Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Discovered (Again!)

An original (17" x 28") watercolor of a male and female ivory-billed woodpecker, by the very artist universally acknowledged as the last person to see the now presumed extinct bird, has been discovered and is being auctioned in St. Louis on July 16. Tickets for the auction are available for $200 per person ($100 of which is tax-deductible), and may be purchased by calling 703-438-6095.

The auction is part of a charity dinner and auction event hosted by the National Wildlife Federation. Money raised during the evening will fund National Wildlife Federation's work to protect and restore the nation's aquatic habitats.

In April, 1944 Don Eckelberry, renowned wildlife artist and bird guide illustrator, visited the Singer Tract of Louisiana and witnessed what became the last confirmed sighting of the bird in the United States. This beautiful watercolor image, signed by Eckelberry and dated 1947, is an exceedingly rare testament to that final encounter.

Recent hope that the bird might not be extinct after all has reignited excitement about the species, and Eckelberry's image clearly demonstrates why: the fiery plume of the male, the distinct ivory bill, and the breathtaking size of the creature all make this a wildlife-lover's favorite, and all those spectacular features are vividly captured in the watercolor.

Mr. W. Graham Arader III, one of the country's foremost experts on natural history prints and paintings, personally viewed the framed and matted painting at his New York City gallery. Arader Galleries has placed an opening bid on the painting of $7,500 when it comes up for auction in St. Louis on July 16, 2008.

Other auction items include a Toyota Prius Hybrid, an Amazon River cruise, and an original J.N. "Ding" Darling etching, entitled The Old Lunker. Bidders must be present at the auction however proxy bidders are welcome. Tickets are available for $200 per person ($100 of which is tax-deductible), and may be purchased by calling 703-438-6095.

The painting was rediscovered in a scenario straight out of the Antiques Roadshow. NWF has a large collection of wildlife art, most of it prominently displayed in its Reston, VA headquarters; however, Eckelberry's ivory-billed woodpecker painting was set aside when NWF moved their offices seven years ago.

Dan Gifford, a program manager and historian at NWF, found the image and started researching its background. "The irony surrounding this painting is profound," says Gifford. National Wildlife Federation discovered this important image of an American wildlife icon that epitomizes the struggle of endangered species, at the same time America has discovered that the ivory-bill may in fact still be alive. Eckelberry documented the bird's demise over sixty years ago. He was literally sketching the last ivory-bill as the bulldozers were coming! Now the money raised from the sale of this watercolor, painted shortly after that expedition, will help protect habitats for a myriad of species that teeter on the brink of extinction.

"I was tremendously impressed by the majestic and wild personality of this bird," Eckelberry wrote in 1961, reflecting on his 1944 encounter, "its vigor, its almost frantic aliveness." Eckelberry, who died in 2001, was renowned for his illustrations in Richard Pough's early Audubon field guides, and his superb artwork was described by peers as "surely some of the best bird art of the twentieth century." Roger Tory Peterson said of the artist, "Don Eckelberry reigns supreme...the best mastery of bird depiction of any of his peers."

Interest in the ivory-billed woodpecker was renewed when video footage of a probable ivory-bill in flight emerged from an Arkansas national wildlife refuge in 2004. The image, as well as recent sound recordings, has given renewed hope to millions of Americans who treasure their natural heritage.

Tickets for the auction are available for $200 per person ($100 of which is tax-deductible), and may be purchased by calling 703-438-6095.