Moon Phase: Waning crescent
Weather: Warm again

I was very excited to hear last week that the ivory-billed woodpecker, which has been presumed extinct for many years, has been definitively spotted after many unconfirmed reports. My dad is a birdwatcher, and I remember very well when I saw my first pileated and he told me about its probably-extinct relative, the ivory-billed, which was one thing in a long list of depressing things about environmental degradation. And having taken ornithology last year, I am actually somewhat more interested in birds than I used to be. So it is very pleasing to hear that this rare species is still out there � and from what I hear, there has been a lot of work on protecting its habitat in the last few years, which may be at least partially responsible for its survival, and at the very least has been proven worthwhile now that it's known there's a population.

But let's not get too ahead of ourselves, here. Even if there are a few individuals out there, that doesn't necessarily mean the species is back from the brink � it might well still be on the way out. The population must be fairly small, and who knows if it's viable? Also, the preoccupation on this species has always sort of bothered me, given the large number of other equally endangered species out there. The only reason so much attention has been given to to the ivory-billed is because of the popularity of birdwatching. Most of the endangered species in the world and in the US are insects, plants, shellfish, and other categories that don't really capture the public's imagination, not the big mammals and birds that you always hear about (like Florida panthers or bald eagles). And unfortunately, public interest determines how much effort goes into saving each species.

That said, I am energized by this announcement, and hopefully this will encourage interest in preserving habitat for other species.