re: $12,000 Reward for Information Regarding the Whereabouts of an Ivory Billed Woodpecker

There are a couple on a river bottom hardwood tract in Ouachita Parish.

Cornell made a bunch of claims from Arkansas in 2005. I don't believe any of it.

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Cornell made a bunch of claims from Arkansas in 2005. I

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I am sure you saw the same grainy video I saw. Can't tell anything. That whole expedition was silly.


When the LSU student (wildlife student) that was turkey hunting in Pearl River watched what he was certain was a pair of them, Van the man and all the experts interviewed him for hours. Afterwards Van said "I believe that he believes." If there was one recent sighting, I think that was it. Real redneck sitting like a bump on a log in full camo being still has a lot better chance of seeing something then a floating armada of yellow kayaks with birdwatchers in them.

There's one mounted on the second floor by the elevators at LDWF. Pretty cool to see, even if it's just a stuffed one.

Hickory is not far at all from WMA in Pearl River where I know a pair resides in a swamp bottom. About ten years ago my father spotted a pair by the Basball park in PR by Jim’s feed store.
I’m a firm believer that they are still in the PR area.

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Last verified was in tensas at what was called the singer tract after singer sewing machines. Swamps and bottomland hardwoods was where they were found. Nuttall (striped) oak was supposed to be a very important tree for them

Story goes that An old man in the area was telling some ornithologists that he had seen one and they didn’t believe him. They told him to bring him one if he saw another one. He went and shot a pair of them!

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photos from st mary parish in 70s experts were split on whether they were fake or not. the place in avoylles parish has received a lot of attention as well as a spot near the 1970s sightings in st mary. Once cat spent about 6 straight years in the pearl river area near where the two sightings were and got some inconclusive pics and video. An area in FL also got a lot of looks but no photos. THe guy from arkansas that got the video about 15 years ago is active in avoylles parish and st mary.


Jackson bienville never had an IBWO sighting(I helped one of the Cornell folks a lot. Ironically one of the specimens LSU has was shot and brought in to prove they still existed way back before it was illegal. IMHO the sightings in the 70s through the 90s were likely the fleeting last glimpses of the ones that remained after their habitat was wiped out in the 1940s. Their habitat is back now... but as habitat loss is a bit much for "specialists" like the IBWO to over come. The fact that cornell folks pretty much gave up - tells you all you need to know.

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Would be epic if someone on the OB found one

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I was involved with "consulting" two high profile searches from years ago. My opine, the some of those sightings may have been legit, but those were likely the last of the ilk. Because with the rise and improvement of remote and auto cameras ZILCH... yes there is one searcher that has a recent photo but is trying for a better one. I will say this, some of those bird watchers are have outdoor skills that would embarrass a lot of hunters.... and some well just like bad hunters their outdoor skills sucked. If anybody is going to find one in LA it's gonna be the dudes from Arkansas.

Man I’m telling you I’ve seen a pair right past hwy 36 in Hickory. It also was around the same time as Mike Collins sighting the ones he did. They used to reside in a swamp bottom. As a crow flies, PR WMA is like 2 miles from there. My father spotted some about 5 miles from there as well. I’m a firm believer that there is a few pair still in the area.

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They need longleaf pine savannahs, that is what Kisatchi is on a 2-year burn cycle. It is incredible to see in Louisiana.

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Again, that's for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers.

Probably gonna chase a bunch of sightings of pileated, which are slightly smaller but still large woodpeckers
16 to 19 in long
26 to 30 wingspan
weight 8.8 to 14.1 oz


Ivory Billed based on pretty scarce information
19 to 21 in long
30 in wingspan
weight 15.8 to 20.2 oz