BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Birding SO excited about the Ivory Bill!

The first I read about the sighting of a supposedly extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker was in late April or early May- it was in the LA Times, and I'm not too ashamed to say I cried with happiness! I happened to look today on CNN to see if there's any more news and just today there's another article:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/08/02/woodpecker.question.ap/index.html

Any other Ivory Bill lovers out there?

Several years ago I saw a show on the Ivory Billed Woodpecker. It showed video of the birds and I believe this is the only audio ever recorded of these birds. To find out these were extinct saddened and angered me. What a beautiful bird, and leave it to mankind to destroy them all! When I first heard the news a while back I can't tell you how happy it made me. I am glad they have audio recordings confirming their existence. These are awesome birds. I spend part of my time watching and photographing their cousin, the pileated woodpecker, that live on my property. A lot of people do not care about these birds. I feel this is a gift, the knowledge they do exist, and I can't wait to see photos!! Your post and the article have made my day! <img src="/images/graemlins/heart.gif" alt="" />

As a birdwatcher, Pileateds are one of my favorites- such huge and striking birds. A few years ago in the Cades Cove area of the Smoky Mountains, I got to see one on the ground from about 20 feet away going to town on a rotting trunk- it's the best view I've ever gotten of the bird. I remember every moment of it.

To know there's a bird even bigger and more striking- they don't call it the Lord God bird for nothing!- and to know it's still with us after years of assumed extinction- just gives me goosebumps!

Several years ago I found evidence of the pileated pecking my wishing well. I formed a plan...I arrived at my woods early, zoomed through the second gate and whipped around to the spot I would photograph him from. I hopped out of the car and ran to the back of it; this happened real fast and I realized he was at the wishing well already. We were both surprised! Binocs or camera-what to grab? Binocs won and I got a really good look through them, then grabbed the camera. By now he was onto me. My film was in the front seat,! I crept up and got it, crept back and loaded the camera. As I raised the camera he flew off, toward me, and I have two blurry pix. He was 30 feet away on the w.well, and I know I will never get this close again. I have captured their images for posterity since then, once with slide film. I make the slide image HUGE on the wall, and he/she looks awesome. I make the images life size to show people how large these birds are. I hope a book with photos re: the Ivory Bill will be available soon.

Awesome!!