More Choctawhatchee birds (as always, click to enlarge)

Finally, a diagnostic photograph of a Pileated Woodpecker! I've probably seen PIWOs 150 times now in the Choctawhatchee River system, and have heard them countless other times. If the IBWO truly is extinct, then this is the largest woodpecker species in the US. It bears a few superficial similarities to IBWOs, though a trained eye should be able to sort out even the most cursory glimpse of a large woodpecker in a few seconds. Nonetheless, trying to get a snap of a PIWO provides excellent practice for that moment if/when the IBWO does come visiting, and also serves to illustrate how difficult it will be to get that sharp, irrefutable IBWO photo. After all, if I can only get one set of diagnostic PIWO photos per 150 sightings....

Another shot of the same, beautiful, red-crested Pileated Woodpecker.

A Barred Owl. We hear 'em all the time, but see them less often.

Another Barred Owl.

Click and you shall see a rusty-tailed Hermit Thrush.

Eastern Phoebe. These cute tail-waggers are ubiquitous on the Choc.

A camp visitor....

This opossum came into camp one night to gnaw on some discarded catfish bones. Cute l'il feller, ain't he?

Another Choctawhatchee update

Hello!

I'm sorry for not updating this more frequently. I think I've explained in previous posts that I am in the woods without Internet access for 6 to 7 days at a time, and then rotate out for two. When I cycle out, my first priorities are shaving, showering (usually multiple times!), getting a good meal (though we do eat well in camp), laundering my clothes, shopping for the next rotation in, checking my email, and opening letters, packages, and bills. You get the picture.

It was another week without any suggestive "detections," though I did find some interesting bark scaling on a Tupelo tree close to camp. A couple of parties in my study area heard and recorded some kent notes that resemble the vocalizations of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, though without a corroborative sighting or photo we can't be sure what the sources of the noises were. One set in particular, however, sounded really interesting, and for the next few days may have tilted me a millimeter or so towards the believing side of the fence of IBWO agnosticism.

It has been cold and wet out there. Temperatures sometimes dip to the low 20s at night. Nonetheless, we're plugging away, covering a lot of ground in our efforts to find promising nesting/roosting cavities and foraging signs.

I'm enjoying other aspects of life out there. I've kayaked through some beautiful wooded areas and waded through some dark, impressive cypress swamps. Plus, the camaraderie is excellent. The Cornell University mobile swat team has been stationed in our camp, and I've picked their brains for nuggets of expertise on large woodpecker behavior.

Interesting birds are plentiful. I've seen a few Yellow-throated Warblers, and their more abundant cousins the Yellow-rumped Warblers have been engaging in frenetic courtship behavior in the forest. It's been too cold, though, for reptile sightings. I'll put up a wildlife photo post momentarily.

Sorry for not updating

I had too many errands to run this time, and haven't been able to update the blog. I will rotate out again in one week, and promise lots of photos.

I haven't encountered any suggestive evidence recently. It's been bitterly cold and often rainy to boot out there. Some colleagues in another camp report some possible sightings, though nothing diagnostic has been observed. To exist or not exist, that is the question....

Back in from another week in the swamp

I'm tired and will post more over the next couple of days.

It was another interesting and productive week. I did some transects in some very promising areas, but didn't have any detections. Hopefully some of the cavities and feeding signs that I and my teammates are finding will help the project locate an IBWO or two. I'll elaborate at greater length in subsequent posts.

Good night!

If IBWOs do exist back there, they have plenty of woodpecking company

(Click on all images to enlarge!)

A beautiful adult Red-headed Woodpecker. Red-headed Woodpeckers have similar wing patterns to IBWOs in flight, though I doubt too many would mistake one for the other.

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers may be the most common woodpeckers here. Their arhythmic soft taps and meowing calls are some of the most frequently heard sounds in the Choctawhatchee Valley.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are also common.

Another sapsucker

Another Red-headed Woodpecker

Images from the Choctawhatchee

It has a red crest. It must be an Iv.... No, wait! (photo taken in town)

The beautiful Choctawhatchee.

Paddles down the river require constant vigilance for snags like these.

Palmettos abound in the undergrowth.

This American Bird Grasshopper is a far more effective user of camouflage than I am. (click on image for closer view)

This out-of-focus poison ivy plant has leafed out already. I likely contracted my case from one of the ubiquitous leafles vines in the forest.

This Cow Killer, or Red Velvet Ant (Dasymutilla occidentalis) is actually a type of wingless wasp. I was so enamored of its beauty that I handled it. Big mistake! It delivered an excruciating sting to my thumb. But then, I suppose I'd bite your thumb if you tried to pick me up.

Northern Cardinal.

A oft-occurring perspective of the wet, woody forest.

Gulf Coast Box Turtle

Note the girth of the Bald Cypress behind me. Note the girth of the belly of the Bald Eagle in front of the Bald Cypress!