Run, don't walk to nearest phone if you spot rare woodpecker

The person asking the question was certainly unaware that it had the potential to set the birding world ablaze. Facebook is a good place for bird identification for most people as there are groups dedicated to helping each other, regardless of skill level. Anyone can post a photo of a bird, share the location and time of year and it will, more often than not, quickly be identified by group members who also possess different levels of skill. This particular question asked whether the photographed bird was an ivory-billed woodpecker. I give this person credit for taking the time to look up possible species and offer a guess. And normally, based on the size and description, it would have been a good guess. However, had it been an ivory-billed woodpecker, she would have quickly known it after posting the photograph as there would have been stampede of birders there within the hour. She would have been instantly famous, with her photo making headlines around the world. The ivory-billed woodpecker, the ghost bird of modern birding, has presumably been extinct since at least 2004, though that, and other sightings have been disputed. It has likely been extinct much longer than that. Kenn Kaufman states that "the last universally accepted photos of living ivory-billed woodpeckers were taken more than 80 years ago, in Louisiana's Singer tract in 1938," and "were reliably found by multiple observers as late as 1944." The last purported sighting by a kayaker along the Cache River National Wildlife in 2004 thrust Brinkley, Ark., into a frenzy, as birders and scientists from around the world quickly converged to look for the bird and verify its existence. The town seemed to enjoy the attention and welcomed those who came to search for a bird which, if found, would make history. They sold T-shirts, tailored haircuts and named sandwiches after them. I am sure if we were into birding as much then as we are now, we would have been there. However, the video sighting wasn't very clear and some were convinced that it was an ivory-billed, while others weren't so sure. The event set into motion a series of research efforts which came up unsuccessful. Many have adamantly claimed to see it since then, though conclusive proof has been as elusive as the bird itself. As the "ghost bird," it has been notoriously difficult to photograph. Others suggest it is "the curse of the ivory-billed." As the Facebook post demonstrated, they look similar to the pileated woodpecker and could easily be misidentified. Bernard Master of Columbus, who has a life list of over 7,800 bird species, defiantly and steadfastly claims he heard one in Bayou de View in 2005. He writes in his book, No Finish Line, "The ivory-billed woodpecker is the only "heard" bird on my American bird Life List and it will stay there." Both the ivory-billed woodpecker and pileated woodpecker are about crow-size. These are large marvelous birds. The ivory-billed is also known as the "Lord God Bird," because, "Lord God, that's a big bird!" There is a difference in the face, which can be difficult to see if the woodpecker is facing the tree as it is often seen. The easiest identifier is the white backpack of the ivory-billed, where the pileated is all black. The extinction of birds is part of the natural cycle of evolution. Some species survive for millions of years, while others find their time on this planet to be relatively short-lived. There are many reasons why birds (and other living things) go extinct, but the demise of ivory-billed woodpeckers seems to be driven by humans who hunted them, destroyed their habitats and used their feathers for fashion. Native Americans used them as decorations and traded their bills. Although it is deliberated, it is suggested that hunting is the primary cause of their extinction, furthered by extensive logging which left isolated remnants and fragmentation of forest. For some reason, when anything is thought to be rare, people want to have them. When a pair of ivory-billed woodpeckers were found in Florida in 1924, they were shot the next day by a collector. Ivory-billed woodpeckers required specific habitat, which can be difficult for a species' long-term survival. They are known as swamp dwellers and disaster birds, which thrived in areas of dead trees—often the result of fires and floods. In addition, a pair of ivory-billed woodpeckers requires large tracts of land. I tend to agree with Kaufman who believes they are extinct and probably have been for some time. However, many are adamant about the sightings despite lacking hard evidence. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service put together an extensive recovery plan in 2010, while Cornell University offered a reward of $50,000 for "conclusive proof of the birds continued existence." But like Kaufman, I would love to be mistaken. "I would be thrilled to be proven wrong. I would be overjoyed. I would dance in the streets. I wouldn't even care about going to see the bird myself; just knowing it still lived would make that the happiest day of my life," he wrote. The mystery, intrigue and perhaps myth of the ivory-billed woodpecker will continue. Only time will tell if it will go the way of the Loch Ness Monster or the black-browed babbler, who was recently rediscovered after 170 years of presumed extinction. Fortunately, we still have pileated woodpeckers, and they are a local favorite for birders and backyard birdwatchers. A "ghost bird" for us at our last house, where we could hear them but could hardly get a good look, we are so excited to have a pair at our new house that have been enjoying our feeders. They are mesmerizing and exciting to watch. We can imagine what it would have been like to see an ivory-billed woodpecker. Black River Audubon hosts May Program The Black River Audubon Society will present John Blakeman and his program the Ohio Prairie Story on May 4 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Ohio is generally regarded as a wooded state, originally with forests stretching from border to border. But, in fact, Ohio had several very large areas of tallgrass prairie, equivalent to those in Illinois and Iowa. In pre-settlement times, about 4 percent of Ohio was prairie. In this presentation, with colorful photos, Ohio prairie expert Blakeman will tell the remarkable biological story of these unique ecosystems, telling their ecological history and biological components. To attend, submit your email address at www.blackriveraudubon.org and a link to the meeting will be sent. Contact Rob Swindell at robswindell@roadrunner.com.