williammcfarlands favoriter

Well nuts grabbed the wrong Id, so here this is again with the corrected Id.
Those of you who have followed any of my identifications may have noticed that I tend to be a little on the cautious, conservative side when applying a name to an observation. Yes I still make mistakes. All that has really had me in a battle with myself over this one. While on my way to a location I wanted to check out a large black woodpecker flew across my field of vision. My first thought was pileated. I had seen one an hour or so prior so the flight and body profile were still fresh in my mind. However as it got closer it became apparent something wasn't right. The bird had far too much white by a very good bit. This remained obvious as the bird flew past me and finally came to rest on a lonely nearly limbless oak across the road from where I was. Upon settling the large prominent white saddle bags were very visible. I racked my brain for other options but none fit. The species often mistaken for an ivory bill other than a pileated is a red headed but this bird was far to large with the wrong head shape to be a red headed woodpecker. Sadly no pictures were possible as there was no place to safely park my vehicle. You can be sure I will be back. Let the fun begin.