Ivory-billed Woodpecker in December's National Geographic

In addition to the article in magazine, you'll find videos on the NatGeo website. The four clips might take a while to load, but you'll likely enjoy the chance to hear Nancy Tanner discuss her husband's Ivory-billed Woodpecker work in the late 1930s in Louisiana and to hear Bobby Harrison talk about his efforts. You'll also hear a recording of the ivory-bill's "kent" call.

In the third video clip, Bobby mentions a kayaker from eastern Arkansas who led him and Tim Gallagher through the swamp. For the record, the kayaker's name is Gene Sparling, and you'll see a photo of him (wearing sunglasses and a short-sleeved blue shirt) during the clip. You can see another photo here.

The magazine article includes a map of sightings, and the map indicates unconfirmed sightings in South Carolina's Congaree National Park this year. Park officials apparently would've preferred not to appear on the map. From RedOrbit.com:

The people coordinating the ivory-billed woodpecker search at Congaree National Park were surprised that a map in the December issue of National Geographic indicates there were unconfirmed sightings of the bird there in 2006.

They don't question the map's accuracy; they just wouldn't go quite that far. They stick to a strict guideline: Don't publicize potential sightings until you have incontrovertible proof.

They don't have that at Congaree National Park. Not yet, at least.

"There were potential encounters that occurred," said Jennifer Koches, spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which organized the search. "But nothing that we can claim as confirmed documentation.

"We're going to have to be totally definitive before we go forward with anything. There's going to have to be photographic evidence."

Do you think there has to be photographic evidence before more effort goes into the search?