daffy than the jolly Woody.
That's all, folks!
H
Cheers All. I think the clever money is on 'damned fool', but it won't be the first time.
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