A great way to start the New Year is to Celebrate! So with that in mind we are celebrating the return of a bird long thought to have disappeared.

On February 11th 2004 Gene Sparling of Hot Springs Arkansas was kayaking on the Cache River in Arkansas legendary Big Woods Cypress Swamp. He spotted a bird as it flew towards him and was able to make a positive identification that it was indeed an Ivory Billed Woodpecker. He made some contacts and soon The Cornell Ornithology Lab joined the search.

The Ivory Billed Woodpecker has long been considered extinct and the last time the birds were seen was in 1944. There have been sightings of Ivory Bills in Cuba as recently as 1957 but not much has been learned since political ties were cut with that country and the USA.

When Cornell University took up the search it was aided by local ornitholigists. And in March of 2004 Sparling led the searchers to the area where he had made the original sighting. Out of nowhere a large black and white bird flew near them and the two professional ornithologists made a confirmed Identification. The bird continued to go from tree to tree and the group was able to observe it for some time.

For years folks had claimed to have seen it, but none of the reports could be proven. With the confirmed sightings many of these folks that saw it probably did.

This is great news for the Big Woods portions of Arkansas and west Texas. With the confirmed sightings and return of the Ivory Billed Woodpeckers these large forested areas are sure to be protected. When large wetlands and forest resources are protected for the future generations we are doing a great service in preserving water resources and wildlife diversity.

See A Video On The Discovery of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker

World Wildlife Organization Page On The Discovery

Cornell Ornithology Lab Website on The Ivory Billed's Re-Discovery, with sounds etc.