Up Date On The Ivory Bill

[george simon]

There is a differance of opinion, DAVID SIBLEY author and illustrater of the best selling book "SIBLEY GUIDE TO BIRDS"has challenged the LAB'S analysis of the footage of the LUNEAU video. "SCIENCE" magazine published an artical by SIBLEY in a MARCH 17 issue,also published was aresponse by JOHN FITZPATRICK. The lab has posted a link to the"SCIENCE" articals and a in-dept analysis of the LUNEAU video can be seen www.birds.cornell.edu/ivory GEORGE

[Lady Tarheel]

George, that was a good article. We've been fortunate to see a Pileated Woodpecker many times at the beach (Emerald Isle, NC). Funny thing, a retired marine from Camp LeJeune had a home across the street from ours. Since he loved his "Buds", every time he started telling us about this foot long woodpecker that stayed in his back yard, we'd laugh.....until we saw it. That is one BIG woodpecker.

We also have them here at our home - about 150 miles from the beach - but have yet to see them close up like we did at the beach.. Their call is very distinctive and my husband can recognize it easily. They sometimes stay pretty close to the house in a wooded area nearby but all we get is a fleeting glimpse. I don't think we've heard or seen one in several months so the increasing development around us may have driven them off.

Thanks

[george simon]

MAGGIE, EMERALD ISLE that sure bring back some memories. I would take the wife and childern out there on weekends, and we would fish off the pier all day.My son caught his first fish off that pier.I wonder if the pier is still there after all the years and storms.Glad that you got to see a PILEATED WOODPECKER. GEORGE

[Lady Tarheel]

George, glad to hear you're familiar with the great emerald coast. It is (or maybe I should say was) quite beautiful with all the small islands dotting the inland waterway). Sadly, it is becoming so congested that much of the beauty has gone. We had a vacation home there for almost 30 years until 4 years ago when we decided to sell.

You know the town of Emerald Isle covers a long stretch of beach and we were at what used to be known as Bogue Inlet where the ferry was until they incorporated it into Emerald Isle. They replaced the ferry with a humongous bridge. We fished at the Bogue Inlet pier many times and it is still there but I have heard rumors it may go away for a condo. I'm not positive but I think the original EI pier is still there but it was further down the coast from Bogue. Hurricanes have taken their toll there too. Many of the cypress trees were wiped out a few years ago and made the land look really bad.

If you were talking about the Bogue pier, there are a couple motels there that an Indian (country) family managed and they started introducing pigeons there. We loved to see how they would feed the pigeons almost at the ocean's edge. By the time we left they had built up a fair sized flock.

Our favorite place to fish was at Harker's Island (Cape Lookout). Ah....the good old days - fish all day and sleep like a baby at night.

[Trees Gray]

Thanks for the update George.

I would love to see one of the ivory bill woodies.

I was fortunate to have my sister help us spot the Piliated Wood Pecker when we went to Orchid Island one day. If you have never seen them, you have no idea how distinct their call is and how large these birds are. We had one in our yard last year, and as soon as I cought a glimpse of him he left.

This must be the wood pecker that the cartoon version Woody was designed from, because he doesn't look anything like our smaller, yellow bellied woodpeckers. But they are all so characteristically cute and quirky, the way they hang upside down from my feeder and bird bath.

[BirdDogg10]

I've seen a wood pecker once. It was black with white splotches. She was pretty small though but very freindly, she didn't seem to show any fear towards me and my dad. We saw her for 2 days in row until one day she was just gone. Wood peckers are hard to come by in california exspecially since we saw this one in a regular neighborhood in L.A.!