Quote:

Other members of my family have seen an Ivory-bill and Pileated woodpeckers



Probably not, owlbow. The recent sighting in Arkansas that, with much hoopla, resurected the Ivory-bill from extinction is still in question.

Me? I read two books this summer about the Arkansas sightings and supposed confirmation, and found out that the bird people are still quibbling about the reality of the event.
It seems that even the best woodpecker experts have difficulty distinguishing between a Pileated and an Ivory-bill. Some claim that field sightings can only be authenticated by hearing their distinctive calls.

My own son claimed that he saw a Ivory-bill this summer.
But I convinced him that what he saw was a Pileated woodpecker.

Maybe I enjoy dancing on dreams.

But I think not.