Just got back from Florida - report on Choctawhatchee

[DannyITR]

I'm in the process of writing an article detailing our search of the Choctawhatchee River area. It should be up in a few days but I cannot say the result was very positive.

[JakeJL]

Sorry to hear that things didn't turn out to well out there. I read some of the results over on another forum. Sounds like the woods were just a bit too young still.

Jake

[david nolin]

I'm in the process of writing an article detailing our search of the Choctawhatchee River area. It should be up in a few days but I cannot say the result was very positive.

Hi Danny,

I read the messages earlier. It sounds like the Auburn search area was downriver from Smackwater Jack. Given the review of the presentation they put on recently it sounds like we were in the wrong places. I hope they get good documentation soon. It was a great trip anyway, I could make a habit of canoeing Florida rivers.

Dave

[DannyITR]

http://www.birdviewing.com/images/viewFlorida09.jpg (http://www.birdviewing.com/?page=dec06_1)
Field Report: Choctawhatchee River, FL

Article: Danny Geraghty
Photos: Danny Geraghty, Chris Geraghty
December 2006

After hearing about some very compelling evidence collected by Auburn University concerning Ivorybills living along the Choctawhatchee River in the Florida Panhandle Chris and I, along with veteran searcher Dave Nolin decided we had to go check it out for ourselves. There had been rumors suggesting numbers as high as nine pairs of Ivorybills in the area and Auburn University searchers had ample recordings and sighting to support just that. Who could pass up an opportunity like this?

Full Story (http://www.birdviewing.com/?page=dec06_1)

[Chris]

Hi Danny,

I read the messages earlier. It sounds like the Auburn search area was downriver from Smackwater Jack. Given the review of the presentation they put on recently it sounds like we were in the wrong places. I hope they get good documentation soon. It was a great trip anyway, I could make a habit of canoeing Florida rivers.

Dave

So when is the next trip? I'm ready.

[emupilot]

Chris, your photos from the Choctawhatchee are very nice. The Brewer's Blackbird photo is an excellent shot of a... Rusty Blackbird. The rusty edges are evident, and Rusty Blackbird prefers swampy habitat in winter. Brewer's Blackbird's preferred habitat is supermarket parking lots.

Thanks for your report from your IBWO search - I hope you'll be able to do more searching soon.

[Chris]

Chris, your photos from the Choctawhatchee are very nice. The Brewer's Blackbird photo is an excellent shot of a... Rusty Blackbird. The rusty edges are evident, and Rusty Blackbird prefers swampy habitat in winter. Brewer's Blackbird's preferred habitat is supermarket parking lots.

Thanks for your report from your IBWO search - I hope you'll be able to do more searching soon.

I know - we fixed that! Thanks for the heads-up. Us "Easterners" shouldn't be making calls on western blackbirds while dreary-eyed in the swamp.

Looks good for another search in January. More on that later...

[emupilot]

It's fixed in the Choctawhatchee report, but it's still labeled as Brewer's if you click on the thumbnail directly from the home page. As a "westerner" (Californian), I'm hardly an authority on Rusty Blackbird, having seen a grand total of 1. I guess I need to get out into the swamp sometime.

I know - we fixed that! Thanks for the heads-up. Us "Easterners" shouldn't be making calls on western blackbirds while dreary-eyed in the swamp.

Looks good for another search in January. More on that later...

[DannyITR]

It's fixed in the Choctawhatchee report, but it's still labeled as Brewer's if you click on the thumbnail directly from the home page. As a "westerner" (Californian), I'm hardly an authority on Rusty Blackbird, having seen a grand total of 1. I guess I need to get out into the swamp sometime.

Thanks for the info. I have re-uploaded the photo to correct the caption.