Ivory-billed Woodpecker (formerly updates) (1 Viewer)

[naples]

Ah, friends!

Sounds like I missed an exciting long weekend. Mine was oh-so-boring: canoeing through the region of the 1675 Great Swamp Fight: hearing an influx of Blue-Winged Warblers, finding a really good chance of Red-Bellied Woodpecker breeding in Rhode Island (birds sighted and heard, near newly renovated hole--needs followup as this species continues to move north), presumably mating snapping turtles (call for details), and our cabin being attacked by wild turkeys at dawn (well, that's what it sounded like).

But the best part of the trip was driving home: at about four in the afternoon a large woodpecker flew from north to south across the road in a strong, straight flight with what appeared to be solid white patches extending to the back of the wings. Of course, it was 1) a going-away view looking into the sun 2) no other field marks were visible 3) this was southbound on the Garden State a half mile before the JerseyTurnpike exit. So either my theory about IBWO in low-earth orbit is true, or (duh) a New Jersey pileated in a stern chase looks like a textbook ivorybill . I'm afraid I reacted rather precipitously, calling out to my wife "Pileated flying right!" before I had a chance to discuss a possible ivorybill sighting with Cornell (or I guess it's really Pete Dunne's territory, isn't it?). So you guys who are doing the World Series of Birding this year, remember where you got the tip for your best bird . . .

How do you even know it was a woodpecker? I mean one field mark, and where's your notes. Too bad you didn't get your bins on it or think to take a picture.

I think there are three possibilities here,

1. Your delusional
2. Your lying
3. Your telling the truth

Sounds a bit stringy. 8-P

 

[Isurus]

And James Bond. Ivorybill does appear in his book Birds of the West Indies after all.

nice one Larry. very nice. heineken being wiped off the screen now.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

nice one Larry. very nice. heineken being wiped off the screen now.

I wondered who'd get that one

 

[colonelboris]

All the talk of butterflies reminded me of this....
http://pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF069AD-Butterfly_Catchers.jpg#138
many apologies...

 

[rdmadison]

Delusional

How do you even know it was a woodpecker? I mean one field mark, and where's your notes. Too bad you didn't get your bins on it or think to take a picture.

I think there are three possibilities here,

1. Your delusional
2. Your lying
3. Your telling the truth

Sounds a bit stringy. 8-P

I think #1, most of the time, which is still compatible with #3. Or #4--cheeking tongue.

You raise another good point about observation: I could have seen a fast black vulture or leucistic green heron or slim crow. Not everyone can tell a hawk from a handsaw (hearnshaw). But the weekend sightings were real enough, and I do believe the Jersey bird was a large woodpecker.

You know, when we were driving around east Arkansas we had our cameras pointed out the window or held over the dash.

It really doesn't matter what you see, how well you see it, or how good a birder you are: it's gonna take a specimen.

 

[Jon K.]

All the talk of butterflies reminded me of this....
http://pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF069AD-Butterfly_Catchers.jpg#138
many apologies...

Yeah, been there, done that! 8-P

 

[naples]

It really doesn't matter what you see, how well you see it, or how good a birder you are: it's gonna take a specimen.

Well I hope it doesn't come to that but if it does, which might not be the worst thing in the world, I hope they have a cooler with dry-ice and a cryo. lab on standby.:eek!:

 

[LolaGal]

Ivory Billed Woodpecker Sightings

Ya'll can make fun of me for seeing an Ivory Billed but it is so. I am disabled and spend the day looking out the back window at my feeder and bluebird box.

For years I have seen what I thought were pileated woodpeckers. There are usually no pics in my birding books of supposedly extinct birds. Recently I read a national geographic article which showed pics of dead ivory bills.

Like an idiot I had always thought that ivory bills had white bills. When I saw the article in National Geographic I realized that I had been seeing Ivories all this time. I live in the birds original range in very rural surrounding.

The last sighting occurred this week when I heard a big fuss at the blue bird box. Sitting on the side of the post was an ivory billed woodpecker. There was definitely a white stripe of feathers noted near the bottom of the wing. The bluebirds were not going to allow this woodpecker to look into their nest box and the fight ensued. The bluebirds defended their nest. The woodpecker stayed in the yard area for about 3 hours. I c ould hear it calling from the woods for that amount of time. I did see it in binocs. I have seen photos of pileated and they do not have the white band on the wing that this bird did when wing was folded

I don't have a camera that would get a photo and thought someone might want to help, but I will get photo somehow and post it. I guess then someone will say I have been in photoshop.

I would like to get photos of it in flight and also would like to know if anyone could give me plans or specs for nesting box for this size bird. I put up a wood duck box and the next morning ivory billed w.p. was back and checked it out, but it had odd oily smell from being in a barn and had no luck attracting the bird.

I have also seen a pair near the Ohio River and have a witness with me at that time. If there is any place this bird still lives it would stand a good chance of being in this area as there is alot of rural farmland.

 

[emupilot]

There are actually two woodpeckers which can theoretically be confused with Ivory-billed. First is the Pileated because it is almost as large as the Ivory-billed. Second is the Red-headed because it has a similar white stripe of feathers on the bottom of the wing like you describe. Can you check this photo and let us know if that could have been your bird?

Ya'll can make fun of me for seeing an Ivory Billed but it is so. I am disabled and spend the day looking out the back window at my feeder and bluebird box.

For years I have seen what I thought were pileated woodpeckers. There are usually no pics in my birding books of supposedly extinct birds. Recently I read a national geographic article which showed pics of dead ivory bills.

Like an idiot I had always thought that ivory bills had white bills. When I saw the article in National Geographic I realized that I had been seeing Ivories all this time. I live in the birds original range in very rural surrounding.

The last sighting occurred this week when I heard a big fuss at the blue bird box. Sitting on the side of the post was an ivory billed woodpecker. There was definitely a white stripe of feathers noted near the bottom of the wing. The bluebirds were not going to allow this woodpecker to look into their nest box and the fight ensued. The bluebirds defended their nest. The woodpecker stayed in the yard area for about 3 hours. I c ould hear it calling from the woods for that amount of time. I did see it in binocs. I have seen photos of pileated and they do not have the white band on the wing that this bird did when wing was folded

I don't have a camera that would get a photo and thought someone might want to help, but I will get photo somehow and post it. I guess then someone will say I have been in photoshop.

I would like to get photos of it in flight and also would like to know if anyone could give me plans or specs for nesting box for this size bird. I put up a wood duck box and the next morning ivory billed w.p. was back and checked it out, but it had odd oily smell from being in a barn and had no luck attracting the bird.

I have also seen a pair near the Ohio River and have a witness with me at that time. If there is any place this bird still lives it would stand a good chance of being in this area as there is alot of rural farmland.

 

[LolaGal]

I looked at your pic even tho I know what a red headed looks like just to be sure of your photo.I am slightly irritated that you think one could confuse a red headed woodpecker (which I have regularly visiting feeder) with an ivory billed w.p.

The red headed is a very small bird when compared to the I.B. The crest on the head is totally absent. I saw the I.B. through binocs at about 30 feet or less with no obstructions in view. I have a copy of Audobon's Guide to north american birds. If it were not for the National Geographic article showing I.B. specimens I would not have known it from a pileated because for so long I have been told the bird is extinct. It definitely is NOT and I was hoping someone could help me document the bird.

Thanks for your interest
LolaGal

 

[emupilot]

I certainly did not mean to offend. Your description did not mention your familiarity with Red-headed, nor did it mention the bird's crest. Not knowing your background, it's a standard question which is asked.

You can report your sighting to Cornell University's Ivory-bill team here. You can also contact the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife - some contact people are here. I have alerted independent Ivory-bill searchers to your post - they may contact you via private message at this forum if they are in your area and can follow up on your report.

Thank you for letting us know about your sightings.

I looked at your pic even tho I know what a red headed looks like just to be sure of your photo.I am slightly irritated that you think one could confuse a red headed woodpecker (which I have regularly visiting feeder) with an ivory billed w.p.

The red headed is a very small bird when compared to the I.B. The crest on the head is totally absent. I saw the I.B. through binocs at about 30 feet or less with no obstructions in view. I have a copy of Audobon's Guide to north american birds. If it were not for the National Geographic article showing I.B. specimens I would not have known it from a pileated because for so long I have been told the bird is extinct. It definitely is NOT and I was hoping someone could help me document the bird.

Thanks for your interest
LolaGal

 

[Sir William]

LolaGal,

I would report your findings immediately to the Cornell team and also try to get pictures of the bird. Borrow a camera, buy a camera, do whatever you have to do. If you can actually get a conclusive photo of the bird it will be well worth it.

Good luck and I hope you're right!
-Bill

 

[jimbones]

I would hope that Steve Sheridan has been alerted of this sighting since he has had sightings of ivory-bills in Indiana in 1970 and 1978.

 

[Sancho]

Hi LolaGal, thanks for your post, I´ve been following this thread for years and sincerely hope you can get a picture, we don´t have woodpeckers of any sort here in Ireland so I wouldn´t know a IB if it flew up my nose, but it really sounds as if you know what you´re talking about and are sure of what you saw. I really hope you can get someone to get a photo of what you saw, a LOT of hats will have to be eaten all around the world if you pull it off! Best of Luck! :t:

 

[jocateme]

Hi LolaGal,
I really hope you are right about your sightings, but I have to admit that when I read your first post (here), without any details, I was not even a bit convinced that you had really seen it. After seeing that you know what you are talking about, unlike me, whose most close bird sighted was a Lineated WP, I really hope you can get a photo of it. And if it's indeed an IBWP, we have to thank and congratulate you for this unbelievably incredible sight.
Best of luck!

 

[Bonsaibirder]

Dear LolaGal,

What you have just told us is truly the ornithological discovery of the last two centuries. Not only is your garden the only site in the world where Ivory-billed Woodpeckers can be seen on a regular basis but it may also be the only site in the history of ornithology (outside Cuba) where Ivory-billed Woodpeckers have been regularly seen and Pileated Woodpeckers are absent.

Emupilot tried to break it to you gently but you jut got irritated, so there is no point beating about the bush - I don't believe that you have seen Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in your garden for a second.

But that doesn't matter - there are a whole bunch of people on here who will send significant amounts of money to support the Ivory-billed Woodpecker recovery project the moment you show us photos of your IBWOs, me included.

Knock yourself out ...

Ya'll can make fun of me for seeing an Ivory Billed but it is so. I am disabled and spend the day looking out the back window at my feeder and bluebird box.

For years I have seen what I thought were pileated woodpeckers. There are usually no pics in my birding books of supposedly extinct birds. Recently I read a national geographic article which showed pics of dead ivory bills.

Like an idiot I had always thought that ivory bills had white bills. When I saw the article in National Geographic I realized that I had been seeing Ivories all this time. I live in the birds original range in very rural surrounding.

The last sighting occurred this week when I heard a big fuss at the blue bird box. Sitting on the side of the post was an ivory billed woodpecker. There was definitely a white stripe of feathers noted near the bottom of the wing. The bluebirds were not going to allow this woodpecker to look into their nest box and the fight ensued. The bluebirds defended their nest. The woodpecker stayed in the yard area for about 3 hours. I c ould hear it calling from the woods for that amount of time. I did see it in binocs. I have seen photos of pileated and they do not have the white band on the wing that this bird did when wing was folded

I don't have a camera that would get a photo and thought someone might want to help, but I will get photo somehow and post it. I guess then someone will say I have been in photoshop.

I would like to get photos of it in flight and also would like to know if anyone could give me plans or specs for nesting box for this size bird. I put up a wood duck box and the next morning ivory billed w.p. was back and checked it out, but it had odd oily smell from being in a barn and had no luck attracting the bird.

I have also seen a pair near the Ohio River and have a witness with me at that time. If there is any place this bird still lives it would stand a good chance of being in this area as there is alot of rural farmland.

 

[humminbird]

This will probably shock Bonsai and a few others, but I have to agree. I hope I am proven wrong, but to my knowledge there are no historic records of the bird in this setting.

 

[John Mariani]

I looked at your pic even tho I know what a red headed looks like just to be sure of your photo.I am slightly irritated that you think one could confuse a red headed woodpecker (which I have regularly visiting feeder) with an ivory billed w.p.

The red headed is a very small bird when compared to the I.B. The crest on the head is totally absent. I saw the I.B. through binocs at about 30 feet or less with no obstructions in view. I have a copy of Audobon's Guide to north american birds. If it were not for the National Geographic article showing I.B. specimens I would not have known it from a pileated because for so long I have been told the bird is extinct. It definitely is NOT and I was hoping someone could help me document the bird.

Thanks for your interest
LolaGal

Emupilot gets a smackdown! Hey Lolagal - you've apparently got the ornithological find of the century. Did you take time to look at any of the 10,000+ posts on this subject in this forum? We've all been disappointed a few times (actually I'm losing count) by reports that turned out to be mistakes or remain as yet unconfirmed. You're exceptionally lucky however - the bird keeps coming back. Can't wait for the photos!!!

Emupilot - must be grating to take the heat for being both a believer AND a skeptic!

 

[TRE329]

Confirmation

Emupilot gets a smackdown! Hey Lolagal - you've apparently got the ornithological find of the century. Did you take time to look at any of the 10,000+ posts on this subject in this forum? We've all been disappointed a few times (actually I'm losing count) by reports that turned out to be mistakes or remain as yet unconfirmed. You're exceptionally lucky however - the bird keeps coming back. Can't wait for the photos!!!

Emupilot - must be grating to take the heat for being both a believer AND a skeptic!

John ,exactly what in your mind would make those reports CONFIRMED?

 

[Aracari]

LolaGal... do post that photo. Ask a local photographer (one that you can trust very much, ideally) with a tele lens to help you out on this. Then post here and we will tell you if it's an IBW or not.

You do know that right now most people are thinking you're a troll right?