...Audubon has received many calls from birdwatchers who think they have seen the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. We ask that you look at the accompanying pages that compare and describe these two species. If you remain convinced that you have seen an Ivory-billed Woodpecker you will need to take photographs of the bird.But how can you take photographs of a bird that's always on the opposite side of a tree from where you are?
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Interesting how we expect the public to get a photo, but we let ornithologists publish their sight records in academic journals.
I say, what's good for the public is good for the "expert". No credibility without a photo. Period.
".....Audubon has received many calls from birdwatchers who think they have seen the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. We ask that you look at the accompanying pages that compare and describe these two species. If you remain convinced that you have seen an Ivory-billed Woodpecker you will need to take photographs of the bird....."
.....Unless you are a designated associate of the CLO et al., in which case sight records (including fleeting glimpses, as long as you have a good enough imagination to fill in the gaps) and blurry video (of Pileated Woodpecker) will suffice in keeping the bandwagon rolling......
If they roam the forest in pairs wouldn't that make it easier to get a photo of one? What are the chances that both members of a pair would be on the opposite side of a tree or that both birds could fly away without being photographed?
And here's a tip for members of the public wanting to get a good photo. Because the "experts" always say they didn’t get a good photo since the IBWO was on the "opposite side of the tree" just set up your camera on the "opposite side of the tree". It should work like a charm. You may want to email the people who "rediscovered" the species. They may not know exactly where the IBWO are but they apparently have all of the opposite sides of the trees nailed down.
I had the same trouble verifying a Great Auk sighting at a Kansas Lake. The darn thing was always on that pesky "opposite side" of a rocky outcrop. I DID hear splashes that were possibly consistent with anecdotal recall from 19th century naturalists of the sound a Great Auk may have made diving into water.
It might be best to have someone learned in geometry present for special aid when trying to spot rediscovered creatures that use transdimensional tricks to elude our gallant ghillie suited searchers.
I have similar troubles with Labrador Duck. Every one I see dives right when I hit the shutter, and when it pop up again its always behind an Oldsquaw (I don't use the new name Long-tailed Duck because its sexist to rename a bird after a feature found only in the male of the species).
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