— Sighting Reports —

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With so many interested parties globbing onto the Ivorybill story more and more sighting claims keep appearing (from recent to long ago)…. few of which have enough detail to get taken very seriously….

So while some may follow up on such reports, most serious birders won’t bother when reports begin seeming a dime-a-dozen.

IF you’re going to claim a sighting for this iconic species and wish to be taken seriously by experienced birders/scientists try including as much of the following info as best you can:

1)  the year, approximate date and time of day, location (as specific as you’re comfortable stating)

2) the type of habitat (type of trees, terrain, underbrush, weather, how remote from human activity)

3) was bird flying, perched, on ground, on trunk; if perched was it feeding, pecking, moving…. and how far away, and seen for how long, by how many people

4)  any sounds from the bird; describe

5)  What specific markings make you believe the bird was an Ivory-billed Woodpecker (be as specific & descriptive as possible); and if there are significant reasons you ruled out similar species mention them.

6)  How much (if any) experience do you have actively birding; how much experience viewing Pileated Woodpeckers… Alternatively, if not a birder, how much time/experience do you have in the woods. One aggravating experience over the years has been the number of claimants who assert they “know” Pileated Woodpeckers, but when shown enough pics admit, “oh I didn’t know they could look THAT similar” or, “oh, I didn’t know they got that big,” or “I had no idea they could flash that much white when they flew” etc. etc. 

There’s a simple reason why most of the birding community is so skeptical of IBWO claims — because long-time birders are verrrry experienced with birding mistakes/misidentifications… and not a single IBWO claim in decades has, no matter how quick the followup, been verified (and many are found to be mistaken). 

A hugely disappointing aspect of the USFWS public comment period on IBWO delisting was the number of respondents who sent in reports of seeing IBWOs, enclosing crystal clear pics... always turning out to be Pileateds… and the USFWS, in their obtuseness of not even responding to comments (and providing teaching-moments), failed to even inform respondents that no, that is a Pileated. With dozens of Pileated photos now strewn across the internet, labeled as Ivory-bills, the mistakes are doomed to continue. :(((

7)  anything else about the bird’s behavior you noted (how it moved, how it flew, how it interacted with other birds -- flight style is actually quite important but something observers easily miss)

8) also, of course explain the circumstances under which you encountered the bird — were you searching for IBWO, just out birding in general, out recreationally (hiking, biking, camping, hunting, boating, etc.)

9)  try drawing a sketch immediately of what you saw (…I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of these quick awkward hand-sketches that people/non-artists turn in, and would prefer a good verbal description, but many like such depictions)

IF this list seems long, realize it would all be second-nature to most experienced birders to include such details anytime reporting an unusual species sighting.

Without details, what we simply end up with is more mockery heaped upon the ‘believer’ community. :(

p.s.... IF perchance you actually get a clear photo of your subject, before splashing it on the internet (and risk looking foolish) try finding a member of any local birding club or Audubon chapter who can likely identify it for you and explain the field marks.... of course if it IS an IBWO they will probably suffer cardiac arrest on the spot!

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