Ivory-billed Woodpeckers

[Voncachstein]

I'm sorry if there is a topic about this somewhere but I did so a search and nothing came up. Anyway, did anyone notice that the thought-to-be-extinct Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers were recently spotted in Cache River Nat'l Wildlife Refuge? Thought that was interesting and wanted to see if anyone else noticed.

[+Corp Of Discovery]

I saw a report on that earlier today. Yes, the name 'Cache' jumped out at me right away... Glad to see they are not extinct, still very much in danger of becoming so tho.

[+Indotguy]

This piece of news didn't escape me! Heard about it on NPR.

Edited April 29, 2005 by Indotguy

[+southdeltan]

Yes, I've been very excited about this, even though I am not a birdwatcher.

 

I live near (and my family has land adjoining) the Delta National Forest in Mississippi and for years people have been very adamant that this bird still exists here. There have been no verifiable sightings however. This discovery in Arkansas gives us even more hope that the Lord God bird (as the locals here call it) is still around and can be verified HERE. I have family members and many friends that have claimed to have sighted the bird.

 

As for a geocaching link - aside from the name Cache River, the researchers used GPS devices in their research.

 

I have several caches in the Delta National that are in likely habitat for this bird.

 

southdeltan

 

Editted to add *Here*.

Edited April 29, 2005 by southdeltan

[medoug]

O.K., I'm probably going to get a lot of flack for this statement, but "Isn't the Ivory-billed woodpecker essentially the same as the common pileated woodpecker except that it has a white-colored beak?" What's the big deal? It's just another big-a** woodpecker?

 

BTW, has anyone ever heard a pileated woodpecker's call? It is quite strange. It sounds like someone playing a tom-tom drum or trying to start a put-put motor. The first time I heard one, I thought, "what the heck is that noise?"

 

medoug.

[+shawhh]

if the sighting of a thought to be extinct bird, one that only lived in the most pristine old growth forests and swamps, one that to a dedicated outdoorsman symbolized the epitome of "wildness" doesn't seem like a big deal to you, then i'm afraid i couldn't even begin to educate you about it. sad. -harry

[+Harry Dolphin]

Saw that article. First thing that occurrd to me is that 'Cache River' qualifies as a Locationless Cache.

[+EraSeek]

No, I didn't hear about it. That's great news! I read a book recently where the author was searching (and hopeing) for them.

[+tands]

Three years ago I saw a bird that 'couldn't be' in an extremely remote forest in South Carolina. Like the NPR article I said "Lord God what a bird!" I'd seen Pilated Woodpeckers before, and this bird was at least half again as big. And an Ivory colored bill. I only told my wife about it because she believes me even when I say things that sound crazy. Now I know that I might be able to believe what my eyes saw. What a blessing it is that Nature can be so resilient.

 

- T of TandS

[+Silny Jako Bek]

Three years ago I saw a bird that 'couldn't be' in an extremely remote forest in South Carolina. Like the NPR article I said "Lord God what a bird!" I'd seen Pilated Woodpeckers before, and this bird was at least half again as big. And an Ivory colored bill. I only told my wife about it because she believes me even when I say things that sound crazy. Now I know that I might be able to believe what my eyes saw. What a blessing it is that Nature can be so resilient.

 

As an avid birder (as well as a geocacher), information about where you sited that bird should be relayed to the Cornell University Ornithology folks. A sighting by someone like you led to the confirmation that, after over 60 years, at least one Ivory-billed Woodpecker still exists.

[TCE]

I don't think they're the same as pileated woodpeckers. I read in the paper today that Ivory Bills can have up to 30 inch wing spans!!! That's only 6 in. short of a yard!!!! That is a MONSTER woodpecker!!! Also, it seems they have white on the tops of the end parts of the wings. The pileateds I've seen seem to be mostly black, including the tops of the wings. They also seem to be slightly smaller than crows. The thump thump is probably the sound of their bill hitting a tree. Their call IS weird though.

 

Maybe a good locationless would be to get a pic of one of those Ivory Bills?...of course this might be against land use rules...i.e. habitat stuff probably.

Edited April 30, 2005 by TCE

[+sept1c_tank]

"Isn't the Ivory-billed woodpecker essentially the same as the common pileated woodpecker except that it has a white-colored beak?" 

No!

[+Zephyrpl]

A sighting by someone like you led to the confirmation that, after over 60 years, at least one Ivory-billed Woodpecker still exists.

 

I know zilch about birds, but this is a pretty cool happening.

I suspect that the Ivory-billed woodpecker they sighted was not a bachelor, so there are probably more to be seen. Either that or he's pretty old. Anyway, we usually don't get second chances when nature is concerned, so I hope we do it right this time.

 

Zephyr

[+EraSeek]

Here is an audio of the song of the ivory- billed: http://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/2005/ima...odpeckerACM.wav

 

Here is the area:

 

Here is the culprit in 1935:

 

V dr123d, cause it's CACHE river, cause it's my new avatar, cause it's big news, cause its worthy of being a virtual, so let us have our fun where it will be seen.

Edited April 30, 2005 by EraSeek

[Dr123d]

So Why are we talking about this. Shouldn't it be in the Off-Topic section??????

[Dale_Lynn]

Now There will be a prohibition of all human traffic entering area... Forget caches in the area.

 

Just when I thought one of the "valid" reasons for keeping people out of forests and swamps were gone. Another one pops up.

 

Dale

[+sept1c_tank]

Here is the culprit in 1935:

 

  ...cause it's my new avatar...

Mr. Seek, I didn't realize you were that old!

[+SeventhSon]

So Why are we talking about this. Shouldn't it be in the Off-Topic section??????

Only if this ivory billed woodpecker is going to China

[+Team GPSaxophone]

So Why are we talking about this. Shouldn't it be in the Off-Topic section??????

Only if this ivory billed woodpecker is going to China

Oh I see, so it's ok to have a thread about birdwatching because there are caches in the area but it's not ok to have a thread about going to China and finding some caches while there.

[Dr123d]

So Why are we talking about this. Shouldn't it be in the Off-Topic section??????

Only if this ivory billed woodpecker is going to China

Oh I see, so it's ok to have a thread about birdwatching because there are caches in the area but it's not ok to have a thread about going to China and finding some caches while there.

I think we should raise some money to save the pecker.

Sell Tee Shirts or something.

 

Their see if that gets the forum want to be mod police going.

[Dr123d]

So Why are we talking about this. Shouldn't it be in the Off-Topic section??????

Only if this ivory billed woodpecker is going to China

Oh I see, so it's ok to have a thread about birdwatching because there are caches in the area but it's not ok to have a thread about going to China and finding some caches while there.

I think we should raise some money to save the pecker.

Sell Tee Shirts or something.

 

Their see if that gets the forum want to be mod police going.

oops I forgot to mention caching. There CACHING. Now the tread is on topic or is it.

[uber_bike_geek]

So Why are we talking about this. Shouldn't it be in the Off-Topic section??????

Only if this ivory billed woodpecker is going to China

 

Happy caching

Jeff

[uber_bike_geek]

So Why are we talking about this. Shouldn't it be in the Off-Topic section??????

Only if this ivory billed woodpecker is going to China

Oh I see, so it's ok to have a thread about birdwatching because there are caches in the area but it's not ok to have a thread about going to China and finding some caches while there.

Sorry, Sax, you're fighting a losing battle...

 

Oh, that poor bird! I hope it survives! Let's all get together and hold a candlelight vigil while wearing the t-shirts we bought to raise money

 

Happy caching

Jeff

[Dr123d]

So Why are we talking about this. Shouldn't it be in the Off-Topic section??????

Only if this ivory billed woodpecker is going to China

Oh I see, so it's ok to have a thread about birdwatching because there are caches in the area but it's not ok to have a thread about going to China and finding some caches while there.

Sorry, Sax, you're fighting a losing battle...

 

Oh, that poor bird! I hope it survives! Let's all get together and hold a candlelight vigil while wearing the t-shirts we bought to raise money

 

Happy caching

Jeff

Where do I get one of these T-shirts and how much are they.

[+sept1c_tank]

So Why are we talking about this. Shouldn't it be in the Off-Topic section??????

Only if this ivory billed woodpecker is going to China

 

Happy caching

Jeff

This topic is about wood peckers. Get over the China thing. Any further mention of China in this thread is off topic and will be reported to the moderators.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

So Why are we talking about this. Shouldn't it be in the Off-Topic section??????

Only if this ivory billed woodpecker is going to China

 

Happy caching

Jeff

This topic is about wood peckers. Get over the China thing. Any further mention of China in this thread is off topic and will be reported to the moderators.

So why is there this double standard where some of you are allowed to post off topic threads and not get attacked, but I'm not allowed to post a thread unless it's at least 90% geocaching related?

[+sept1c_tank]

So why is there this double standard where some of you are allowed to post off topic threads and not get attacked, but I'm not allowed to post a thread unless it's at least 90% geocaching related?

This statement has nothing to do with woodpeckers; it is off topic. Although I am not the OP, I ask that future comments in this thread remain on topic. Feel free to open a new topic on double standards.

[+Miragee]

I'm sorry if there is a topic about this somewhere but I did so a search and nothing came up. Anyway, did anyone notice that the thought-to-be-extinct Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers were recently spotted in Cache River Nat'l Wildlife Refuge? Thought that was interesting and wanted to see if anyone else noticed.

Thank you for bringing this up. When I heard about it on NPR, I was thrilled. Imagine, an opportunity to better protect a species believed to be extinct.

 

I also noticed the word "cache" in the news blurb.

 

This should be very, very exciting news to everyone. I wish many other extinct species would show up again.

[TCE]

Oh, I'm so tempted to say something about that one country...but I'm not supposed to...so...

 

Thanks for the cool pic of the woodpecker on that guys head!!! And, I'm sure that audio file is just as great....it's just that I need to find another copy of it or something to listen to it 'cuz for some reason it wouldn't play...even with Quicktime...oh well.

 

And, one other thing...I read today that the Cache River area is huge!!!! There is plenty of room for geocaches there...it's just that they'd have to have titles like "Cottonmouth City," and, "Mosquito Madness." Oh well, I'm in Oregon, a long way from those cool birds.

 

Good luck to the Arkansas Cachers who might get to see some of those birds while out caching

[+EraSeek]

Here is the culprit in 1935:

 

  ...cause it's my new avatar...

Mr. Seek, I didn't realize you were that old!

Yeah and that was in 1935! I got hair in my nose too.

[+EraSeek]

OK Validation:

 

Is that a Garmin 60cs or a Garmin Rino on his left shoulder strap?

 

[Dr123d]

Here is the culprit in 1935:

 

  ...cause it's my new avatar...

Mr. Seek, I didn't realize you were that old!

"The bird is a stiff"

[+EraSeek]

I know it looks wacked, but it's not. You can view other photos and info here :

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ivory/index.html

[+tands]

I don't think they're the same as pileated woodpeckers. I read in the paper today that Ivory Bills can have up to 30 inch wing spans!!! That's only 6 in. short of a yard!!!! That is a MONSTER woodpecker!!!

Yep, like I said, it was a way way bigger than the pileated ones I'd seen. And besides the white bill there was amazing color. I just couldn't believe it could be true. BTW I'm going to report the sighting to Cornell. And thanks for the info about where to report it. My wife was excited when she saw the report about the ones they found because she remembered how moved and amazed I'd been when I described the bird I'd seen.

 

- T of TandS

[uber_bike_geek]

OK Validation:

 

Is that a Garmin 60cs or a Garmin Rino on his left shoulder strap?

 

After zooming in to 400% in Photoshop, one can see it is a Rino by the dual antennas

 

Happy caching

Jeff

 

Edit: fudgy fingers

Edited May 1, 2005 by uber_bike_geek

[+LittleBlue]

Thanks, EraSeek, for mailing me this link! That's just way cool. We were birders before cachers, so we're very excited. I can just imagine all the birders are going crazy wanting to spot one. That just boggles the mind how a species can exist out of sight like that. How many can there be, I wonder? A pileated is impressive enough to see. Sounds like this species is even bigger. An interesting thread would me the most interesting wildlife sightings people have had while caching.

[+BadAndy]

I heard about this bird on the news yesterday. While it's important to protect it, and a relief that it isn't extinct, It reminded me of the very poor state of our endangered species program here in the US.

 

Here we have a bird that for 60 years was thought to be extinct. 60 years! For it to have survived all this time means that there have been many of these birds nesting and raising chicks over the years. This isn't some tiny quiet hummingbird. It's a freakin huge, loud, obnoxious woodpecker!

 

At the same time there were substantial land seizures and closures in Wyoming to protect an endangered mouse that we now now has never existed.

 

Whats the deal? Do these socalled experts have any clue at all?

Edited May 1, 2005 by BadAndy

[gridlox]

Where do I get one of these T-shirts and how much are they.    

 

Somehow, I really don't think people will understand what your supporting (a bird or some other high ranking political person) when you wear a shirt that says...

 

I supported the Arkansas Pecker

 

Edited May 1, 2005 by gridlox

[+Runaround]

This isn't some tiny quiet hummingbird. It's a freakin huge, loud, obnoxious woodpecker!

But this isn't your typical city park woodpecker. This bird has a very specific habitat range and was always known to avoid humans, at least those individuals that don't like to perch on hats.

 

If you read up on the area where it has been re-found you'll find a pretty remote area that is really hard to visit.

[TCE]

Cool! Thanks for the LINK! ...videos even! ...mostly ppl in the videos, but there were some pix of the Ivory Bill! How fun! Thanks for the link once again!

[+The Saints]

We are avid bird watchers and love to spot new (to us) birds. I have heard if you put a bit of salt and vinegar in a bowl, it tenders the ivory bill up enough to pass for buffalo wings. With the right barbeque sauce of course.

[+Miragee]

[gridlox]

I have heard if you put a bit of salt and vinegar in a bowl, it tenders the ivory bill up enough to pass for buffalo wings. With the right barbeque sauce of course.

Nooo! That just ain't right!!!

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It ain't bar-b-q sauce!

It's "Texas Pete" Hot Sauce, Worstershire Sauce, & some good ole' Ketucky Burbon!!(Jim Beam Black)

Makes a hella-va kicking wing sauce!!

 

D-man

Edited May 2, 2005 by gridlox

[+NevaP]

I don't think they're the same as pileated woodpeckers. I read in the paper today that Ivory Bills can have up to 30 inch wing spans!!!  That's only 6 in. short of a yard!!!!  That is a MONSTER woodpecker!!!

Yep, like I said, it was a way way bigger than the pileated ones I'd seen. And besides the white bill there was amazing color. I just couldn't believe it could be true. BTW I'm going to report the sighting to Cornell. And thanks for the info about where to report it. My wife was excited when she saw the report about the ones they found because she remembered how moved and amazed I'd been when I described the bird I'd seen.

 

- T of TandS

Is that huge Woodpecker a Pileated (it almost certainly is) or an Ivory-bill ? (highly unlikely unless you are seeing it in an extremely remote southern cypress swamp -5+++++ terrain in caching terms)

 

The bill color is NOT a realiable distinguishing character. the Pileated's bill is large and can look quite pale.

 

Very experienced birders find it hard to rely on impression of size unless there is something to compare the bird to. Pileateds are also huge woodpeckers

 

The distinguishing marks are the amount and position of white in the wings. The Ivory Bill has large white patches in the wings. These are the secondary flight feathers at the base of the wing and when the bird is perched they appear as two large white bands across its back with a pair of white lines running upward along the edge of the wing. In flight,in top view they make a broad white band along the rear side of the wing Pileateds have a very small amount of white in the primary flight feathers toward the tip of the wing and when perched these barely show if at all so the back of the bird apears solid or almost solid black. There is no white patch seen at the rear of the wing in flight

 

Both species have a white patch on the foreward underside of the wing. In flight, seen from underneath, the Ivory-bill will show two patches of white- one at the front edge of the wing and one at the rear- separated by a band of black. The Pileated will show only the underwing whiet patch at the front of the wing.

 

Also the Ivory -bill has a black chin and the Pileated has a white chin. Both male and female Pileateds have red crests. The female Ivory-bill has a black crest. Only the male has a red crest.

 

If you think it might, just might, be an Ivory-bill -TAKE PICTURES! And be prepared to describe exactly where all the white feathers were located.

 

Please note that I used the word caching in the first line

 

NevaP, who has seen a lot of Pileated Woodpeckers but doesn't expect to see an Ivory-bill in this lifetime at least.

[Keystone]

Please note that I used the word caching in the first line

[Keystone removes his trigger finger from the "Suspend Posting Ability Indefinitely?" button.]