"Lord God Bird" confirmed!

There are several confirmed sightings in the books now of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, one of the most spectacular birds of North America. The Ivory-Bill and I have a long acquaintance, not necessarily pleasant for me...

I was out hunting with my dad in the late fall/early winter, 1962/63, near Little River, in north-central Louisiana. I suddenly saw a pair of birds I'd never seen before. I watched them for about 15 minutes before they flew off and across the river. Several days later, still curious about what I'd seen, I looked the birds up in a book in my school library. I had seen a pair of Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers.

At the time, I didn't know the birds were "extinct". Our assistant principal, Mr. Smith, was a member of the Audobon Society, and became very angry at me for insisting I'd seen members of this "extinct" species. He told me more than once I hadn't seen what I knew quite well I had.

There were several reports of ivory billed woodpeckers being spotted in Louisiana over the last couple of years, both in the southern and northern parts of the state. There are still tens of thousands of acres of land in Louisiana that is either swamp, or marginal for anything but what it currently is - uninhabited! I don't doubt that there are at least a few pairs of ivory-billed woodpeckers in Louisiana, and that I saw a mating pair back in 1962/63.

So, Mr. Smith, who's laughing now (other than the ivory billed woodpecker, that is... )? 8^)