# Ivory Billed Woodpecker!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 29, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648 "2005-04-29T00:42:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/21 "2005-04-29T16:33:21Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Be honest. Did any of you non-birders even know the ivory billed woodpecker was missing? OK. You were just as “ignorant” too. Let’s see if I can explain this to you. This is very close to the Holy Grail of North American naturalism. People have been talking, wondering, and fantasizing for 60 years - that maybe, just maybe - the ivory-bill could still survive out there somewhere. There are numerous scientists and birders out there who have dedicated their entire professional (and in some cases, personal) lives to combing the woods of Arkansas, Missouri, and Louisiana for some hint of this bird. It’s very like finding a dodo on Mauritius, or sighting a Steller’s Sea Cow off Alaska. It’s HUGE news. Giant. Your “ignorance” is not “ignorance.” It’s Ignorance. Be grateful that it’s been corrected. One of our largest, most colorful, and most beautiful birds has been rediscovered. How can you not be happy about it? What on earth is wrong with people? ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/22 "2005-04-29T16:39:24Z")
Yes! Obviously it is an indictment on **Walloon’s** character that he did not now about this bird until now. How he can live with himself with this terrible and glaring personality flaw is a mystery. Thank goodness you folks are here to fight his ignorance in such a productive way. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/23 "2005-04-29T16:41:53Z")
This should give you some idea of this bird’s importance to some people (from [here](http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ivory/story1.htm): > [@](#): > > “When we finished our notes,” Gallagher said, “Bobby sat down on a log, put his face in his hands and began to sob, saying, ‘I saw an ivory-bill. I saw an ivory-bill.’” Gallagher said he was too choked with emotion to speak. “Just to think this bird made it into the 21st century gives me chills. It’s like a funeral shroud has been pulled back, giving us a glimpse of a living bird, rising Lazarus-like from the grave,” he said. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/24 "2005-04-29T16:43:26Z")
Eh. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/25 "2005-04-29T16:43:28Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > Yes! Obviously it is an indictment on **Walloon’s** character that he did not now about this bird until now. How he can live with himself with this terrible and glaring personality flaw is a mystery. Thank goodness you folks are here to fight his ignorance in such a productive way. Stop putting words in my mouth. What is an indictment of his character is not that he didn’t know, but that he _doesn’t care_. Try to be a bit more focused, huh? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/26 "2005-04-29T16:45:00Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > Yes! Obviously it is an indictment on **Walloon’s** character that he did not now about this bird until now. How he can live with himself with this terrible and glaring personality flaw is a mystery. Thank goodness you folks are here to fight his ignorance in such a productive way. That’s not the issue. No-one’s blaming him for not knowing. I’ve already admitted that i’d never heard of this bird before today. I guess people were just a little bummed that he felt the need to piss on their enjoyment of a remarkable moment in American naturalism. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/27 "2005-04-29T16:47:55Z")
And the fact that attitudes like his is what led to the decline of the species in the first place. If somebody hadn’t said “eh” when the Singer Tract was being logged over in the '30’s, and every conservation group in the nation was screaming in protest, it might not have disappeared in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/28 "2005-04-29T16:50:03Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Stop putting words in my mouth. What is an indictment of his character is not that he didn’t know, but that he _doesn’t care_. Try to be a bit more focused, huh? Couple of things: First, although I had not been aware of how important this bird is I do take vicarious joy in how happy this is making people. Good on all of you that have had this as a part of your lives and congratulations on how happy this is making you! Second, I am not “putting words in your mouth”. That is a pretty serious allegation, especially given that it is against the rules here. What I am doing is commenting on the way that _I_ perceive another poster as being treated. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/29 "2005-04-29T17:01:18Z")
You specified that “it is an indictment on Walloon’s character that he did not now about this bird until now.” This is an inaccurate representation of my argument, and is, in fact, something I never said. Therefore, you put words in my mouth. And **mhendo** ’s. And how else am I supposed to treat **Walloon** at this point? He didn’t know about the bird, which is fine, but then he stated that he doesn’t care. Then, when I tried to explain just how important to North American naturalism it is, he responds with a dismissive “eh.” Of course I’m treating him shabbily now, on this particular subject. He deserves it. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/30 "2005-04-29T17:25:48Z")
**Ogre** , I don’t really want to turn this into some huge hijack, because this is and should be a thread that is celebrating the discovery of a species thought to be extinct. Perhaps even celebrating the resilience of all life on this planet, and the hope that this gives to us. That said, if you think that I am putting words in your mouth then I would invite you to report me to a mod as this is a serious breach of board conduct and I no doubt deserve to be warned for doing so. In the same spirit, I would invite you to open a Pit thread to flame those who are not as excided as you think that they should be about this news. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/31 "2005-04-29T17:38:10Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > **Ogre** , I don’t really want to turn this into some huge hijack, because this is and should be a thread that is celebrating the discovery of a species thought to be extinct. Perhaps even celebrating the resilience of all life on this planet, and the hope that this gives to us. > > That said, if you think that I am putting words in your mouth then I would invite you to report me to a mod as this is a serious breach of board conduct and I no doubt deserve to be warned for doing so. In the same spirit, I would invite you to open a Pit thread to flame those who are not as excided as you think that they should be about this news. You seem to be getting far more angry about this than I am. In other words, I’m not a rules lawyer, and I don’t care enough that you misrepresented my argument to either go crying to a mod or to open a Pit thread over it. But misrepresent, you certainly did. And how about reining in your sarcasm for a sec? I flamed Walloon here because he deserved it. He came into a thread, pissed all over it, then when I tried to explain the excitement to him, he pissed on it again. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/32 "2005-04-29T17:57:42Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > I flamed Walloon here because he deserved it. He came into a thread, pissed all over it, then when I tried to explain the excitement to him, he pissed on it again. TWEEET!!! ::: Moderator blows whistle::: No, **Ogre** , you may not flame anyone in this thread, nor in this forum. Your proper response is to hit REPORT THIS POST. If you think that’s “crying to a mod”, then you have a very strange notion of civic responsibility. **Waloon** ’s comments, while unsympathetic, are not “pissing all over” the thread. And even if they were, that’s not your judgement call to make. Personal insults are not permitted in this forum and will cease forthwith. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/33 "2005-04-29T18:17:37Z")
There was no personal insult. I’ll kiss your ass if there was. To be honest, my “sense of civic responsibility” does not extend to hitting the “report this post” button every time someone says something mildly disagreeable. If it did, you guys would be even more overworked than you are. > [@](#): > > Waloon’s comments, while unsympathetic, are not “pissing all over” the thread. I beg your pardon? This thread was opened as a celebration of the fact that the ivory-bill still exists on this planet. He most certainly did piss all over that intention. Would a mod react similarly if, say, a thread had been opened in MPSIMS celebrating a Doper’s wedding, and someone had posted, “Who cares?” > [@](#): > > And even if they were, that’s not your judgement call to make. Again, not true. At no point was I Junior Modding, and my failure to report an objectionable post should not be regarded as such. However, as a participant in the conversation, it is my express right to correct ignorance as I see fit, so long as it is not done insultingly. It happens all the time on this board, and that’s precisely what I did. > [@](#): > > Personal insults are not permitted in this forum and will cease forthwith. Not a problem, since I never used any. My use of the term “flame” is mild. By the standards of this Board, I did not actually “flame” anyone. I pointed out that his attitude is objectionable, explained why, and wanted to let it go. He then came back in with a dismissive “eh.” At that point, **Binarydrone** DID try to Junior Mod. But whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/34 "2005-04-29T18:20:48Z")
And more in the spirit of the OP, I just wrote this laetter to the Singer Sewing Company: > [@](#): > > In the 1930’s, the Singer Company screwed up badly. They owned the “Singer Tract,” an 81,000 acre stretch of virgin timber in Louisiana. They contracted it out to a lumber company in Chicago, who refused all attempts by the Audubon Society and others to purchase the land for the protection of the endangered ivory-billed woodpecker. The Singer Tract was its last known habitat on this continent. Singer refused to intercede, the timber was cut, and as far as anyone knew, the ivory-bill went extinct. > > Well, it’s not QUITE extinct. In the most exciting discovery in North American naturalism in decades, one ivory-bill has been found…less than 150 miles from where the Singer Tract once was. > > No one knows if the one bird is all that’s left, but the tract of land it’s in is in desperate need of protection. There are numerous conservation groups desperately trying to buy land even as we speak to try to ensure that the bird has a place to live. > > I hope that the Singer Sewing Company can find it in its heart and coffers to contribute to the effort. It would be an enormous gesture of goodwill, not to mention public relations of the best possible kind. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/35 "2005-04-29T19:21:28Z")
[Just for you, Ogre](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=6110099#post6110099) ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/36 "2005-04-29T19:34:21Z")
Kisses, **Bdrone**. Mwah mwah. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/37 "2005-04-29T21:41:23Z")
Well, I’m pretty excited about this, and I didn’t know that the bird was missing. My friend who is an ornithologist (although not working on this particular bird) nearly wet his pants. This is a good, good thing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648/38 "2005-04-29T22:42:42Z")
OK, this has now degenerated into a Pit thread, and I’m closing it. I don’t quite know why it’s sitting in Cafe Society in any case – it’s neither arts nor entertainment, at least, not any form of entertainment that I would consider. Here’s the problem, in a nutshell, with failure to use REPORT THIS POST button. When the teacher comes out on the playground and finds two people fighting, the first step is to stop them. Discovering “who started it” is irrelevant at that stage. I have told y’all several times that I have very limited time for Moderating for the next few weeks. So, the first one to hit REPORT THIS POST has the advantage that I’m pretty much on their side. I don’t have time to read the thread more than casually, I don’t have time to sort through who said what to whom. I found you, **Ogre** , saying that you were flaming here and that was enough for me. If you weren’t flaming, then why did you say it? Now, go start a Pit thread to complain about injustice because I dont’ want to spend 20 minutes going through each post in a thread to determine who started it. (The advantage to having you complain about this in a Pit thread is that I won’t read it.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-billed-woodpecker/301648.md?page=1)